Defence Forces Review 2008

The Process of Reform in United Nations Peace Operations
He a d q u a r t e r s Ma n a g e m e n t In i t i a t i v e s
Since the adoption of the Brahimi Report and with the goals of “Peace Operations 2010” in
mind there has been a major overhaul of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO),
which has resulted in an increase of the number of posts within the department at headquarters
from 450 (approx) in 2000 to 819, with an additional 284 new temporary posts for the period
1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008. The General Assembly formally established a new Department
of Field Support in June 2007 9 The Assembly was acting on reform proposals put forward
by the Secretary General at the beginning of 2007 to bolster the organisation’s capacity to
“mount and sustain” peacekeeping operations in light of the surge in demand for them and the
increasing complexity of those operations 10 The Field Support Department’s primary task is to
provide ‘responsive expertise’ in the areas of personnel, finance and budget, communications,
information technology and logistics. While the new department is headed by an Under-
Secretary General the incumbent continues to report and take direction from DPKO. Another
major initiative, currently in progress, is the establishing of integrated operational teams,
comprising a cross section of officials, including military and police officers designed to
ensure integrated support to all peace missions. A new Office for Rule of Law and Security
has also been established, which is aimed at providing advice and guidance to Headquarters
and missions in the area of law and security institutions.
Th e In t e g r a t e d Mission Pl a n n i n g Pr o c e s s (IMPP)
An integrated mission is one in which there is a shared vision among all UN actors as to the
strategic objective of the UN presence at country level. This strategic objective is the result of
efforts by all elements of the UN system to achieve a common understanding of the mandates
and functions of the UN presence and to use this understanding to maximize its effectiveness,
efficiency and impact in all aspects of its work. The Integrated Mission Planning Process
has been designed to facilitate achievement of this understanding by establishing a planning
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