U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday told the Security Council that the international community must be prepared to invest in peacekeeping and peacebuilding at a "key moment for this flagship U.N. activity" as he highlighted new trends and approaches affecting operations, whose budget is approaching $8 billion. "The continued use of U.N. peacekeeping by the Security Council testifies to its continued relevance and its unique universality and legitimacy. The demand for peacekeeping will remain," Ban told the 15-member council. Outlining the first of four trends he has prioritized, Ban noted that U.N. peacekeeping operations are increasingly mandated to operate in countries where "there is no peace to keep." More than two-thirds of all military, police, and civilian personnel operating under the U.N. flag are in the Central African Republic, Darfur, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and Mali where levels of violence are significant. U.N. "blue helmets" are also being authorized when there are no clearly identifiable parties to the conflict or viable political process, such as in Mali, where no comprehensive agreement in place and where the situation remains precarious.
