United Nations Department of Peace Operations
| Abbreviation | DPO |
|---|---|
| Formation | March 1992 |
| Headquarters | United Nations Headquarters |
Head | Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix |
Parent organization | United Nations Secretariat |
| Subsidiaries | Office of Operations, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Office of Military Affairs, Policy, Evaluation and Training Division |
| Website | peacekeeping |
The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) (French: Département des opérations de maintien de la paix) is a department of the United Nations charged with the planning, preparation, management, and direction of UN peacekeeping operations. Previously known as the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), it was created in 1992 as part of a restructuring of the UN's peace and security apparatus. The DPO retains the core functions and responsibilities of its predecessor, with a greater emphasis on cohesion, integrating different resources and knowledge, and promoting human rights.
With an annual budget of roughly $6.5 billion as of 2020, the DPO is the largest UN agency by expenditure, exceeding the UN's own regular budget. As of March 2020, it oversaw 81,370 personnel serving in 13 peacekeeping missions.