Understanding the Knowledge Production Function of the United Nations: The Case of the Sahel Crisis

Author

Hussein E. Elshaar, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

6-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Political Science

Advisor

Peter Romaniuk

Subject Categories

International Relations | Peace and Conflict Studies

Keywords

United Nations, international organizations, knowledge production, the Sahel region, Africa, counterterrorism

Abstract

This thesis aims to test the argument that the UN knowledge production on the situation in the Sahel region is internally consistent and externally valid with the knowledge produced by other entities beyond the UN, including academia and think tanks. The thesis analyzed external studies by scholars and research and academic institutions as well as UN knowledge production, mainly the UN strategic frameworks and the reports of the Secretary-General on the Sahel. The study followed an analytical framework that sought to answer specific questions about how these studies, frameworks, and reports frame the conflict in the Sahel, and what root causes or policy response they identify. Applying this analytical framework to external and UN knowledge production shows that the UN delivered its knowledge production function and produced consistent information to member states on the causes and evolution of the crisis and its political, security, socioeconomic, and humanitarian developments. Furthermore, UN knowledge production was internally consistent in terms of the political messaging that the UN frameworks and reports on the Sahel included on the complex nature of the crisis and its multidimensional and interlinked causes. UN knowledge production was strongly aligned with external studies on identifying the underlying causes of the Sahel crisis, thus asserting the credibility and neutrality of the UN knowledge production and providing a solid foundation for an effective collective response to the crisis at the level of conflict prevention and resolution.

Recommended Citation

Elshaar, Hussein E., "Understanding the Knowledge Production Function of the United Nations: The Case of the Sahel Crisis" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5772