Several factors contribute to the success of UN peacekeeping missions, and these can be seen as falling into a few broad categories, including adherence to basic principles, legitimacy and credibility, and the promotion of national ownership. The basic principles that guide UN peacekeeping operations are: * **Consent of the parties**. Missions should be deployed with the consent of the main parties to the conflict. This requires a commitment by the parties to a political process and their acceptance of a peacekeeping operation. * **Impartiality**. This means that UN peacekeeping operations must implement their mandate without favor or prejudice to any party. However, impartiality does not mean neutrality; it means being guided solely by needs, without discrimination. * **Non-use of force**, except in self-defense and defense of the mandate. UN peacekeeping operations are not an enforcement tool, but they may use force at the tactical level with the authorization of the Security Council if acting in self-defense and defense of the mandate. The use of force should be calibrated in a precise, proportional, and appropriate manner. In addition to these principles, other success factors include: * **Legitimacy**. International legitimacy is derived from the fact that a mission is established after obtaining a mandate from the UN Security Council. The manner in which a UN peacekeeping operation conducts itself can impact its perceived legitimacy on the ground. This includes the firmness and fairness with which it exercises its mandate, its use of force, and the respect it shows to local customs, institutions, and laws. * **Credibility**. Credibility is a function of a mission's capability, effectiveness, and ability to manage and meet expectations. A mission must deploy rapidly, be properly resourced, and maintain a confident and unified posture to achieve and maintain its credibility. * **Promotion of national and local ownership**. Every effort should be made to promote national and local ownership and to foster trust and cooperation between national actors. Partnerships with national actors should be struck with due regard to impartiality, wide representation, inclusiveness, and gender considerations. Missions must recognize that multiple opinions will exist in the host country and ensure that ownership and participation are not limited to small groups. Other factors that contribute to successful UN missions are: * **A clear and achievable mandate with resources to match**. The UN Secretariat must help to ensure that the mandate is clear and achievable and that it reflects the level of resources that contributing nations are able and willing to provide. * **Full backing of a united Security Council**. Anything other than unanimous Security Council backing can be a serious handicap, as divisions within the Security Council may send mixed messages to the parties. * **Positive regional engagement**. * **Effective leadership** and strong managerial skills. * **Integrated planning**. Integrated missions are designed to facilitate a coherent, system-wide approach to assist countries emerging from conflict. Integrated planning is at the heart of the UN's efforts to develop such a response, with the goal of maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the UN's overall response. * **Effective communications and outreach**. Effective public information is a political and operational necessity, with the overall objective of enhancing the mission's ability to carry out its mandate successfully. These factors, when taken together, increase the chances of a UN peacekeeping mission being successful in its mandate.