In today's environment, the Secretariat will continue to play a central role in advising the Security Council in the conduct of peace operations. At the same time, building the ability to obtain sound military advice is no easy task. Structural innovations are unlikely to be accepted at this time in the UN's evolution, particularly those involving Charter reform or seen to be infringing on the prerogatives of the permanent five members of the Security Council. A substantially strengthened DPKO, with integral links to the humanitarian and other agencies and possibly the non-governmental sector, and with an enhanced military presence largely provided by Member States, would increase the prospects that military considerations would be given due consideration in Council deliberations. Sound military advice is fundamental if the UN is to launch peace operations quickly and effectively in response to crisis.
Current initiatives head in the right direction.
The Standing Task Force on UN Operations provides a potentially sound basis for a much more structured approach to crisis management. The Secretary-General is also encouraging a more collegial approach among all key Secretariat departments, and these efforts have reduced the departmental rivalries which once bedeviled some operations. At the level of policy planning and analysis, it would coordinate the human rights and civil affairs aspects of peace operations, and at the level of operations, it would ensure logistic support and coordination for human rights monitors, election observers and other civilian activities in the field. Such a unit could assess the elements necessary for civilian field work, so that the lessons learned in operations such as Cambodia, Rwanda, El Salvador and Haiti are not lost. DPKO has undergone steady improvements since its establishment in 1992.