United Nations Peacekeeping and Conflict Management (UNPAC)

The Research Group United Nations Peace­keeping and Conflict Manage­ment (UNPAC) studies the actions and inaction of the United Nations in response to con­flict. It focuses on how the UN exercises in­fluence and power through various types of ac­tions, as well as how it res­ponds to challenges of insti­tutional credibility in the pro­cess.

Photo of blue helmets and protective vests with UN lettering.

It aims to map the repertoire and evolution of UN res­ponses across time and across different pillars of the system, thereby identi­fying patterns and sources of agency. This is followed by detailed case studies of how certain res­ponses are developed, silenced, or mate­rialized. To tackle these ques­tions, the research group mobilizes diverse methods including Python-based web scraping, quali­tative data analysis, process tracing, interviews, and participant obser­vation.

UNPAC research aims to trans­cend mission-oriented research in peace­keeping by focusing on the spectrum and pro­cesses of deploying conflict responses. It seeks to contribute to scholar­ly and policy debates about UN reform, institu­tional effectiveness, organi­zational agency, and the changing nature of contem­porary conflicts.

Image: Marie Frechon via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

UNPAC on LinkedIn

Head of Research Group

Xinyu Yuan

Xinyu Yuan

Members

[Translate to Englisch:]

Myriel Julie Mathez

[Translate to Englisch:]

Frederik Schissler

Publications

  • The Peacebuilders Playground: Peacebuilding Practices in Timor-Leste
    | 2025
    Berutti, Emilian ; Yuan, Xinyu (2025): The Peacebuilders Playground: Peacebuilding Practices in Timor-Leste, International Peacekeeping, 1–28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13533312.2025.2524403
  • Rethinking UN Peace and Security Engagements in a Changing World
    | 2025
    Hellmüller, Sara; Badache, Fanny; Bara, Corinne; Caplan, Richard; de Coning, Cedric; Danso, Ferdinand Kwaku; Donati, Marco; Duursma, Allard; Felicio, Tânia; Fraihat, Ibrahim; Fung, Courtney J; Herz, Monica; Hilding Norberg, Annika; Iji, Tetsuro; Peter, Mateja; Pinaud, Margaux; Reefke, Lisa; Salaymeh, Bilal; Stepanova, Ekaterina; Stoller, Maximilian; Sulaymanov, Shuhrat; Williams, Stephanie; Yuan, Xinyu (2025): Rethinking UN Peace and Security Engagements in a Changing World, International Affairs. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaf190
  • Chinese Conceptions of Peace – Historical foundations and implications for contemporary conflict agency
    | 2025
    Abb, Pascal; Yuan, Xinyu; (2025): Chinese Conceptions of Peace – Historical foundations and implications for contemporary conflict agency, FriEnt Report, Bonn: FriEnt – Working Group on Peace and Development.
    Publication

News

Meeting room with people seated at a table and two people standing in front of a video screen in the background

On October 27, the research group “United Nations Peacekeeping and Conflict Management” (UNPAC) presented its agenda for the next four years at PRIF.