Paying for peace, Canada, the United Nations and the financing of the Congo peacekeeping mission, 1960-1964

grantor: University of TorontoThis thesis studies Canada's attempts to solve the financial crisis which befell the United Nations between 1960 and 1964. In the summer of 1960, the Congo was granted independence from its Belgian rulers and was immediately plunged into political and military chaos. The United Nations agreed to send a peacekeeping force in order to restore stability to the fledgling nation. Four years later, the force was withdrawn having accomplished only part of its mandate because the Organization could no longer afford to maintain its presence in the Congo. The Congo mission was the most expensive peacekeeping operation in the UN's history to that date, and threatened to bankrupt the organization from its inception. The crisis was caused by the inability of Member States to reach a consensus on footing the bill for the Congo operation, some $120 million to $130 million annually. Instead, they divided themselves into power groups representing more individual interests than those of the organization as a whole. Some Member States refused to pay any of their share of the costs of the mission, forcing others, specifically the Western members, to carry an even greater share of the costs of this operation. Between 1960 and 1964, successive Canadian governments and their representatives at the UN attempted to convince all Member States of the necessity of collective responsibility. Despite their efforts, Canada played nothing more than a minor role in resolving the UN's financial uncertainty. Instead, Canada was forced to follow the lead taken by the major players in UN affairs, namely the United States and Great Britain. With the election of Lester Pearson and the Liberals in 1963 came a change in attitudes towards the financing of UN peacekeeping. Canada began to take a harder line against the lack of progress on the issue and refused to take on a greater financial share of peacekeeping activities. The UN's financial health continued to deteriorate even after the end of the Congo mission. Canada's experiences with the financing of United Nations peacekeeping between 1960 and 1964 had a profound effect on the way successive administrations regarded their commitment to the international organization and its peacekeeping efforts.Ph.D