Ci a ion: Al a ez-Espada, J.M.;
Fuen es-Ba gues, J.L.;
González-Gaya, C. App oach and
Success in he Managemen o
Peacekeeping Ope a ions (PKOs):
Applica ion o Two Case S udies, he
UNMISS and MONUSCO Missions
o he UN. Sus ainabili y 2022,14,
6097. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
su14106097
Academic Edi o s: JoséL. Yagüe
Blanco and Vanesa Gladys Lo Iacono
Fe ei a
Recei ed: 29 Ma ch 2022
Accep ed: 16 May 2022
Published: 17 May 2022
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sus ainabili y
A icle
App oach and Success in he Managemen o Peacekeeping
Ope a ions (PKOs): Applica ion o Two Case S udies, he
UNMISS and MONUSCO Missions o he UN
Juan Manuel Al a ez-Espada 1,2, JoséLuis Fuen es-Ba gues 3,* and C is ina González-Gaya 4
1Escuela In e nacional de Doc o ado (EIDUNED), C/B a o Mu illo, 38, 28015 Mad id, Spain;
[email p o ec ed]
2Depa amen o de Ingenie ía del Diseño, Escuela Poli écnica Supe io , Uni e sidad de Se illa, C/Vi gen de
Á ica, 7, 41011 Se illa, Spain
3PRINS Resea ch Cen e , Uni e si a Poli ècnica de València, Camino de Ve a s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
4
Cons uc ion and Manu ac u ing Enginee ing Depa men , Na ional Dis ance Educa ion Uni e si y (UNED),
C/Juan del Rosal 12, 28040 Mad id, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed].es
Abs ac :
A Peacekeeping Ope a ion (PKO) o he Uni ed Na ions (UN) is a complex p ojec whose
objec i e is de e mined by he manda e, and which seeks o elimina e iolence, achie e peace, and
consolida e he u u e o socie y in con lic zones. Fo a PKO is impo an o assess he success o
ailu e o he mission because migh ha e implica ions o he ou comes o u u e missions. In his
pape , i is p oposed a me hodology ha combines wo a ailable ools, on he one hand he ool o
PMI o de e mine he mos app op ia e app oach o manage a PKO and on he o he hand he NUPI
ool, o measu e he success o a PKO. The me hodology is applied o wo s udies cases o ou h
gene a ion PKOs, he UNMISS PKO in Sou h Sudan and he MONUSCO mission in he Democ a ic
Republic o Congo. F om he esul s ob ained an adap i e app oach enjoys a g ea e gua an ee o
success han does a p ede ined app oach.
Keywo ds: p ojec managemen ; complexi y; c isis managemen ; peacekeeping ope a ions
1. In oduc ion
A p ojec is a singula esul ob ained by applying a se ies o esou ces, usually
de e mined p og essi ely, in a ini e ime. I is called singula , since, om he idea o whe e
he p ojec a ises, a unique and di e en iable esul is achie ed. I is labelled p og essi e
since i is de eloped h ough simul aneous and/o successi e p ocesses. Finally, a p ojec
is designa ed as ini e, because i has a beginning and an end.
P ojec managemen is he discipline in which he necessa y knowledge, skills, and
echniques a e applied o o ganize and manage esou ces in such a way ha all he wo k
equi ed in he p ojec can be comple ed in compliance wi h he de ined equi emen s,
wi hin he p esen ime, and a he ag eed cos [1].
A Peacekeeping Ope a ion (PKO) o he Uni ed Na ions (UN) is also a p ojec . I s
singula objec i e is peace and is ca ied ou p og essi ely h ough he applica ion o
ma e ial and human esou ces, unde a ini e execu ion ime. Peacekeeping missions a e an
e ec i e ool o a oid he esump ion o ci il wa s [
2
], o inc ease he du a ion o peace
ag eemen s [
3
] o con ibu e o he end o he iolence [
4
], o enhance coope a ion a he
local le el [5] and o suppo pos -con lic econs uc ion [6].
As a p ojec , a PKO equi es managemen ha in ol es he ask o adminis e ing mul-
iple esou ces, aking ca e o he ela ionships wi h innume able s akeholde s, add essing,
and esol ing isks, and b inging o ui ion he se o equi emen s.
I he mos impo an aspec o launch a p ojec is he con ac (in which he de ini ions
a e laid ou o he equi emen s, he scope, objec i es, he esou ces wi h which i mus
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su14106097 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 2 o 15
be ca ied ou , oge he wi h he scope, ime, and cos pa ame e s ha de ine he success
o a p ojec ), hen he mos impo an elemen in a PKO is i s manda e [
7
], whe e he
equi emen s o be me and he esou ces ( oops, police, specialis s, and suppo ) a ailable
a e lis ed.
