A4P+ (Action for Peacekeeping Plus) is the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and Department of Operational Support (DOS) implementation strategy launched in March 2021 by Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix. It was designed to give sharper operational focus to the broader Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative that Secretary-General António Guterres launched in 2018 alongside the Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations, which has been endorsed by over 150 member states.
A4P+ identifies seven priority areas intended to drive measurable progress over a two-to-three year horizon:
- Collective coherence behind a political strategy
- Strategic and operational integration
- Capabilities and mindsets of uniformed and civilian personnel
- Accountability of and to peacekeepers
- Strategic communications
- Cooperation with host countries
- Partnerships, especially with regional organizations such as the African Union and the European Union
The strategy responds to a peacekeeping environment characterized by asymmetric threats, complex political transitions, mission drawdowns (notably MINUSMA in Mali, which closed in 2023, and MONUSCO in the DRC), rising peacekeeper fatalities, and constrained budgets driven in part by US and Chinese assessed-contribution debates in the Fifth Committee.
A4P+ does not create new mandates; instead it functions as a managerial roadmap that aligns DPO, DOS, troop- and police-contributing countries (T/PCCs), and the Security Council around shared performance indicators. It links to parallel reform tracks including the Comprehensive Performance Assessment System (CPAS), the Integrated Peacekeeping Performance and Accountability Framework, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda originating in UNSC Resolution 1325 (2000).
For MUN delegates and researchers, A4P+ is most often invoked in C-34 (Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations) debates and in Security Council discussions on mission renewals, where states cite the seven priorities to justify mandate language on protection of civilians, mission transitions, and host-state cooperation.
Example
In 2022, France and other Security Council members referenced A4P+ priorities on strategic communications and host-country cooperation during debates over the MINUSMA mandate renewal in Mali.
Frequently asked questions
A4P (2018) is the political initiative and Declaration of Shared Commitments; A4P+ (2021) is the internal UN Secretariat strategy operationalizing A4P through seven prioritized work streams over a defined implementation horizon.
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