Five Actions in Practice
From Principle to Practice – Real world analyses showing how the Five Actions can prevent or resolve today’s conflicts.
Why This Matters
The Five Actions are not abstract ideals; they are operational levers already embedded within the UN Charter and system. This page illustrates how they can be applied to real crises across regions and conflict types without waiting for Charter reform.
Each brief below connects current events with one or more of the Five Actions, showing that paralysis is not inevitable. Leadership and conscience can still move the machinery of peace when the will exists.
“The Charter does not need rewriting; it needs remembering.”
– The Spirit of Dag
And The Five Actions implemented as quickly as possible, because every delay costs lives. It really is as simple as that.
Case Analyses
🌍 Thailand–Cambodia Border Crisis
How Rapid Mediation, Humanitarian Corridors, and Tech Verification could have prevented escalation.
A post ceasefire relapse that shows how quickly distrust returns when monitoring and communication collapse. Early verification through satellite imagery and neutral hotlines could have clarified the mine incident within hours and restored confidence. This case demonstrates that short response times can decide whether local tension becomes renewed conflict.
Likely Outcome: Stabilization within one week and joint investigation preventing further troop mobilization.
🌍 Sudan: Why Prevention Collapsed
Applying the Five Actions to a state fragmentation crisis.
Sudan’s descent into war revealed the gap between diplomatic reaction and real time prevention. A standing mediation corps and flexible Peacebuilding Fund window could have deployed monitors and opened safe corridors before April 2023. Stronger accountability measures against external sponsors would have reduced arms inflow and prolonged humanitarian access.
Likely Outcome: Contained fighting around Khartoum and partial civilian transition instead of full national collapse.
🌍 Gaza Humanitarian Access
The case for automatic humanitarian carve outs and ceasefire for services packages.
Repeated blockages of food, fuel, and medical aid reveal why humanitarian carve outs must be automatic. The UN could standardize pre approved aid channels and digital deconfliction maps before crises reach famine levels. Pairing this with a ceasefire for services offer would turn power and port access into real incentives for calm.
Likely Outcome: Sustained humanitarian access to 1.5 million civilians and reduced civilian deaths within the first month.
🌍 Ukraine Ceasefire Fatigue
Why veto restraint and peacebuilding finance matter for global legitimacy.
As the conflict continues, the paralysis of the Security Council erodes public faith in international law. A coordinated veto restraint pledge and expanded Peacebuilding Fund could enable field demining, border monitoring, and local reconstruction under UNGA authority. Restoring multilateral credibility would also strengthen negotiations for a durable European security compact.
Likely Outcome: Renewed diplomatic traction and a monitored ceasefire reducing civilian casualties by mid 2026.
🌍 Haiti Security Breakdown
Peace Infrastructure and Regional Cooperation in a governance vacuum.
The collapse of policing and services in Port au Prince highlights the need for city level diplomacy and local peace infrastructure. Deploying municipal surge teams, funding micro grants for neighborhood security, and engaging regional forces could stabilize critical infrastructure. Coordination through a CARICOM compact would convert fragmented aid into structured recovery efforts.
Likely Outcome: Restoration of core city services and measurable reduction in gang control within six months.
Purpose of These Analyses
- Translate principle into operational response.
- Provide neutral, Charter based solutions to modern conflicts.
- Encourage collective leadership when formal mechanisms stall.
Together they form a living proof of concept that renewal of the UN’s moral centre begins with using the tools it already has.