A signi ican i s elemen in p ojec managemen in ol es he choice o app oach o
be u ilised o he ealisa ion and moni o ing o a p ojec un il i s conclusion. The use o a
ce ain app oach is also ela ed o he complexi y o he p ojec , which ac s in en i onmen s
whe e i s elemen s a e highly in e connec ed h ough ne wo ks ha can sel -o ganise; om
hese ne wo ks new ini ially un o eseen elemen s may a ise, which in u n can gene a e
g ea isk and unce ain y [8,9].
A second impo an elemen in p ojec managemen , which is also highly ele an o
he e alua ion and con inui y o a p ojec , is he measu emen o i s success [
10
,
11
]. I he
p ojec is complex, hen he measu emen o i s success becomes di icul o assess [
12
]. The
c ea ion o new equi emen s inc eases he ime and cos ac o s he eo , and he objec i es
can some imes emain impossible o achie e [
13
]. Fo he managemen o complex p ojec s
a e no adequacy con en ional managemen sys ems [
14
], some au ho s ad oca e o
quali a i ely quali a i e app oaches [
15
,
16
], o he s o quan i a i e app oaches [
17
,
18
],
and o he esea che s emphasize he complexi y assessmen sys ems should be based
on exis ing p ojec managemen (PM) s anda ds o ensu e implemen a ion o ecognized
compe encies and p ac ices in managing complex p ojec s [19,20].
Fo a PKO is impo an o assess he success o ailu e o he mission because migh
ha e implica ions o he ou comes o o he missions [
21
]. De ine success in PKO missions
is a complex issue, on he one hand could be conside ed as he absence o hos ili ies and
on he o he hand he educ ion o ci ilian su e ing [
22
], so de e mining success is an
impo an ques ion bo h o policy-making pe spec i e and o schola ly pe spec i e.
In his pape we ha e wo objec i es: he i s , o analyze he app oach o a PKO,
which would allow es ablishing he mos co ec app oach o PKO managemen and he
second, o ind he heo e ical me hod ha can p o ide a measu e o he success o a PKO,
while conside ing i s app oach and he complexi y in which i is ound. I he app oach o
he managemen o a PKO is acco ding o i s cha ac e is ics he likelihood o i s success
will inc ease.
The pape is s uc u ed as ollows: Sec ion 1p esen s he in oduc ion. Sec ion 2
desc ibes he heo ical amewo k o he UN peacekeeping missions. Sec ion 3is di ided
in o h ee subsec ions, he i s p esen s he desc ip ion o he ypes o app oaches o he
managemen o a p ojec , he second subsec ion desc ibes he managemen o complex
p ojec s and he hi d p esen s he li e a u e e iew abou success in peacekeeping missions.
Sec ion 4de elops he me hodology o he esea ch and in Sec ion 5, he me hodology is
applied, and discussed, o wo s udies cases, he UNMISS PKO in Sou h Sudan and he
MONUSCO mission in he Democ a ic Republic o Congo. Finally, Sec ion 6p esen s he
main conclusions o he s udy.
2. UN Peacekeeping Missions
Since he c ea ion o he Uni ed Na ions in 1945, peacekeeping has p o en o be one o
he mos e ec i e ools a he UN’s disposal o help coun ies na iga e he di icul pa h
om con lic o peace [23].
The Cha e o he Uni ed Na ions is clea in he eadiness o said o ganiza ion o use
all he necessa y measu es o p ese e peace. As s a ed in A icle 1, he pu pose o he UN
is o main ain in e na ional peace and secu i y. Fu he mo e, in A icle 2.3, i p oclaims
ha membe coun ies mus se le hei in e na ional dispu es by peace ul means [24].
The Secu i y Council, as a key elemen o he in e na ional o de , holds he capaci y
o impose sanc ions, call o a peace ul se lemen , access o he coe ci e measu es, and
o use o ce o p ese e peace. A icle 33 (peace ul se lemen o dispu es) is o special
in e es since all he means o peace ul se lemen appea bo h diploma ic and judicial,
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 3 o 15
since he pa ies in ol ed in he dispu e enjoy being able o choose he means ha hey
deem app op ia e.
F om 1948 o he p esen day, peacekeeping ope a ions ha e adap ed o he e ol ing
equi emen s. The peace missions can he e o e be di ided in o he ollowing g oups:
1.
“Fi s -gene a ion missions” a e in acco dance wi h Chap e VI on he peace ul se le-
men o dispu es, in which hei p incipal and almos sole ask is o in e pose be ween
coun ies in con lic (in e s a e con lic s), such as hose in he Middle Eas , Kashmi ,
and Cyp us [
25
]. Wi h hese i s missions, he in en ion is o help elimina e hos ili ies,
o e i y ha he e is no igh ing, and o ensu e ha con lic s a e no es a ed. These
a e missions ha seek o p omo e mili a y secu i y, in he hope ha nego ia ions can
se le he poli ical con lic ha igge ed he hos ili ies. The main cha ac e is ics o
hese missions a e he consen o he bellige en s, neu ali y and impa iali y, and he
use o o ce only in sel -de ence [26].
