Peacekeeping and Civilian Protection Workshop
Jakarta, Indonesia | June 11, 2009
Global Action to Prevent War (GAPW) in cooperation with Center for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta, Indonesia) and the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney (Australia) recently hosted a regional workshop on “Peacekeeping and Civilian Protection” in Jakarta. The workshop engaged government, civil society, UN and ASEAN decision makers and focused on the following:
- Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific perspectives on civilian protection and the possible role of a standing UN peacekeeping service.
- The impact of Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific norms, language, politics and culture on proposals for UN peacekeeping reform.
Dr. Rizal Panggabean (UGM), Amb. Ong Keng Yong (National University of Singapore), Jaime B. Naval (University of Philippines), Amb. Wirjono Sastrohandojo (CSIS)
Over 45 participants from Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia took part in highlighting and assessing civilian protection/human security goals, regional conflict prevention and resolution strategies (including case studies focused on Aceh, Mindanao and Burma), and the feasibility of new peacekeeping capacities such as a UN Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS). Please click here for photos and a more thorough description of the workshop.
While in Jakarta, we also launched our new publication, “Standing for Change in Peacekeeping Operations“.
The aim of this publication is to provide diverse regional perspectives on the need for UN-based standing capacity such as UNEPS. Over 70 interviews were conducted in Latin America, Africa, North America and South East Asia with senior academics, current and former diplomats, UN and government officials, UN mission staff and experts from leading non-governmental organizations. Research work was undertaken by GAPW staff and by Annie Hero from the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS) at the University of Sydney.
Juan Mendes, former Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, made an important contribution to the publication, providing an analysis of challenges to the prevention of genocide based on his 32 months of experience inside the UN.
This volume represents a new stage in the evolution of the United Nations Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS) project. Focusing on diverse regional perspectives, key recommendations have been incorporated to help refine the UNEPS proposal, push forward the standing capacity agenda and ensure that UN peacekeeping can respond effectively to the humanitarian and security emergencies for which it is ultimately held accountable.
The workshop and publication were funded in part by the Ira Wallach Fund for the Eradication of Genocide.
‘Good Faith Negotiations Leading to the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons’
Global Action to Prevent War is pleased to highlight ‘Good Faith Negotiations Leading to the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons,’ written by a high-profile team of experts, including John Burroughs of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy.
From the policy perspective, this volume signals the need for the International Court of Justice to render a second advisory opinion that clarifies a 1996 ruling confirming that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty requires states to ‘pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control.” The NPT Review Conference in 2010 represents our next best chance to re-link disarmament and non-proliferation obligations under an effective regime that provides the structure and the motivation to bring both goals to an effective and even final culmination.
Having an ICJ ruling that lays out in specific terms the negotiation obligations of states parties at this critical time for nuclear weapons negotiations would be most helpful. The authors of this volume understand that ‘good intentions’ are no substitute for deliberative and honest negotiations that are directed at reaching a final agreement that can finally move us closer to a disarmed world.
‘Good faith’ is one of those hopeful terms that help us to bridge the chasms separating our personal and professional lives. But it is a term that requires clarity of expectation. With this volume, the authors are asking the court to lay out the evidence by which we can know that our nuclear policymakers are acting, truly, in good faith. This is an important step that all of us who promote or long for global disarmament should support.
The book can be found online. For paper copies, email johnburroughs@lcnp.org.
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Sri Lanka: Rising Threat of Post-War Disappearances and Injustice
The Sri Lankan government’s failure to address serious human rights violations in the post-war environment is leading to growing concerns of new disappearances, unlawful killings and jailing of government critics. This failure is highlighted in an Amnesty International report “‘Twenty Years of Make-Believe: Sri Lanka’s Commissions of Inquiry‘, issued in June 2009.
The Sri Lankan government has a long record of disappearances with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (in 1991) having received almost 15,000 reports of enforced disappearance and recent reports by Human Rights Watch indicating that the Sri Lankan government has detained more than 9,000 alleged LTTE fighters and persons with suspected LTTE connections.
With its victory, the government need to make sure that the human rights abuses resulting from the conflict are addressed. But, for now, attempts to address them have been either disrupted or brushed aside, despite a joint statement issued by the Sri Lankan President and the UN Secretary General stating that “The Government will take measures to address those grievances”. This blatant disregard for human right principles and respect for its civilians does not paint a positive picture for future reconciliation and peace negotiations.
There are also serious concerns about the capacity of the criminal justice system to prosecute those abuses. To date, most of the human rights violations or abuses cases have never reached trial. This indicates serious problems of resources and capacity but also, and mainly, a problem of political will.
Global Action to Prevent War joins other prominent organizations in calling for the establishment of an independent international commission to investigate allegations of human rights violations by both the Sri Lankan forces and the Tamil Tigers in the recent military hostilities. GAPW also calls for broader human rights protection through the establishment of a UN human rights monitoring presence under the auspices of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate reported abuses and assist Sri Lanka’s national institutions to deliver justice.
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Between Obama and Ossama: The choice is stark
This is the title of an article by Hussein Solomon of the International Institute for Islamic Studies in South Africa. Hussein, a valued partner of Global Action to Prevent War, represents the thoughts of many who were both surprised and gratified by the bold statement made by President Obama on June 4.
I was fortunate enough to watch parts of the speech in Manila with a group of activists deeply involved with negotiations to bring a lasting peace to tribal and Muslim areas of Mindanao.
Like me, they mostly had dared hope for a bit more from the president - specifically an apology for the Iraq war and a commitment to cease drone attacks on sovereign territories within Pakistan.
But we also shared a belief in the new possibilities that were opened with his speech. We certainly echoed Hussein’s hope that the Muslim world is willing to meet Obama ‘half way’ and we all felt the anticipation that the soaring rhetoric of June 4 could be translated into policies that build trust, reduce tensions and sow seeds other than those of enmity.
Dr. Robert Zuber
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International and National Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security
Monrovia, Liberia | March 7-10th, 2009
International Colloquium Participants
Global Action was recently invited to participate in the “International Colloquium on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership, Development, International Peace and Security“; to discuss, learn, and share best practices and recommendations on how to promote women in leadership. The Conference was co-convened by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and President Tarja Halonen of Finland, attracting over 400 international participants and 400 Liberian national participants.
The Colloquium covered seven key thematic issues around which panel discussions and breakout sessions were organized: Women’s Leadership, Women’s Economic Empowerment and Decent Work, Millennium Development Goal Three, Implementation of Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325, Women and Climate Change, and Migration.
Session outcomes were consolidated into recommendations for the Angie Brooks Center, launched in Monrovia on March 7th. The ‘1325 National Action Plan’ (first national plan in Africa) was also launched at the Colloquium. The Conference resulted in the Monrovia Declaration and Call to Action on SCR 1325 which will be presented to the Secretary General and the General Assembly.
Security Sector Reform and Peacekeeping, Liberia | March 12-13th, 2009
Kavitha Suthanthiraraj (Global Action) and Annie Abraham (Commander UNMIL Formed Police Unit –INDIA)
Global Action also conducted workshops with the Gender Unit of the Liberian National Police (LNP) and the UN Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) Indian Female Police Unit. These workshops sought to engage participants on their perceptions, experiences and recommendations around gender mainstreaming in the Police Sector and UN Peacekeeping Missions.
The sessions provided in-depth outcomes that will be documented and incorporated into upcoming research and publications. Global Action also participated in colloquium
discussions on Liberian National Radio and
with youth participants.
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