What is the UNPMM?

The UNPMM is a dataset of all UN peace missions between 1991 and 2020. It includes peacekeeping operations (PKO), special political missions (SPM), and special envoys/advisors (SE/SA). It codes the evolving mandate tasks of all UN peace missions and classifies both the mandate tasks as well as overall peace missions according to whether they are minimalist (MIN), moderate (MOD), or maximalist (MAX).

The UNPMM comes in two versions:

1. A raw dataset for statistical quantitative research. It contains UCDP/PRIO conflict IDs and can be used with UCDP-compatible datasets.
2. A user-interfaceable dataset. It contains information on, and hyperlinks to, all UN resolutions and other UN sources consulted in the coding of the mandate tasks, as well as convenient search functions for easy navigation through the data.

To cite the UNPMM, please refer to: Sara Hellmüller, Xiang-Yun Rosalind Tan (2021), United Nations Peace Mission Mandates (UNPMM) Dataset, Version 1.5. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, www.peacemissions.info.

What data does the UNPMM include?

The UNPMM codes the mandate tasks of all UN peace missions between 1991 and 2020. Our coding approach involved two steps. First, each mission mandate was coded based on the language in the UN Security Council resolution mandating the mission. If a mission was authorized by the General Assembly or through an exchange of letters between the Secretary-General and the Security Council, we coded on the basis of these documents. When a mission did not have a written mandate (mostly SE/SA), we relied on other UN sources. Second, we validated the coding by analyzing additional UN material as well as secondary literature. If these sources mentioned further tasks, we coded these only if we could locate them in the original UN source consulted.

The UNPMM identifies a total of 41 mandate tasks. We distinguish three categories of mandate tasks:

• Minimalist: Focus on negative peace aiming at ending violence.
• Moderate: Aiming at ending violence and decent governance without specifying the precise governance model.
• Maximalist: Focus on positive peace aiming at addressing the root causes of a conflict.

These terms were first suggested by Charles T. Call and Elizabeth M. Cousens in 2007 as a way to measure successful peacebuilding outcomes (see link). We apply them to UN peace missions and their mandated tasks.