The UN force generation process is the structured mechanism through which the United Nations identifies, prepares, selects, deploys, and sustains military units and Formed Police Units (FPUs) provided by Member States for peacekeeping operations.
It begins with capability pledges through the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS), followed by mission planning, selection of troop and police contributors, pre-deployment preparation, and deployment to the mission area.
The process ensures that uniformed components are operationally ready, properly trained, equipped, vetted, and aligned with mission-specific requirements and Security Council mandates.
Strategic engagement between the UN and Member States enables timely generation of the right capabilities to meet evolving operational needs. By linking capability requirements with readiness standards, strategic force generation helps close critical capability gaps and improves the speed and effectiveness of deployments.
The UN force generation for military units is managed by the Military Force Generation Section in the Office of Miliary Affairs, while police generation is led by the Selection and Recruitment Section of the Police Division. These processes promote interoperability, accountability, and adherence to UN policies, including human rights and conduct standards. A predictable and effective process is essential because peacekeeping mandates can only be implemented when missions receive the necessary military and police capabilities in sufficient numbers and within the required timelines.
Effective force generation directly contributes to mandate delivery by helping to facilitate protection of civilians, support to peace agreements, stabilization efforts, and the creation of secure conditions for political processes and sustainable peace.
In this section you will find the most critical documents related to the Force and Police Generation Process for UN Peacekeeping Operations.
The documents listed below provide the process and methodology to generate military units for peacekeeping operations.
These documents will guide Member States preparations and understanding of the requirements to prepare and generate military units for deployment to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.
Prior to unit selection
- 2025.08 Standard Operating Procedures on Assessment and Advisory Visits (AAV)
- 2008 Generic Guidelines for Troop Contributing Countries deploying Military Units to the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions
Generation and selection of units
- May 2021 United Nations Manual for the Generation and Deployment of Military and Formed Police Units to Peace Operations. The Manual is also available in Arabic and Spanish.
- 2025.17 Standard Operating Procedures on Selection of Military Units
- 2026.01 Guidelines on Generation of Multinational Military Units and Rotational Mechanisms for Deployment to United Nations Peace Operations
- 2015.12 Policy on National Support Elements
- 2025.07 Policy on Pre-deployment (PDV) and Pre-rotation Visits (PRV)
- Standard Operating Procedures on Planning and Conducting Pre-deployment and Pre-rotation Visits
Generation of Individual Uniformed Personnel
- 2010.30 Manual on Selection, Deployment, Rotation, Extension, Transfer and Repatriation of United Nations Military Experts on Mission in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations
- Guidelines on UN Military Observers (UNMO) in Peacekeeping Operations
- Fax Updated Personal History Profile for Recruitment of Military Experts on Mission (UNMEM), Military Staff Officers (MSO) and Senior Military Appointments, 26 August 2020
- United Nations Personal History Form (PHF) for Military Personnel