2.
“Second-gene a ion missions” mean no only secu i y bu also peacekeeping missions.
Mo eo e , no longe a e peace missions only sen o in e s a e con lic s (UNIMOG,
obse a ion mission in he I an-I aq con lic ; UNGOMAP, good o ices mission in
A ghanis an and Pakis an) bu hey a e also sen o in as a e con lic s (UNTAG o
assis in he ansi ion p ocess in Namibia; UNTAC in Cambodia) [
27
]. In 1992, he
UN p oposed a new way o iewing peace missions h ough i s epo “a p og am o
peace” [
28
], which elimina ed he consen o he pa ies and di ided he ac ion o he
missions in o a ci ilian componen wi h humani a ian aid and econs uc ion asks,
and he mili a y componen , equipped o de e ac ions agains he popula ion and
ensu e he a i al o humani a ian aid.
3.
“Thi d-gene a ion missions” a e based on Chap e VII o he ounding cha e o he
UN wi h a s ong coe ci e cha ac e . This ype o mission is complex and mul idis-
ciplina y, wi h di ision in e ms o i s implemen a ion, by he componen s o he
secu i y council, and ha e ailed as con i med in he UNAMIR mission (Rwanda,
1994) and UNPROFOR (Bosnia-He zego ina, 1995).
4.
“Fou h-gene a ion missions” a e missions o g ea capaci y o he adap a ion and
in eg a ion o mul iple elemen s. A he end o he 1990s, as a esul o deep e lec ion,
he UN es ablished he new peace missions h ough he “B ahimi Repo ” [
29
] and he
“Caps one Doc ine” [
30
]. These missions we e o be ca ied ou wi h he ollowing
condi ions: need o consen om he pa ies; impa iali y, no neu ali y; and he
non-use o o ce, excep in sel -de ence. Fu he mo e, in e es ing in eg a ion-o ien ed
aspec s we e also conside ed: secu i y coope a ion in he hea e o ope a ions; he
exchange o in o ma ion; join analysis o he si ua ion; imp o ed ope a ional con ol
in missions; in eg a ed secu i y sys ems, and in eg a ed mission planning.
Subsequen ad ances in he ou h-gene a ion missions in 2006 wi h he “New Ho i-
zon” p og am [
31
] and in 2014 wi h he “HIPPO epo ” [
32
] a e especially impo an in
ha hey p esen an adap i e app oach ocused on he s akeholde s who bene i o su e
om he con lic , ca y ou a isk s udy and an ea ly-wa ning s udy, and a e su icien ly
lexible o adap o he changes ha may occu , wi h he addi ional in eg a ion o ci il
o ganisa ions and egional alliances.
In 2017, Sec e a y-Gene al An onio Gu e es launched a new UN peacekeeping ini-
ia i e called he “A4P” ini ia i e, wi h eigh a eas o imp o emen : Poli ics; Women,
peace and secu i y; P o ec ion; Sa e y and sel -p o ec ion o peacekeepe s; Pe o mance
and accoun abili y; Peacebuilding and sus aining peace; Pa ne ships; and Di ec o a e o
Peace Ope a ions. Al hough i has ecei ed s ong suppo , his ini ia i e emains in he
implemen a ion phase [33].
3. Li e a u e Re iew
In p ojec managemen , he e is always a managemen eam wi h a leade who is he
p ojec manage . The la e assumes he ul ima e esponsibili y o he p ojec . P ojec
managemen applies supe ision h ough h ee gene al s eps: he es ablishmen o eal-
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 4 o 15
is ic, easonable, and achie able objec i es h ough he necessa y p ocesses; he cons an
e alua ion o he achie emen o said objec i es; and he oppo une implemen a ion o
app op ia e co ec i e ac ions o ob ain he ag eed esul [34,35].
The e a e wo ypes o p ocesses in a p ojec : he p oduc ion p ocesses ha a e o ien ed
owa ds he c ea ion o he p oduc , he se ice, o he esul , which jus i ies he ealisa ion
o he p ojec ; and he managemen p ocesses, which a e dedica ed o coo dina e all he
wo k ha he p ojec eam mus ca y ou o achie e he inal objec i e o he p ojec . Bo h
ypes o p ocesses can be sequenced, o e lapped, o in e ac ed wi h each o he h oughou
he ac i e li e o he p ojec . This ac i e li e o he p ojec is called he p ojec li e cycle [1].
