The role of UN peacekeepers in combating AIDS has two main dimensions. One of them is the role of peacekeepers in the spread of AIDS. This has led to efforts, at both the national and international levels, to incorporate AIDS prevention awareness skills in the training of UN peacekeepers. A second dimension concerns AIDS prevention responsibilities as part of the mandate of peacekeeping operations. For example, by quarantining AIDS-infected groups, promoting AIDS awareness, or providing security for the safe delivery of AIDS drugs. This article makes two significant arguments. First, while increasing AIDS awareness among peacekeepers is a viable exercise, its feasibility is questionable. Second, the decision to expand operational mandates to include more proactive attempts at AIDS prevention is a mistake. Introducing peacekeepers in an AIDS-infected region or country will not lead to a reduction in AIDS victims, but will actually facilitate the spread of AIDS by transmitting the disease from victims to soldiers, or soldiers to civilians, thereby infecting other regions and countries.
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Duane Bratt (2002) studied this question.