Overview
For the first half-century of its existence, the United Nations felt protected by its flag and the reality that it was a neutral, benevolent actor in world events
If United Nations personnel were directly targeted, it was generally viewed as an isolated event. In the early 1990s, the security environment for the United Nations changed and became more threatening
There was a rise in the number of deaths and injuries to personnel as a result of malicious acts
The mandate of the United Nations also evolved, resulting in a larger number of United Nations personnel, notably from humanitarian agencies, being deployed on potentially hazardous missions. At the same time, peacekeeping missions were being established in areas at war or in situations of high risk
Increasingly, humanitarian personnel were being deployed alongside peacekeeping military units in integrated multidisciplinary missions