Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. Dicarlo
Remarks at the launch of the publication “Special Political Missions 1945-2025: An Overview”
New York, 30 June 2026
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining us for the launch of this new publication on the history of United Nations special political missions.
For nearly eight decades, special political missions have stood at the heart of some of United Nations’ most consequential achievements: decolonization and the emergence of new nations; peace agreements that brought devastating wars to a close; and political transitions that opened the door to lasting peace.
Yet, despite their central role, their full history has never been captured in one place. Until now, the United Nations has had no comprehensive record of all special political missions deployed since 1948.
This publication changes that.
While that may appear to be a simple exercise in documentation, it is far more than that.
It reflects our responsibility to understand our own past, to examine what we did well, where we fell short, and what lessons we must carry forward. This is the purpose of this work.
In many ways, the history of special political missions mirrors the history of the United Nations itself. Their evolution shows how our approach to peace and security has adapted to dramatically different eras.
Their record – sometimes modest, sometimes historic – reminds us of one enduring truth: diplomacy works. That lesson is especially relevant today.
What, then, are special political missions?
At their core, they are civilian missions mandated to prevent conflict, support peace processes and help build sustainable peace.
But their defining feature is their diversity. They have taken the form of envoys of the Secretary-General; of fact-finding and investigative missions; of regional offices; of panels of experts helping the Security Council monitor sanctions regimes; and of missions accompanying complex political transitions.
They can be mandated by either the General Assembly or the Security Council. Their scope may be country-specific, regional or global.
This flexibility has always been their strength. The same instrument that can help broker a ceasefire can also demarcate a border or support the dismantling of a chemical weapons program. Few multilateral instruments are as adaptable.
They embody the principle of the pacific settlement of disputes enshrined in Chapter VI of the UN Charter.
Excellencies,
The story of special political missions begins in 1948 with the appointment of the first UN Mediator in Palestine. From those early good offices emerged a remarkable array of missions.
At the time of the UN’s founding, nearly one-third of humanity lived under colonial rule. As that order gave way, special political missions helped supervise plebiscites and guide emerging nations toward statehood – from Cameroon and Togo to Bahrain.
In Libya, a UN Commission supported the drafting of a constitution and the creation of a unified state. Libya became the first country to achieve independence through a UN-supported process.
At the height of the Cold War, even amid deep geopolitical divides, the United Nations found space for quiet diplomacy – often through special political missions.
Envoys helped negotiate the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in the 1980s and end the bloody war between Iran and Iraq.
With the end of the Cold War, a renewed international consensus allowed new missions to take shape in Central America, in Angola, in Somalia, in Nepal and elsewhere – helping implement peace agreements and undertaking comprehensive peacebuilding tasks that were groundbreaking at the time.
The expansion of sanctions regimes in the 1990s brought yet another generation of missions – expert panels supporting the Security Council’s oversight of sanctions implementation.
Special political missions helped oversee the elections that formally ended apartheid in South Africa. They supported the removal of chemical weapons from Syria.
They advanced accountability for the crimes of ISIL in Iraq. They helped end the civil war and support a peaceful transition in Tajikistan.
Today, the demand for special political missions remains high. But the landscape is shifting.
Geopolitical divisions are deepening. Conflicts are increasing – including a doubling of inter-state conflicts between 2024 and 2025. Political solutions are harder to achieve, and the number of conflicts resolved through a comprehensive peace agreement is at its lowest in decades.
These global shifts are shaping how our missions operate and the mandates they receive. With fewer peace agreements, mandates are becoming more focused, supporting ceasefires or other partial arrangements.
Meanwhile, the demand for peacemaking through envoys in Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere continues to grow, as does the work of our regionally-mandated missions.
Excellencies,
What lessons can we draw from this history?
First, geopolitical division is not an excuse for inaction. Special political missions operated through the Cold War and still achieved breakthroughs.
They relied on peacemaking, on diplomacy, on good offices. As we confront a new period of division, we would do well to keep this in mind.
Second, adaptability is our greatest asset. As political space narrows, – flexibility matters more than ever. Our missions must remain problem-solving instruments for Member States: focused, tailored to each circumstance, never drawn from a template.
And third, we must continue to work within an increasingly diverse ecosystem of partners. Special political missions rarely act alone. They operate alongside regional organizations, multilateral coalitions, and other actors.
In Somalia, for example, our special political missions have long worked alongside the African Union’s Security Council-authorized force. Each brings unique strengths.
But we must never lose sight of the United Nations’ singular role – grounded in universal membership and unmatched convening power.
Special political missions have proven their ability to adapt to changing global demands.
Looking ahead, we will continue to strengthen their capacity to deliver, responding to the realities on the ground and the opportunities that may arise.
The Secretary-General’s forthcoming review on the future of UN peace operations, including special political missions, will offer recommendations to ensure these missions remain fit for purpose.
These will include proposals to enhance peacemaking; deepen partnership with host States; deliver more focused and adaptable mandates; envision a new division of labour with the wider UN system; make missions more agile, cost-effective and accountable; and strengthen cooperation with regional and other actors.
Excellencies,
This publication is not only a record of the past; it is a reminder of what is possible. It challenges us to carry forward the lessons of those who came before us and to renew our commitment to diplomacy at a moment when it is needed most.
The missions chronicled here show that even in the most difficult of circumstances, dialogue can open doors, patience can build trust, and diplomacy can change the course of history.
Let us draw strength from that legacy as we confront the challenges of today — and the ones we have yet to imagine.
Thank you.
