Jean-Marie Guéhenno, former U.N. under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations, has joined the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University and Brookings Institution the as a senior fellow.
As part of the Managing Global Insecurity Project, Mr. Guéhenno will lead research into strategies for peacekeeping and peace building, addressing the challenges to international action that have been highlighted by events in Darfur, Afghanistan and eastern Congo.
Between 2000 and 2008, Mr. Guéhenno oversaw an exponential growth in U.N. operations, with the number of peacekeepers rising from under 20,000 to over 100,000.
On stepping down from his U.N. post this year, Mr. Guéhenno raised concerns about the strategic direction of U.N. operations and the risk of over extension, pointing to the topics of his new research.
Mr. Guéhenno will be based at the Center on International Cooperation, while making frequent visits to Brookings. During the second half of 2009, he will serve as a senior advisor to the Swedish-hosted “Challenges Project” on peace operations.
The Managing Global Insecurity Project is a major initiative on the future of multilateralism run by Brookings, the Center on International Cooperation and the Center on International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. In November, the project launched a Plan for Action, highlighting the need to reinforce international cooperation to tackle transnational threats, including through strengthened U.N. peacekeeping and peace building operations.
Carlos Pascual, vice president and director for Foreign Policy at Brookings, and Bruce Jones, director of the Center on International Cooperation, welcomed Mr. Guéhenno saying that he has not only played an essential role in developing U.N. operations that have saved lives and brought stability in fragile states, but also has unique insights into the forces shaping global security today.
Bruce Jones also acknowledged the generous contributions of the Swedish and Norwegian governments to this project: “Sweden and Norway continue to play vital roles in making multilateral institutions more effective, including by sponsoring public policy research and dialogue that is an essential part of improving performance.”
Guéhenno was U.N. under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations from 2000 to 2008. Prior to the post, he spent a part of his career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France including terms as head of cultural affairs of the French Embassy in the United States (1982-1986), director of the policy planning staff (1989-1993), and ambassador to the Western European Union (1993-1995). He was a member of the commission responsible for the "White Paper On Defence" (1994), and was the chairman of the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense nationale from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Guéhenno was educated at the École normale supérieure in Paris and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration. He is an officier de la légion d'honneur and Commandeur de l'ordre du mérite allemand.
Selected Publications:
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