SIPRI warns global peacekeeping at lowest level in 25 years amid funding crisis

A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Saturday (24 May) has warned that multilateral peacekeeping is under severe strain due to geopolitical tensions, funding pressures and political deadlock. Personnel in peace operations fell to 78,633 by end-2025, a 49% decline since 2016 and the lowest level since at least 2000.

  • 58 peace operations active across 34 countries, with a 17% year-on-year drop in 2025
  • UN peacekeeping faced a $2bn funding shortfall, forcing operational cuts
  • Security Council divisions and veto threats delayed or reshaped mission mandates

Researchers including Dr Jaïr van der Lijn and Dr Claudia Pfeifer Cruz warn that divisions within the UN Security Council and chronic underfunding are weakening collective conflict management, with increasing reliance on ad hoc, non-UN arrangements.

ℹ️ Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 

Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh

Click to subscribe to the Weekly Brief by tut0ugh
Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) stand guard next to a young boy as they patrol outside local government offices in the strategic opposition-controlled town of Akobo on Feb. 12, 2026. (Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images)
Ethiopia–Eritrea tensions: Getachew Reda rejects claims of imminent conflict
SIPRI warns global peacekeeping at lowest level in 25 years amid funding crisis
Posted in