In this episode of Multilateralism Unpacked, UNU-CPR Research Officer Catharina Nickel discusses how financial cuts are affecting UN peace operations on the ground, drawing on recent field research in South Sudan.

The conversation explores how funding reductions are translating into the closure of field sites, reduced personnel and patrols, and a smaller operational presence. Nickel considers what these changes mean for civilian protection and local communities, as well as for engagement with political and security actors.

The episode also examines the cross-border dimensions of conflict in South Sudan, including the spillover effects of the war in Sudan. Nickel discusses how displacement, the movement of armed actors and the flow of arms across the Sudan-South Sudan border are compounding existing political and security challenges.

The conversation considers how UN peace operations can respond to these challenges through political engagement, regional coordination and maintaining a physical presence on the ground, as well as what continued financial pressures could mean for their future effectiveness and credibility.

UNU-CPR’s research in South Sudan is made possible through the UK-funded Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT)programme,

For more:

• Learn more about UNU-CPR’s XCEPT-funded research, which examines how sanctions and peace operations can more effectively address violence in borderlands and cross-border conflict.
• For a broader perspective on the pressures facing UN peace operations, listen to Multilateralism Unpacked, Episode 12: The Future of UN Peace Operations, Part 1 – Peace Operations at an Inflection Point, which examines financial strain, geopolitical fragmentation and the changing global role of UN peace operations.
• Read Conflict Economies and Peace Operations, which examines conflict economies in eastern DRC – another region impacted by cross-border conflict drivers.
• Read Defaulting into Transition: How Financial Cuts are Affecting Peacekeeping Realities, which examines how financial cuts are reducing UNMISS’ presence and operational capacity in South Sudan, and the implications for civilian protection and peacekeeping transitions.
• Read Essential Peacekeeping for a Divided World, which explores how more focused, limited peace operations could offer a viable model as geopolitical tensions rise and political and financial support declines.