As the name implies, peacekeeping forces are sent by armies of various countries, and their main tasks are to stop conflicts and restore peace; Peacekeeping police are dispatched by the police of various countries to perform civil tasks and perform police functions. Relatively speaking, peacekeeping police have wider functions and fewer restrictions. Recently, China sent peacekeeping troops to Sudan and Lebanon. In 20001year, China sent peacekeeping police to Timor-Leste for the first time at the request of the United Nations. Later, peacekeeping police were sent to Haiti and other countries. Since 1988 China formally applied to join the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, China has participated in more than 10 UN peacekeeping operations and sent more than 4,000 peacekeepers. The United Nations peacekeeping force is a cross-border special force established in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions. It was established at the time of the Suez crisis in 1956. Entrusted by the United Nations General Assembly or the Security Council, it is active in areas with international conflicts. Soldiers of peacekeeping forces wear sky-blue helmets or blue berets with the abbreviation of "UN" on them, and the armbands are decorated with the pattern of "Earth and Olive Branch". Anyone who participates in the United Nations peacekeeping forces must be sent to the training centers of the four Nordic countries for special training, familiarizing himself with the functions, objectives and tasks of the peacekeeping forces and conducting special military training. United Nations peacekeeping forces are different from the special forces of other countries in carrying out their tasks. It must make its existence public and travel in the most conspicuous public places, such as roads, squares and busy lots. United Nations peacekeeping force is a form of United Nations peacekeeping operation, and the other two forms are military observer mission and multinational force. (1) The role of the United Nations peacekeeping force is to prevent local conflicts from expanding, or to prevent conflicts from recurring, to help civilians who have suffered in the war, and to create conditions for the final political settlement of conflicts. United Nations peacekeeping forces have two remarkable characteristics: first, they are not mandatory. Its existence and activities need to be decided by the Security Council or the General Assembly, with the consent of all parties concerned (15, at least 9 members of the United Nations agree, and the five permanent members of China, the United States, Britain, Russia and France have not voted against it), and then the Secretary-General of the United Nations is authorized to organize it; After moving in, once the government asks for withdrawal, it must be withdrawn immediately. Second, it is obviously neutral, and its members must come from countries that have no direct interests with both sides of the conflict. It is different from the real army. It has no battlefield and no enemies. This is a political and diplomatic force. Except in self-defense, UN peacekeeping forces shall not use force without authorization. We must strictly observe neutrality, and we must not get involved in any party to the conflict, let alone interfere in the internal affairs of the country. The commander-in-chief of the United Nations peacekeeping force is the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Troops are provided voluntarily by Member States of the United Nations. Peacekeeping forces are composed of units of armed forces, and soldiers can be equipped with light defensive weapons. Because this army must wear blue helmets or blue berets, it is also called "blue helmets" (blue symbolizes peace). (2) Sending military observer missions is another form of United Nations peacekeeping operations. The dispatch of military observer teams by the United Nations to conflict areas should be decided by the Security Council or the General Assembly and authorized by the Secretary-General of the United Nations with the consent of all parties concerned. The personnel of the observation team are provided by Member States of the United Nations and are composed of unarmed military officers. Its mission is to maintain peace. Observers shall not carry weapons when performing their duties, strictly observe neutrality, and shall not be involved in any party to the conflict, let alone interfere in the internal affairs of the host country. Its specific responsibilities vary according to the situation and needs, generally including: supervising the truce or ceasefire and withdrawing troops; Observe and report on the situation in conflict areas; Implementation of the disengagement agreement; Preventing illegal border crossing or infiltration; And other tasks entrusted by United Nations resolutions. The dispatch of military observer teams is a temporary measure of United Nations peacekeeping operations, and all of them have a certain period of time, which can be extended by the Security Council as appropriate. (3) After the Cold War, with the increase of regional conflicts, the number and scale of United Nations peacekeeping operations have been increasing, and the nature and role of peacekeeping operations are often beyond the scope of traditional responsibilities, resulting in a serious shortage of funds for the United Nations. To this end, in addition to peacekeeping forces, the United Nations also participates in peacekeeping operations with the help of multinational forces voluntarily formed by Member States. The expenses of the multinational force are generally paid by the participating countries. Soldiers of multinational forces participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations wear their national uniforms, and the main symbols are the United Nations flag and emblem. Peacekeeping operations are mainly divided into two categories: United Nations peacekeeping operations directly led by the Secretary-General (including military observer missions and peacekeeping forces) and peacekeeping operations authorized by the Secretary-General and directed by regional organizations or major countries (including multinational forces and "humanitarian intervention forces"). From the end of World War II to May 2000, the United Nations organized 68 peacekeeping operations and invested more than 750,000 soldiers, police and civilians. Its purpose has expanded from the traditional monitoring of ceasefire and mediation to preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peace reconstruction. Its tasks include monitoring ceasefires, truces and withdrawal; Disengage the parties to the conflict; Observe and report the situation; Help to implement the peace agreement; Prevent illegal cross-border or infiltration, and maintain law and order in conflict areas. With the changes in the international situation, the scope of peacekeeping operations has gradually expanded, involving many non-traditional tasks such as monitoring elections, holding referendums, protecting and distributing humanitarian assistance, helping mine clearance and returning refugees to their homes. In addition to military personnel, there are also civilian police and civilian personnel participating in the peacekeeping team. United Nations peacekeeping forces have made positive contributions to maintaining and restoring regional peace and helping to resolve regional conflicts, and their functions and roles have attracted more and more attention from the world. 1988 The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to this unit wearing a blue beret. As of September, the total number of United Nations peacekeepers (military and police) was 30,000. During the period of 1986- 199 1, the average annual peacekeeping expenditure was about $380 million, which soared to 173 billion in 1992 and13.6 billion in 1993. From 65438 to 0995, the United Nations spent $2.8 billion on peacekeeping, of which Bosnia and Herzegovina alone accounted for half. The peacekeeping expenditure of 1996 is1600 million dollars. From 1948 to 1998+00, where the United Nations sent the first peacekeeping force, more than 500 United Nations personnel have been killed in the line of duty. Canadian soldiers suffered the most, followed by India, France, Britain and Ghana. Since the founding of the United Nations, * * 1 10 countries have sent peacekeepers. By 1 June 65438+September 19961,the five countries that sent the most troops were Pakistan (17 19), Russia (1kloc-0/77) and Bangladesh (177). 1994165438+10. In October, the United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali established the United Nations Mine Clearance Fund, thus establishing a special source of funds for the United Nations mine clearance plan. 65438+1On July 5-7, 1995, an international demining conference sponsored by the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs was held in Geneva, Switzerland, with the purpose of raising funds for the United Nations demining activities around the world. The meeting raised $20 million. 199810129 October, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan set the minimum age for Member States to provide peacekeepers to the United Nations: the minimum age for civilian police and observers provided by Member States to UN peacekeeping operations should not be less than 25 years old. Since 1980s, China has been actively supporting peacekeeping operations. 1988 in September, China formally applied to join the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. From 65438 to 0989, China sent a delegation to the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Namibia for the first time to help Namibia achieve its independence from South Africa. 1in April, 1992, China officially sent its first "blue helmet" unit, the engineering brigade, to Cambodia to carry out its mission.