Towards a Coherent EU Conflict Prevention Policy in Africa: Challenges for the Belgian Presidency
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EPLO European Peacebuilding Liaison Office Towards a Coherent EU Conflict Prevention Policy in Africa: Challenges for the Belgian Presidency Conference Report and Policy Recommendations - 17 September 2001, Brussels This report was produced in co-operation with the EPLO Conference Towards a Coherent EU Conflict Prevention Policy in Africa: Challenges for the Belgian Presidency ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Organisation The conference was organised by a task-force of the members of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office1 (EPLO) and was co-hosted by the Development Committee of the European Parliament. EPLO was set up in 2001 by a network of 17 European NGOs active in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. With this office the EPLO members seek to promote peacebuilding policies among the decision-makers in Europe. EPLO also aims to enhance information exchange and co-operation among its members and between them and the EU institutions dealing with conflict prevention. The International Security Information Service, Europe (ISIS Europe) acted as the conference coordinator and was responsible for the plenary sessions. Saferworld organised the Horn of Africa workshop. World Vision was responsible for the Great Lakes workshop and the European Centre for Common Ground (ECCG) together with the Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security (GRIP) organised the West Africa Workshop. Other EPLO members provided valuable advice and support to the organisers. Sponsors EPLO would like to thank the Belgian Directorate General for International Co-operation and the Swedish Foreign Ministry for their generous financial support. The Conference Report This EPLO Conference Report has been published in co-operation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The report was produced and edited by Catriona Gourlay and Natalie Pauwels at ISIS Europe. ISIS Europe (www.isis-europe.org) is a Brussels-based not-for-profit NGO which provides factual information and analysis on issues of European defence and security. The report of the conference proceedings was written by: Lorraine Mullally, ISIS Europe (opening plenary session); Sarah Bayne, Saferworld (Horn of Africa workshop); Sarah Collen, World Vision (Great Lakes workshop); Lydia van de Fliert, ECCG and Felix Nkundabagenzi, GRIP (West Africa workshop); and Natalie Pauwels, ISIS Europe (final plenary session). The policy recommendations section was written by Heike Schneider at EPLO, Sarah Bayne at Saferworld and Andrew Sherriff at International Alert. Saferworld (www.saferworld.co.uk) is an independent foreign affairs think tank, based in London, UK, working to identify, develop and publicise more effective approaches to tackling and preventing armed conflicts. International Alert (www.international-alert.org) is a UK-based NGO whose objective is to identify and address the root causes of violence and contribute to the just and peaceful transformation of violent conflicts. The organisers would like to thank all speakers, chairs and participants for their positive contributions. The authors take full responsibility for the interpretation of the presentations summarised in this report. 1 The European Peacebuilding Liaison Office aims to assist EU-NGO information-sharing and co-operation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Its members include: Action Aid; The Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management; European Centre for Common Ground; European Network on Civil Peace Services; European Pl atform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation; Field Diplomacy Initiative; Forum for Early Warning and Early Response; International Alert; International Fellowship of Reconciliation; International Security Information Service, Europe; Oxfam International; Pax Christi International; Quaker Council for European Affairs; Quaker Peace and Service; Saferworld; Swiss Peace Foundation Institute for Conflict Resolution; and World Vision. 1 EPLO Conference Towards a Coherent EU Conflict Prevention Policy in Africa: Challenges for the Belgian Presidency 2 EPLO Conference Towards a Coherent EU Conflict Prevention Policy in Africa: Challenges for the Belgian Presidency TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary ...............................................................................................................................................................................5 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS Opening remarks Sandra Melone, Executive Director, European Centre for Common Ground (ECCG) .....................................................7 Session 1: Bridging the gap between CFSP and development co-operation to prevent conflicts in Africa Chair and introductory remarks by Dr. Pa’o Luteru, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Human Development, ACP Secretariat ...........................................................................................7 The challenges of addressing root causes of conflict in Africa Bethuel Kiplagat, Africa Peace Forum................................................................................................................................................7 Realising the potential of the EU’s CFSP in Africa Andreas Strub, Africa Advisor, Policy Unit of the Council of the European Union..........................................................8 Part 2 Chair and introductory remarks by Glenys Kinnock , Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.......................................................................................9 Building civil society into EU conflict prevention mechanisms Bizuwork Ketete, Saferworld/Africa Peace Forum/Inter Africa Group ................................................................................9 The conflict prevention elements of the Cotonou Agreement Athanassios Theodorakis, Deputy Director-General, DG Development, European Commission................................ 10 Session 2: Regional workshops Horn of Africa Chair: Paul Eavis, Director, Saferworld The impact of EU policies in the Horn and how they could address the resource-based conflict in the region. Timnit Abraha, Inter Africa Group.................................................................................................................................................. 12 Challenges and opportunities for engaging civil society in policy and programme development and implementation Bizuwork Ketete, Saferworld/Africa Peace Forum/Inter-Africa Group............................................................................. 13 The Great Lakes Chair: Nelly Maes, Member of the European Parliament Co-chair: Jane Backhurst, World Vision EU Liaison Office The impact of EU policy on the conflicts of the region Pastor Mukambu Ya’Namwisi, Executive Secretary, Council for Peace and Reconciliation, DRC.............................. 14 Developing a coherent regional policy and mechanisms for political dialogue with civil society Jan Vanheukelom, Advisor to the Belgian State Secretary for Development Co-operation .......................................... 14 The evolution of the EU’s role in the region Bruno Hanses, Africa Desk, Council of the European Union ................................................................................................. 15 Response by Cyril Musila, Centre de Recherche sur la Paix, Paris...................................................................................... 15 3 EPLO Conference Towards a Coherent EU Conflict Prevention Policy in Africa: Challenges for the Belgian Presidency West Africa Chair: Bob Van den Bos, Member of the European Parliament Civil society examples of good practice and an assessment of EU conflict prevention policies and programmes in the region: the case of Mali and Sierra Leone Fatoumata Maiga, President, Association des Femmes pour les Initiatives de Paix, Mali............................................ 16 Dr. James D. Rogers, Deputy Minister of Development and Economic Planning, Sierra Leone ................................ 17 Response by Peter Beck Christiansen, Head of Unit of West Africa II, DG Development, European Commission....................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Session 3: Concluding plenary session Challenges for the Belgian Presidency: conclusions and follow-up Chair: Max van den Berg, Member of the European Parliament and Vice Chair of the Committee on Development and Co-operation Introductory remarks from the Belgian Presidency Frank De Coninck, Director General ad interim for bilateral relations and international economics and Africa Desk Director, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs .................................................................................................... 18 An overview of policy recommendations emerging from the three regional workshops Josephine Odera, Africa Peace Forum, Ladislas Bizimana, University of Bradford, Christiane Agboton-Johnson, Mouvement contre les armes légères en Afrique de l’ouest, Sénégal ................................................................................ 19 Conclusions: common concerns and opportunities for improvement Paul Eavis, Saferworld and Andrew Sherriff, International Alert .......................................................................................... 19 Follow-up: how the Belgian Presidency plans to build a more coherent EU conflict prevention policy in Africa Eddy Boutmans, Belgian Secretary of State for Development