I can, he e o e, be es ablished ha , in a p ojec , wo ypes o con ol exis : a con ol
o e he “how he p ojec is ca ied ou ”, in o he wo ds, he app oach; and ano he con ol
o e he “ esul o he p ojec ”, ha add esses he measu e o success. Bo h a e i ally
impo an o make his dis inc ion ega ding peace missions [36].
3.1. P ojec Managemen App oach
P edic i e p ojec s a e hose ha ake ad an age o he high ce ain y in he equi e-
men s and/o objec i es demanded in he ini ial phase, since hese equi emen s and/o
objec i es a e usually ixed and a e ca ied ou by a s able echnically p epa ed eam o
expe s, who a e seldom ela ed o he ou side. The p ocesses ha compose such a p ojec
a e ca ied ou only once, and a esul is yielded a he end o i s li e cycle. The main goal
o his ype o p ojec is o manage cos s in o de o p e en hea y economic losses being
incu ed. The p ocesses comp ised he ein a e sequen ial [1].
F om he la e 1990s, p ojec managemen wi h li e cycles ha di e ed om hose
o he p edic i e p ojec s began o be widely u ilized. These new ypes o p ojec s we e
g ouped unde he heading “adap i e p ojec s”, since hese adap ed o he changes ha
we e equi ed o be ca ied ou con inuously, especially in he ea ly phases, adap ed well
o he changes p oduced by isks in he execu ion, and yielded added alue ( esul s) e y
ea ly in hei li e cycle. Among hese ypes o p ojec s we e he ollowing:
•
I e a i e p ojec s. These p ojec s aim o imp o e he esul by making p o o ypes o
es s o he elemen s o be deli e ed la e . Each i e a ion p oduces eedback ha is
p esen ed o s akeholde s, he eby enabling hem o change hei opinions and i also
p o ides new knowledge o he wo k eam.
•
Inc emen al p ojec s. The objec i e o hese p ojec s is o p io i ise speed in he deli e y
o alue o s akeholde s, and he as e and g ea e he alue, he be e . Wi h apid
deli e y, he s akeholde s can p opose changes in a la e phase, and he eam can also
quickly obse e he changes, isks, and knowledge acqui ed.
These wo ypes o p ojec s ha e gi en ise o a p ojec ype ha combines he cha -
ac e is ics o bo h ypes o o m he Agile p ojec , which esponds o he demands o
unce ain y and con inuous changes in he p ojec s. In his ype o p ojec , changes in
ini ial condi ions a e cons an and he p ojec is di ided in o cha ac e is ics (pieces) ha a e
execu ed in an o de de e mined by he en i onmen [37].
An example o his ype o p ojec is gi en by he Quick Impac P ojec s (QIP) in he
PKOs. These a e small-scale, low-cos p ojec s ha a e implemen ed o e a sho pe iod o
ime. They include ac i i ies such as eno a ing a school in a ce ain own, digging wa e
wells, and ixing a ce ain oad swep by a s o m [
38
] and he de elopmen p ojec s ha
he UN CPAS is es ablishing [39].
The Agile p ojec managemen me hodology comple ely changes he philosophy o
p ojec s since no only is g ea e impo ance gi en o eams and he c ea ion o ne wo ks,
bu he e is also g ea e collabo a ion wi h p ojec s akeholde s, and he main mission
in ol es a as esponse o change and a ull e iew o isks on an ongoing basis.
Hi he o, a ious app oaches o p ojec managemen ha e been iden i ied which can be
classi ied as ei he ha ing o al ce ain y wi h ixed p e equisi es (p edic i e p ojec s), o a
se o app oaches, encompassed unde he p emise o unce ain y in he p e equisi es, wi h
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 5 o 15
ce ain complexi y (called adap i e p ojec s), among which he Agile app oach cu en ly
s ands ou .
Howe e , i is no always necessa y o use a single ype o app oach when managing
p ojec s. In many cases, ce ain elemen s o di e en li e cycles a e combined o achie e he
esul expec ed by hose in e es ed in he p ojec . These a e called HYBRID PROJECTS.
Hyb id app oaches a e mo e common han hey may seem, mo e han 75% o he
p ojec s ha ha e been execu ed in ecen yea s a e hyb ids [40].
3.2. Managemen o Complex P ojec s
A sys em is a combina ion o means (whe he hey be people, ma e ials, equipmen ,
so wa e, acili ies, da a, e c.) in eg a ed in such a way ha hey can de elop a ce ain
unc ion in esponse o a speci ic need [41].
A sys em can be decomposed in o essen ial uni s in such a way ha , h ough hei
analysis and summa ion, wha he sys em ac ually does can be asce ained. This is called
sys ems analysis: he me hodical p ocess ha allows us o comp ehend and con ol sys-
ems [42].
