Abstract
Preventing conflict and achieving sustainable peace are the fundamental responsibilities of the UN. To discharge these responsibilities the UN, and its organs undertake ‘peace operations’. However, a lack of political will and support may halt UN peace operations. In this situation, a threat to or breach of international peace and security is likely to materialise which can paralyse the UN sustaining peace agenda. As a result, a greater legal-political platform is necessary for the UN peace operations to succeed and achieve its sustaining peace agenda. This is a huge challenge for the UN at the state and international levels. This chapter will show that the UN can overcome this challenge to a great extent by adopting the Islamic conception of peacebuilding (hifz al-salam). It will also show that the Islamic conception of peacebuilding can positively influence the practice of UN peace operations.
The chapter will begin with an outline of the Islamic conception of peacebuilding. It will discuss how the Islamic conception of peacebuilding can influence UN peace operations, particularly in Muslim states. It will show that the influence of the Islamic conception of peacebuilding can potentially build a joint peace operations framework between the UN, OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), and Muslim states. The chapter will conclude by showing that the Islamic conception of peacebuilding and UN peace operations can jointly play a key role in preventing conflict and implementing post-conflict peacebuilding strategies in the Muslim states who are members of the OIC.
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Notes
- 1.
The Qur’an proclaims that, “… But if they (Muslims who have not come into exile) seek your aid in religion, it is your duty to help them, except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance. And Allah sees all that you do” (Al- Qur’an 8:72, Abu Yusuf translation).
- 2.
Although OIC Charter states that the state parties are from Muslim majority states, it must be noted that it is not exclusively composed of Muslim majority states. For instance, Cameroon is a state party to OIC, but it does not have a Muslim majority population. However, the requirement of a Muslim majority state is imposed in respect to new membership according to art. 3 of the OIC Charter.
- 3.
Except Palestine, which is not a state party to the UN Charter. Its current status is a non-member observer state.
- 4.
The Organisation of Islamic Conference became the OIC in 2011.
- 5.
Article 53 (1) of the UN Charter required regional organisations to obtain authorisation from the SC before taking any enforcement action.
- 6.
General Assembly resolution 70/262, and Security Council resolution 2282 (2016).
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Sabuj, M. (2023). The Islamic Conception of Peacebuilding (Hifz Al-Salam) Under the Auspices of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nation’s Sustaining Peace Agenda. In: Gilder, A., Curran, D., Holmes, G., Edu-Afful, F. (eds) Multidisciplinary Futures of UN Peace Operations. Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38596-4_8
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