Hi, my name is Renato Mariani, and today I want to speak about Special Political Missions.
Special Political Missions are United Nations civilian missions, deployed for a limited duration of time,
to help Member States in conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding.
They are one of the most important tools for the maintenance of international peace and security,
and one of the most visible manifestation of the Secretary-General's good offices.
Political missions are almost as old as the United Nations itself.
The first political mission was the deployment of Count Folke Bernadotte to the Middle East in 1948.
Today, there are over 40 Special Political Missions deployed around the world.
Most of them are mandated by the Security Council. But some of them are mandated by the General Assembly.
At United Nations headquarters in New York, they are overseen by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
Special Political Missions fall under three main categories:
The first consists of the Special Envoys and Representatives of the Secretary-General,
engaged in mediation processes and carrying out good offices.
These include, for example, the Special Envoys of the Secretary-General for Myanmar, Syria or Yemen.
The second category consists of the teams and panels
established to help monitor the Security Council sanctions regimes,
such as the Panel of Experts overseeing the arms embargo on Libya.
The third category includes the regional offices in West Africa, Central Africa and Central Asia,
which carry out preventive diplomacy in close partnership with regional and subregional organizations,
as well as country-based missions that support national authorities and political processes
in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Colombia.
Many political missions are deployed in complex and volatile environments.
Despite the challenges that they face, they have demonstrated an ability to help Member States
diffuse tensions, step back from the brink of conflict
and support national authorities in building a sustainable peace.
