As the United Nations (UN) marks 80 years, its core mission of sustaining peace falters amid a reactive UN Security Council (UNSC). Former diplomat Nirupama Rao proposes a Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS) to ensure lasting stability beyond conflict.

The Problem- UN’s Structural Weakness

• Crisis Management, Not Continuity: The UNSC intervenes during crises but often withdraws political engagement once violence subsides, leading to relapse into conflict.
• Institutional Gaps: Existing bodies — such as Peacekeeping Missions and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) — lack a comprehensive political strategy to accompany nations through fragile transitions.
• Loss of Momentum: The UN’s peace efforts suffer from discontinuity, lack of context, and fading diplomacy, leaving post-conflict societies unsupported.

Need for Functional Reform

• Beyond UNSC Expansion: While Security Council reform remains essential, waiting for consensus has stalled innovation.
• Functional Reform via Article 22: The UN General Assembly can establish subsidiary bodies under Article 22 — a power that allows institutional innovation without Charter amendment.
• Goal: Strengthen UN’s capacity to act within existing powers to provide continuous, structured political engagement in post-conflict phases.

Proposal- Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS)

• Purpose: To institutionalise long-term political accompaniment after active conflicts end.
• Scope:
  • Reinforce nationally led dialogue and peace agreement implementation.
  • Coordinate regional diplomatic initiatives.
  • Ensure that peacekeeping operations align with achievable political goals.
• Integration: BPSS would subsume the PBC, work with the UN Secretary-General, and align with UNSC strategies — without infringing on sovereignty or veto powers.

Structure and Representation

• Balanced Membership: About two dozen member-states, rotationally elected by the UN General Assembly, ensuring regional representation (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, West Asia).
• Regional Participation: Bodies like the African Union, ASEAN, and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) would serve as active participants, not mere observers.
• No Permanent Seats or Vetoes: Decisions would rest on participation and consensus, not privilege.
• Consultative Role for Civil Society: Non-state actors could advise but not vote.

Concept of Sustainable Security

• Beyond Military Peace: Sustainable security links peace with political inclusion, governance, and regional cooperation.
• Respect for Sovereignty: It avoids external imposition, focusing on national ownership of peace processes.
• Goal: Combine conflict management with long-term stability, ensuring that peacebuilding and governance evolve together.

Style of Functioning

• Continuous Engagement: The BPSS would remain involved post-conflict, preventing institutional amnesia and drift.
• Operational Focus: It would be a working institution, not a forum for rhetoric.
• Modest yet Transformative: Its quiet, disciplined engagement would ensure continuity, coordination, and confidence in peace processes.

Significance and Impact

• Addresses Institutional Gaps: Ensures political follow-through where current UN structures disengage too soon.
• Reinforces Trust: Assures states of sovereignty protection and societies of sustained support.
• Evolutionary Reform: Demonstrates that meaningful UN reform can occur through innovation within the existing Charter, not radical overhaul.

Conclusion

The Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS) offers a pragmatic path to UN renewal, shifting focus from reaction to continuity. By institutionalising peace as a process, it could anchor disciplined, empathetic, and lasting global stability.

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