Care From The Air

One of the world’s largest operators of aircraft in conflict zones is the United Nations. Relying on the provision of aircraft from member states and from the private sector, such aircraft provide lifelines for civilians caught up in hostilities around the world.

- David Oliver

The United Nations’ (UN) peacekeeping budget for 2016 to 2017 is $7.9 billion, according to the UN’s own figures. This budget helps to pay for existing UN peacekeeping operations such as UNMISS (UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan), UNAMID (United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur), MONUSCO (Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en République Démocratique du Congo/Stabilisation Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo), MINUSCA (Mission Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en Centrafrique/ UN Integrated Multidimensional Mission for Stabilisation in the Central African Republic) and MINUSMA (Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation au Mali/UN Multidimensional Mission for Stabilisation in Mali). In 2014 the UN spent more than $800 million on air chartering services, using more than 150 helicopters and 50 fixedwing aircraft and has been looking at new ways of procuring aviation support for its agencies, according to a UN press release published in May 2016. For peacekeeping missions, aviation support is provided by the armed forces of member nations or sourced from contracted commercial operators.