Geopolitical tensions and a funding crisis are jeopardizing international peacekeeping operations, particularly those led by the UN, according to a SIPRI report. The number of deployed staff is at a 25-year low.

Geopolitical tensions and a funding crisis are jeopardising peacekeeping missions, particularly those under the auspices of the United Nations, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned on Monday. Just under 79,000 international staff were deployed in international peacekeeping operations at the end of 2025, the lowest number in at least 25 years, the institute said in a report. “If things continue in this way, we could see a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict....