The Light Coordination Mechanism

UN Peacekeeping works closely with UN Member States and other partners to ensure its police and troops are trained and equipped to advance peace in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

Military and police personnel serving with UN peacekeeping operations are contributed by UN Member States. The Light Coordination Mechanism (LCM) is a team working to improve the performance, safety and security of those personnel. It helps troop- and police-contributing countries (T/PCCs) access the resources and training they need to ensure their personnel can succeed in their roles with UN peacekeeping, uphold UN standards of conduct, and stay safe while they serve. 

This work is an important part of the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative and its A4P+ implementation strategy, which aim to create peacekeeping operations fit for the future.

Partnerships for effective peacekeeping

The LCM connects T/PCCs with experts and resources from within the UN System, Member States and other capacity-building providers. The team helps arrange support across different areas:

Training: The LCM facilitates bilateral and multilateral partnerships to deliver tactical training and specialized courses to military and police in their home countries before they deploy to a peacekeeping mission. Theses trainings cover topics such as patrolling, protection of civilians and language skills.
The team also works with Member States to send Mobile Training Teams (MTTs) to support military personnel deployed in the mission area. From peacekeeping-intelligence to weapons and ammunition management, these MTTs enable peacekeepers to develop specialized skills that are vital to mission success.   
Equipment: The LCM helps connect T/PCCs with Member States that can provide them with essential equipment. For example, the LCM has worked with Member States to provide vehicles that help peacekeepers more safely dispose of unexploded mines; protective gear designed to fit women military personnel; and first aid kits.     
Infrastructure: The LCM supports T/PCCs in building the necessary infrastructure to train their uniformed personnel for effective service in peacekeeping missions. The team has for instance helped provide blueprints to build shooting ranges.
Technical support: The LCM and its partners provide advice and expertise on peacekeeping capacity-building. It has also helped establish regional capacity-building networks in Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. The LCM promotes cooperation among countries to more effectively and efficiently prepare, equip and deploy peacekeepers, including through cost-sharing measures.
Knowledge management: The LCM helps T/PCCs prepare for future deployments, using tools such as the Deployment Review mobile app and the LCM Dialogue Series podcast to help them share lessons learned. The LCM also commissions research on innovative approaches to peacekeeping capacity-building, helping T/PCCs and implement best practices.

These initiatives support our military and police personnel before they deploy and once they’re on the ground, helping them advance peace and security for millions of people around the world.  

The LCM team is a shared service of the Policy, Evaluation and Training Division (DPET), managed by the Integrated Training Service (ITS) in the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO). For additional information, please contact us at dpo-lcm@un.org.

LCM Dialogue Series

Preparing peacekeepers for deployment? Looking for practical solutions that work?

Tune in to our video-podcast, where Member States share real-world lessons, innovative capacity-building approaches, and success stories from the field. Peacekeeping insights, shared for impact.

Episode 2 - Regional Capacity-Building for Peace: Lessons from the British Peace Support Team – Africa