Human Rights and Gender Aspects in United Nations Peacekeeping Operation Mandates: How did they sneak in?

Abstract

Human Rights and Gender issues within the framework of Women, Peace and Security Agenda have been introduced into the UN peacekeeping operations in different ways. Taking into account that these operations have not been foreseen in the San Francisco Charter, this article intends to reflect on the evolution of both aspects in the Security Council resolutions that contain the UN peace operations mandates. They are the ADN of the peace operations as legal basis of their deployment and include the objectives to be accomplished. In the actual multidimensional operations, human rights and gender related objectives have evolved to become a relevant part of peacekeeping mandates though their interaction is not always clear and their implementation under the protection of civilians’ umbrella could be compromised.