Un glossary

Conciliation

— an attempt to resolve a dispute by having it examined in depth by an independent commission of enquiry of «conciliation commission»; this then offers its recom- mendation for a settlement, which in contrast to a decision arrived at by arbitration, is non-binding.

Contributor state

— a state which contributes personnel to a peacekeeping operation.

Good offices

— diplomatic intervention by a neutral third party (or «facilitator») in an international or intrastate conflict which is usually limited to providing assistance in bringing the rival parties into direct negotiations but may extend to suggesting a formula for a settlement. Good offices (bons offices) do not, however, extend to active participation in discussions once they are beyond the procedural stage; if this develops, as sometimes happens, the provision of good offices has changed into mediation […]. Unlike mediation, good offices could be exerted at the request of only one party to a dispute. […] The extremely active role of the UN Secretary-General in the Cyprus conflict is officially described as his «mission of good offices».

Mediation

— any diplomatic activity by an impartial third party (an intermediary), which is designed to promote a negotiated settlement to a conflict.

Multilateral

diplomacy

P4

P5

Peace enforcement

— diplomacy conducted via conferences attended by three or more states, as distinct from bilateral diplomacy which is conducted on a state-to-state basis. The UN provides numerous opportunities to practice multilateral diplomacy.

— the alliance of India, Brazil, Japan and Germany which press jointly for permanent seats on the Security Council.

— the permanent members of the Security Council.

— action on the basis of collective security. It refers to both armed action against cross-border aggression and within a state against internal disturbers of the peace.

Preventive diplomacy

— action to prevent disputes from arising, to resolve them before they escalate into conflicts or to limit the spread of conflicts when they occur.

Peace-making

— the use of diplomatic means to persuade parties in conflict to cease hostilities and to negotiate a peaceful settlement of their dispute.

Peacekeeping

— impartial and non-threatening third-party activity taken at the request or with the consent of disputants who wish, at least for the time being, to live in peace. The distinctive characteristics of peacekeeping were conceptualized in the late 1950s and in the early 1960s. This was a result of the pacifying role of the UN in the Suez crisis of 1956. The UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, where it operates along the dividing line between Turkish-held northern Cyprus and Greek-held southern Cyprus, can serve as an example.

Second generation peacekeeping

— operations established in the 1990s, which often included substantial civilian as well as military elements, and which sometimes were markedly more abrasive and less impartial than the earlier sort. This last type of activity, however, had by the end of the decade tended to develop into clear-cut peace enforcement.

Peace enforcement

— the currently favoured name for action on the basis of collective security. However, whereas collective security envisaged armed action against cross-border aggression, peace enforcement also refers to such action taken within a state against internal disturbers of the peace.

Peace-building

— action to support structures that will strenghten and consolidate peace in a state (elections, monitoring, repatriating refugees, clearing landmines, repairing infrastructure, etc.)