For the 12th time, the Götting Journal of International Law (GoJIL) held a student essay competition. In addition to students, first-year doctoral candidates were also invited to submit essays on a specific topic. This year’s competition was entitled “The UN Mechanisms in Times of Global Crisis” and invited participants to discuss the United Nations' and its organs' current and past challenges.
Following a review of 23 essays, only three were selected to progress to the peer review stage. Among these was the essay by Natascha Gojkovic entitled “A United Nations Peacekeeping Mission tested to its core: UNIFIL on the verge of needing an (even) more robust mandate?”. Upon successful completion of this process, her essay was declared the winner for the year 2025.
In her essay, Ms. Gojkovic examines the question of whether the mandate granted by the UN Security Council to the peacekeeping operation United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) should be amended in light of the increase in military attacks on peacekeepers and UN facilities since October 2024. UNIFIL has been authorized to employ force in both self-defense and the defense of the mandate. In view of the latest developments, the question arises as to whether, in addition to the use of force for defensive purposes, the proactive use of force by peacekeepers should be authorized by the UN Security Council. Her conclusions can be consulted here: https://journals.uni-goettingen.de/gojil/article/view/2596/2251