BERLIN (CHATNEWSTV) — With global conflicts mounting and United Nations peacekeeping missions under increasing strain, more than 130 nations are gathering in Berlin for the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial to discuss the future of peace operations, reform strategies, and new commitments of personnel, equipment, and funding.
According to a press statement released on Monday by the German Federal Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, the two-day conference beginning Tuesday is the most significant gathering of international stakeholders in support of UN peacekeeping — a tool described as both effective and cost-efficient, yet facing unprecedented challenges.
“Across the globe, courageous UN peacekeepers are defending the rules of our common UN Charter,” said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “The large number of conflicts means that UN peacekeeping is more important than it has ever been. Yet the challenges, too, are greater than ever before.”
Germany, currently the fourth-largest financial contributor to peacekeeping and the wider UN system, will announce additional pledges during the summit. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to attend alongside defense, foreign, and peacekeeping officials from around the world.
The statement notes that nearly 70,000 peacekeepers — including troops, police officers, and civilians — are currently deployed in 11 UN missions worldwide. These missions operate on a budget of $5.59 billion, which German officials point out is smaller than the annual budget of the New York Police Department.
For the first time, this year’s conference will also focus on reforming peacekeeping to make missions more flexible and better adapted to local realities. “We seek to boost their effectiveness and their acceptance,” said the statement. “By tailoring peace missions more closely to the actual needs of the countries in which they are deployed, we can achieve more sustainable peace.”
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized that even as Berlin shifts focus toward national and collective defense amid European security concerns, it remains committed to global peacekeeping. “Germany continues to participate in blue helmet missions,” Pistorius said. “Unique to our approach is that we support other troop contributors in helping them build up their own capabilities.”
This includes providing training both at home and in mission areas, setting up field hospitals and mobile command posts, and offering support in handling improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the minister added.
“We are coming together in Berlin 80 years after the end of the Second World War to discuss peacekeeping and to initiate necessary reforms,” Pistorius said.
Germany currently deploys about 300 Bundeswehr troops across three UN operations — in South Sudan, Lebanon, and Western Sahara — and contributes 13 police officers to other peace missions. The country also supports partner nations with equipment, training, and logistical solutions, including renewable energy systems and reconnaissance drones.
Despite the wide reach of UN missions, peacekeeping accounts for just 0.5% of global military spending, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Germany’s co-hosting of the summit, officials say, signals its continued responsibility for and commitment to global peace and security.
