Description
Humility was formally adopted as a core value of the United Nations in 2021, yet its meaning and implications for peace operations remain largely unexamined. While principles such as consent, impartiality, and the limited use of force have long defined UN peacekeeping, humility introduces a distinct normative frame centered on openness, self-awareness, and receptivity that may reshape how legitimacy is cultivated in field engagements. This paper interrogates the conceptual foundations and organizational significance of humility in the context of civilian UN staff interactions with local stakeholders. Drawing on original interviews and interdisciplinary literature in organizational theory, political science, and psychology, it develops a relational framework that treats humility not as a personal trait but as a situated practice shaped by institutional roles, operational constraints, and socio-political context. The analysis explores how humility is invoked, interpreted, and enacted in peace operations, and where it may come into tension with other core values. This inquiry is especially urgent at a time when the multilateral system faces profound legitimacy challenges and the future of peacekeeping is increasingly uncertain. The paper contributes to emerging debates on values-based reform and offers a theoretical foundation for understanding humility as a lens for rethinking international engagement in peace operations.
