2016.25 UN Military Observers in Peacekeeping Operations

Abstract

This document provides guidance on the operational deployment of United Nations Military Observers (UNMO) in multidimensional peacekeeping operations. These guidelines replace the 2009 DPKO/DFS guidelines on the Roles and Training Standards for United Nations Military Experts on Mission. They apply to military commanders, staff officers and UNMO as well as other United Nations personnel in United Nations peacekeeping operations, including senior mission leaders, and staff members of DPKO/DFS at United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ). Described herein are the core roles, skills, equipment requirements and operational parameters of UNMO deployed in peacekeeping missions. Safety and security requirements are discussed, providing the basis for training standards that ensure effective preparation for task execution. Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) will find these guidelines helpful in understanding how their personnel interact with other elements of the United Nations mission; and particularly useful as a standard of interoperability when they train and prepare their personnel to serve with other nationalities as UNMO. These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the DPKO/DFS United Nations Military Experts on Mission (UNMEM) Manual (Ref 2010.30) which describes the administrative procedures related to selection, deployment, rotation, extension and transfer of UNMEM including UNMO as well as other administrative, logistics and financial terms and conditions to govern the contribution of UNMEM in peacekeeping operations.