A complex sys em is one ha has much mo e in o ma ion han each essen ial uni
p o ides since he links and ela ionships be ween hem gene a e new in o ma ion and
p ope ies ha canno be explained om hese essen ial uni s alone, and hence his ype o
sys em has non-linea beha iou . Mo eo e , i he complex sys em is dynamic, hen his
implies ha i con inuously in e ac s wi h he en i onmen ha su ounds i , and ha i is
no p edic i e in de ail, no is i s e olu ion o e ime p edic i e. In gene al, howe e , i
may appea p edic i e [8].
Complex p ojec s a e cha ac e ized by he summa ion o complex sys ems o achie e
a complex esul ; he union o dynamic sys ems ha con inuously in e ac wi h hei
en i onmen ; and he p ocu emen o esul s wi h new p ope ies ha did no p e iously
exis in he essen ial uni s ha comp ise he complex sys ems used [43].
The managemen o complex p ojec s p esen s di e en p ope ies o hose o he
managemen o p edic i e p ojec s seen abo e. He e, s akeholde managemen is o he
u mos impo ance. Any possible changes ha can be pe cei ed in he s akeholde s mus be
con inuously sc u inised, and he la ges numbe o in e es ed pa ies mus also be included
so ha he ini ial condi ions a e pe ec ly asce ained, and any subsequen unce ain ies a e
p e en ed. Fo his ype o p ojec , i should be conside ed, ha [44]:
•
In a complex p ojec , he in e pe sonal and leade ship skills o eam membe s and
hei di ec o a e a he same le el o some imes highe han hei echnical knowledge.
These skills should de ec changes be o e hey ake e ec .
•
Leade ship should make i easie o ake immedia e measu es o p e en nega i e
e en s ( h ea s) and o a ou posi i e e en s (oppo uni ies).
•The s akeholde s should be pa o he social ne wo k o he p ojec .
•
The essen ial uni s o be execu ed should be con inuously e alua ed in such a way
ha hey can be immedia ely changed o espond o hese changes.
3.3. Success in PKO P ojec s
Al hough he PKO mus ha e cohe ence be ween he clea manda e, he s a egies,
and he esou ces o achie e he designa ed objec i es, no se o common c i e ia om he
li e a u e consul ed can be ound o measu e he success o a PKO.
Diehl sugges s ha success is composed by wo aspec s, he limi a ion o he a med
con lic , i.e., he limi he dea h and he des uc ion o ac ions o wa , and he esolu ion
o he disag eemen s ha o igina ed he con lic [
45
]. Fo Doyle and Sambanis, success
depends on he le el o hos ili y in he a ea, on he capaci ies o he popula ion o he
a ea o es ablish peace, and on in e na ional s akeholde s [
4
]. Ande son, de ine success as
he main enance o a su icien le el o secu i y o main ain go e nance and he a i al o
aid [
46
]. Fo Puskhina, success lies in cu bing iolence, p e en ing he sp ead o con lic ,
and esol ing he causes o con lic [47].

Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 6 o 15
Sig i and Basa de ine he measu emen o success depends on mee ing a iable KPIs
in acco dance wi h he mission in he same way as wi h a p ojec [
48
]. Fo Wis uba, success
lies in es ablishing a secu e en i onmen ha enables he es ablishmen o posi i e and
adap able peace [
49
]. O he au ho as Pe e belie es ha i should be inqui ed as o whom
success is impo an and ha all s akeholde s should be included and ha hey should
adap as much as possible o i he ci cums ances [
50
] and Ba dalai, on he o he hand,
conside s ha i is e y di icul o measu e he success o a mission gi en ha so many
poin s a e add essed he ein ha i becomes impossible o achie e a homogeneous alue o
success [51].
Some esea che s ha e p oposed a lis o c i e ia o de e mining success, o example
Diehl and D uckman p opose as c i e ia a ac o humani a ian aid, conduc ion o elec ions,
local go e nance, ule o law and o he ac o s [
52
]. Ma in-B ûlé, a e analysing 11 peace
missions in Somalia, Libe ia and Sie a Leone, p opose a new concep ual amewo k which
u he delinea es ope a ional de ini ions o success o ailu e based on: ailu es, pa ial
ailu es, pa ial successes o successes [53].
Van de Lijn de ine success o a PKO depends on nine ac o s: willingness and since i y
o he con lic pa ies o implemen he peace plan; ha su icien secu i y is p o ided;
ha he causes o he con lic a e s udied; coope a ion o con lic pa ies, egional and
in e na ional ac o s; ha he PKO is implemen ed a he igh ime and o he igh pe iod;
compe en leade ship and p epa ed eams; long- e m app oach (abou 10 yea s); clea
coo dina ion o all s akeholde s and ha local s akeholde s see he PMO as hei own [
54
].
B a , a e analysis o a ious PKOs, p opose as success c i e ia: he ul ilmen o
he manda e, he end o he a med con lic , he peace and secu i y and he con lic esolu-
ion [
55
]. All hese aspec s a e ela ed o peacekeeping bu no wi h he u u e, so he same
au ho ex ended he c i e ia o aspec s as go e nance and ai ness, as well he s abili y wi h
he coun ies o he egion [56].
I is no only impo an o de ine he c i e ia bu also o es ablish he necessa y ools
o be able o measu e i . In his sense, he No wegian Ins i u e o In e na ional A ai s
(NUPI) [
57
] has de eloped an e alua ion sys em based on eigh dimensions o analyse
peace missions and suppo he depa men s in ol ed in PKOs. This sys em combines
comp ehensi e managemen , adap abili y, and collec ion o in o ma ion ega ding he
e ain.
4. Me hodology
The me hod used in his wo k is quali a i e and is o a mul idisciplina y na u e ha
combines echnical managemen and social sciences. Fo he i s objec i e, o es ablish he
ype o app oach in an PKO, mus be u ilised a ool ha conside s he cha ac e is ics o he
mission o asce ain which o he h ee cases being analysed i ep esen s: p edic i e, agile,
o hyb id. The ool o P ojec Managemen Ins i u e (PMI
®
) called “app oach sui abili y
il e ” [
37
] has been chosen because i is one o he mos widely used ools o de e mine
whe he a p ojec has an Agile, hyb id, o p edic i e li e cycle [58,59].
Fo he second objec i e, he measu emen o success, a e e iewing he s a e o a ,
he ool de eloped by NUPI is selec ed because is a ool ha no only de ines he assessmen
dimensions bu also es ablishes guidelines on how o assess each o hem. In addi ion, i
could be applied o e alua e p og ess du ing he implemen a ion o he PKO, which would
allow o eedback o he s akeholde s in ol ed in he PKO.
Once he ools ha e been es ablished, an applica ion is made o wo UN PKOs: UN-
MISS in Sou h Sudan, and MONUSCO in he Democ a ic Republic o he Congo (DRC).
Bo h a e ou h-gene a ion ope a ions, and bo h ha e been wo king in he ield o a
su icien ly long pe iod o ime o hei wo k o be analysed.
4.1. De e mining he P ojec App oach o a PKO
I would be in e es ing o ha e access o a high-le el ool capable o indica ing he ype
o li e cycle app oach o he p ojec in o de o asce ain whe he i is eminen ly p edic i e,
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 7 o 15
o a hyb id, o pu e Agile due o he majo unce ain y ha i mus ace. I would also be
in e es ing o ha e access o his ool o asce ain wha a peace mission could look simila
o and o be able o channel he o ecas s in he igh di ec ion.
The “app oach sui abili y il e ” o he P ojec Managemen Ins i u e (PMI
®
) is a
quali a i e ool, whe e each ques ion mus be answe ed wi h a sco e o 1 o 10, depending
on he knowledge held on he p ojec , he eam, and he ype o app oach speci ied.
1. Cul u e.
a.
Buy-in o app oach. Is he e suppo wi hin he o ganisa ion ha is going o
ca y ou he p ojec o ca y ou an Agile app oach? (YES = 1/PARTIAL =
5/NO = 10).
b.
T us in he eam. Is he e con idence wi hin he o ganisa ion ha he eam
will pe o m well in he Agile app oach, wi h he suppo o he o ganisa ion?
(YES = 1/PROBABLY = 5/NO = 10).
c.
Decision-making powe s o he eam. Will he eam be gi en he au onomy
o make hei own local decisions abou whe he o unde ake wo k? (YES =
1/PROBABLY = 5/NO = 10).
2. P ojec .
a.
Likelihood o change. Wha pe cen age o equi emen s is likely o change o
be disco e ed on a mon hly? (HIGH = 1/MEDIUM LEVEL = 5/LOW = 10).
b.
C i icali y o p oduc o se ice. How impo an is i o s akeholde s ha he
p ojec ails? (CRITICAL = 1/IMPORTANT = 5/UNIMPORTANT = 10).
c.
Inc emen al deli e y. Should he p ojec be deli e ed piece-by-piece and
quickly? (YES = 1/SOMETIMES = 5/NO = 10).
3. Team.
a.
Team size. Wha is he size o he co e eam? (1–9 = 1/10–20 = 2/21–30 = 3/31–45
= 4/46–60 = 5/61–80 = 6/81–110 = 7/111–150 = 8/151–200 = 9/201+ = 10).
b.
Expe ience le els. A e he main p ojec eam membe s expe s in unce ain y
en i onmen , change managemen , and c isis managemen ? (YES = 1/PAR-
TIALLY = 5/NO = 10).
c.
Access o s akeholde s. Does he main p ojec eam ha e open access o s ake-
holde s? (YES = 1/PARTIAL = 5/NO = 10).
4.2. Measu emen o he Success o a PKO
The e iew amewo k es ablished by he NUPI o he e alua ion o he success o a
mission is es ablished on eigh dimensions whe e he mission is conside ed success ul i
i mee s he mos o equi emen s he ein [
60
]. The e alua ion o he eigh dimensions is
quali a i e and he eigh dimensions a e:
1. P imacy o poli ics and o ganisa ion o elec ions.
2. P o ec ion and s abilisa ion.
3. Local and in e na ional owne ship.
4. Regional and in e na ional suppo .
5. Consis ency and pa icipa ion.
6. Legi imacy, impa iali y, and c edibili y.
7. Women, peace, and secu i y.
8. People-cen ed app oach.
In he u u e, o he dimensions o a mo e inno a i e na u e could be inco po a ed,
such as hose ega ding he en i onmen , ene gy, and mig a ion [61].
5. Resul s and Discussion
A his poin , he concep o mission app oach and he measu e o success o a UN
peacekeeping mission a e applied o wo speci ic examples: he UNMISS PKO in Sou h
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 8 o 15
Sudan and he MONUSCO mission in he Democ a ic Republic o he Congo. Finally, a
discussion o he esul s is p esen ed.
5.1. Sou h Sudan
5.1.1. Backg ound
Sou h Sudan, which belongs o Sudan, achie ed independence h ough a e e endum
on sel -de e mina ion in 2011 ollowing nea ly i y yea s o wa be ween he A ab No h
and he Ch is ian and Animis Sou h. In ha yea , he UNMISS mission was se up o help
build he new s a e and p omo e i s go e nance. Howe e , in 2013, ci il wa b oke ou
be ween he ibes comp ising he new sou he n s a e, and, in 2018, a p eca ious peace was
eached ha has been main ained wi h spo adic igh ing. The ollowing e e ences ha e
been employed o p o ide de ails on he e en s be ween Sudan and Sou h Sudan and on
he pos -independence pe iod: [62–67] and he epo s o he UNMISS mission [68].
5.1.2. Wha Is he Focus o PKO UNMISS?
In o de o analyse he da a necessa y o i s applica ion in he ool indica ed in
Sec ion 4.1, his s udy is based on he documen a ion indica ed abo e, he eby ob aining
he ollowing quali a i e da a:
1. Cul u e:
•
Buy-in o app oach: This mission o igina es om a p e ious, mo e e sa ile
mission, UNMIS. The cu en mission adop s he p o ec ion o ci ilians as i s
p ima y objec i e. I s in eg a ed app oach p esen s p edic able and Agile aspec s
simul aneously (Value: 5).
•T us in he eam: Team membe s ca y ou highly decen alised wo k bu need
au ho isa ion om he mission ep esen a i e. Non- o al con idence (Value: 6).
•
Decision-making powe s o he eam: Ci il/mili a y duali y. The ac ions o
he ci ilian eam possess no au onomy and depend on he mili a y componen
(Value: 4).
2. P ojec (PKO):
•
P obabili y o change: The e is a signi ican p obabili y o change in he mission
(Value: 3).
•
C i icali y o p oduc o se ice: C i ical since i con ains a highly signi ican
componen o iolence agains ci ilians. This cons i u es he p io i y objec i e
(Value: 2).
•
Inc emen al deli e y: No immedia e e mina ion o he mission is expec ed
(Value: 9).
3. Team:
•
Team size: Managemen eam comp ises an a e age o 80–100 people wi h
decision-making capaci y. The documen a ion indica es mo e han 400 people.
The o ganisa ion cha shows highe le els (Value: 6).
•
Expe ience le els: Wi h s ong decen alisa ion, 10 o ices, and new in eg a ed
Agile ools om CPAS, hei expe ience is ex ensi e (Value: 6).
•
Access o s akeholde s: They ha e access o local and egional leade s and can
hold mee ings on issues ha may a ec he imp o emen o quali y o li e (Value:
9).
I can be obse ed in he Figu e 1 ha he isual esul seems o co espond o a hyb id
app oach ha is close o an Agile app oach, which makes his mission appea o be well
adap ed o changes and unce ain ies. The only poin ha dig esses om he o he s is ha
o he su ende , and hence, gi en he le el o iolence ha exis s in he egion, i appea s
ha he mission canno end in he nex 12 mon hs. I should also be bo ne in mind ha
he eam is no as agile as i should be o a mission o his s yle in which he si ua ion
indica ed in he epo s is uns able and changes wi hin sho pe iods o ime.
Sus ainabili y 2022,14, 6097 9 o 15
Sus ainabili y 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 o 16
• Expe ience le els: Wi h s ong decen alisa ion, 10 o ices, and new in eg a ed
Agile ools om CPAS, hei expe ience is ex ensi e (Value: 6).
• Access o s akeholde s: They ha e access o local and egional leade s and can
hold mee ings on issues ha may a ec he imp o emen o quali y o li e
(Value: 9).
I can be obse ed in he Figu e 1 ha he isual esul seems o co espond o a hy-
b id app oach ha is close o an Agile app oach, which makes his mission appea o be
well adap ed o changes and unce ain ies. The only poin ha dig esses om he o he s
is ha o he su ende , and hence, gi en he le el o iolence ha exis s in he egion, i
appea s ha he mission canno end in he nex 12 mon hs. I should also be bo ne in mind
ha he eam is no as agile as i should be o a mission o his s yle in which he si ua ion
indica ed in he epo s is uns able and changes wi hin sho pe iods o ime.
Figu e 1. UNMISS mission app oach.
In gene al, i can be obse ed ha he diag am is no homogeneous, and he e o e i
appa en ly adap s o he ci cums ances wi hou hem being o eseen.
5.1.3. Has he UNMISS PKO Been Success ul?
The poin s p oposed o his mission a e analysed as indica ed a he end o Sec ion
4.2 as can be obse ed in he Table 1.
Table 1. Analysis o he UNMISS mission pe dimension s udy. (Sou ce: au ho s’ own).
Dimension Success? Obse a ions
P imacy o poli ics
and o ganisa ion o
elec ions
NO
I s main manda e in ol ed he implemen a ion o go e nance and he holding o
elec ions. This p o ed impossible o ca y ou due o e oneous analysis and he ac
ha no e lec ion was p o ided o he g ea e possibili y o a ci il wa in Sou h Su-
dan.
P o ec ion and s a-
bilisa ion YES UNMISS p o ec ion zones we e es ablished o p o ec mo e han 200,000 people.
Killings we e educed o spo adic episodes only.
Local and in e na-
ional owne ship YES Managemen o he manda e was dis ibu ed ac oss 10 o ices in he coun y, which
p o ided closeness o he popula ion and hei p oblems.
Figu e 1. UNMISS mission app oach.
In gene al, i can be obse ed ha he diag am is no homogeneous, and he e o e i
appa en ly adap s o he ci cums ances wi hou hem being o eseen.
5.1.3. Has he UNMISS PKO Been Success ul?
The poin s p oposed o his mission a e analysed as indica ed a he end o Sec ion 4.2
as can be obse ed in he Table 1.
Table 1. Analysis o he UNMISS mission pe dimension s udy. (Sou ce: au ho s’ own).
Dimension Success? Obse a ions
P imacy o poli ics and
o ganisa ion o elec ions NO
I s main manda e in ol ed he implemen a ion o go e nance and he holding
o elec ions. This p o ed impossible o ca y ou due o e oneous analysis and
he ac ha no e lec ion was p o ided o he g ea e possibili y o a ci il wa in
Sou h Sudan.
P o ec ion and
s abilisa ion YES
UNMISS p o ec ion zones we e es ablished o p o ec mo e han 200,000 people.
Killings we e educed o spo adic episodes only.
Local and in e na ional
owne ship YES Managemen o he manda e was dis ibu ed ac oss 10 o ices in he coun y,
which p o ided closeness o he popula ion and hei p oblems.
Regional and in e na ional
suppo NO G owing disin e es in in e na ional and egional ac o s o he s abilisa ion o
he coun y.
Cohe ence and
pa icipa ions NO
Al hough he mission emains consis en wi h he manda e ecei ed, i s ill
suppo s go e nance and go e nance ha limi s he igh s o i s na ionals and
he membe s o he mission hemsel es.
Legi imacy, impa iali y,
and c edibili y NO
Al hough he le el o iolence has dec eased and c edibili y has inc eased, no
suppo ing in e - ibal communi y alks o educe ension a e being e lec ed in
he poli ical and social si ua ion. The e is a lack o di ec communica ion wi h
he popula ion. The e is no legal ce ain y o na ionals.
Women, peace, and
secu i y NO
The nume ous sexual abuses commi ed agains women, including in he camps
managed by UNMISS, ha e no been hal ed by a gene al ac ion. The lack o
go e nance has elimina ed he possibili y o p osecu ion o hese ac s.
People-cen ed app oach NO
UNMISS ocuses on a “ ac -based app oach” unde s a egic guidelines: his has
ailed o a ec he popula ion a g ound le el.