Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: An Introduction

1948

The Advent of UN intervention

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On 29 May 1948 the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) was founded, and was the first peacekeeping organisation of its kind. Its primary task was to provide the military command structure for the peacekeeping forces in the Middle East and to enable the peacekeepers to observe and maintain the ceasefire, and where necessary, to assist the parties to the Armistice Agreements to observe their terms. The establishment of UNTSO was a significant turning point in the development of peacekeeping strategies, as it showed a conscious decision to intervene in order to stabilise a conflict.