Appendix 3A. Multilateral peace operations, 2010

Appendix 3A presents extensive data on the multilateral peace operations that were active for all or part of 2010.

Summary

A total of 52 multilateral peace operations were conducted in 2010, in 33 locations. Two peace operations closed during 2010, making it the second consecutive year in which the total number of operations fell.

Number of peace operations, 2001–10

The upward trend in the total number of personnel deployed to peace operations continued to gather pace, with totals increasing by 20 per cent between 2009 and 2010, to reach 262 842. Of these, 91 per cent were military personnel, 6 per cent were civilian police and 3 per cent were civilian staff.

The main reason for this significant increase was reinforcement of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation in Afghanistan run by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Its troop level increased from 84 146 in 2009 to 131 730 in 2010, an increase of 57 per cent. For the fifth year running, ISAF was the largest multilateral peace operation. Indeed, the number of troops deployed with ISAF exceeded the total number of personnel deployed to all other operations combined.

The United Nations continued to be the main conductor of peace operations in 2010. The African Union (AU) was the only organization besides NATO to significantly increase its personnel deployments.

Sigrún Andrésdóttir (Iceland) is a Research Assistant with the SIPRI Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme.