The Geneva Conventions

This chapter examines what relevance international humanitarian law might have to peacekeeping missions in light of expansion in the size of UN missions since the end of the Cold War and the much broader range of mission objectives and situations to which missions are deployed. It argues that these changes require that much more detailed attention be paid to the differences between missions and the consequent differences in the applicable legal regimes. International humanitarian law is of important but limited relevance: international human rights law is the primary legal frame that should govern peacekeeping operations. The fact that mission rules of engagement are normally classified—including those dealing with law enforcement tasks such as providing security during election periods or supporting the host state government to combat crime—is a violation of the rule of law standards that the United Nations is committed to upholding.