Preventing Violent Conflict & Peace Building

On Interaction between State Actors and Voluntary Organisations

The European Centre for Conflict Prevention and the Swedish Peace Team Forum Swedish Peace Team Forum c/o Swedish Red Cross Box 17563, SE-118 91 STOCKHOLM Tel: 08-452 46 00 Produced with the assistance of the Secretariat for Conflict Prevention, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Editor: Bernt Jonsson with the assistance of Anna Widepalm Layout: Jonas Nilsson, UD-PIK-INFO Print: XBS Grafisk Service, Stockholm 2002 ISBN 91-7496-290-6 Artikelnummer UD 02<053

2 Table of Contents

Foreword6 Göran Bäckstrand, Kerstin Grebäck, Margareta Ingelstam and Bo Wirmark Conference Statement to the Swedish Presidency of the European Union, the Member States and the European Commission

































11 Introductory Address17 Christina Magnuson Solidarity and Security – Probing the Meaning of Nonviolence Personal and Spiritual Perspective on Nonviolence and Peace19 Jayanti Kirpalani For Peace An Islamic perspective25 Tariq Ramadan Creative Forces in a Multidimensional World UN Sanctions Regimes The Case of Angola38 Anders Möllander The Necessity of Changing Male Values Nicklas Kelemen42 What do State Actors and Voluntary Organisations Expect from Each Other as Concrete Contributions? Jan Cedergren47 Jörgen Johansen51 Gay Rosenblom-Kumar54 The European Union: From Crisis Management to Conflict Prevention Patrick Simonnet59 Terhi Lehtinen63 Paul Eavis65

3 Promoting Prevention of Violent Conflict and Building Peace by Interaction between State Actors and Voluntary Organisations Lena Hjelm-Wallén69 Lessons Learned from Peace Building Working Group 1 Assignment73 Report77 The European Union and Policies for Preventing Violent Conflict Working Group 2 Assignment82 Report86 National Infrastructures for Conflict Prevention and Peace Building Working Group 3 Assignment89 Report94 Developing Civilian Peace Services Working Group 4 Assignment103 Report107 Conflict Prevention as a Government-NGO Joint Venture A postscript comment110 Ragnar Ängeby Appendices: Preventing violent conflict Opportunities for the Swedish and Belgian Presidencies of the European Union in 2001115 Conference Programme146 Participants151 Inviting organisations: The European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation161 Peace Team Forum, Sweden and Member Organisations166

4 Report from a Conference at Gripsholm, Mariefred, Sweden, May 1-4, 2001 on Promoting Prevention of Violent Conflict and Building Peace by Interaction between State Actors and Voluntary Organisations Organizers: The European Centre for Conflict Prevention and the Swedish Peace Team Forum with financial support from the Dutch, German and Swedish governments and the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida) Editor: Bernt Jonsson with the assistance of Anna Widepalm0

5 Foreword

During its European Union Presidency, the Swedish Government gave priority to the subject long and short term prevention of violent conflicts0 As a corollary to these efforts, Peace Team Forum, with the Swedish Red Cross as executing organisation co-organised with the European Centre for Conflict Prevention the conference ”Promoting the Prevention of Violent Conflict and Building Peace” at the Red Cross Educational and Training centre in Gripsholm0 In many ways it was a follow-up of a conference held in 1997 on “Government-NGO Relations in Preventing Violence, Transforming Conflict and Building Peace”0 Since then new experiences and insights have been achieved among both governments and voluntary organisations0 As a result, this event focused on four main items: • Lessons learned from Peacebuilding • The European Union and Policies for Preventing Violent Conflict • National Infrastructures for Sustainable Peace • Developing Civilian Peace Services The lectures and introductions to the sessions, the deliberations from Working Groups and finally the recommendations to the Swedish Presidency of the European Union, the Member States and the European Commission, make up the content of this book0 In this introduction we want to highlight some factors, which we believe need to be stressed in order to explore new ways to meet today’s extraordinary challenging dark shadows of violence and threats to principles of democracy and human rights0 The fragility of international co-operation and endeavours as a system of state relations have been exposed in images, which were until last September thought of belonging to a virtual

6 world0 In spite of progress in living conditions thereby raising material living standards in many countries, poverty still creates a background for more violence and serious difficulties for building peaceful conditions0 The demand for “new ways” to meet violence is thus more striking than ever before0 On the one hand, the European Union and its member states have devoted considerable time, energy and resources to develop the concept of ”crisis management” during recent years, and are now also turning the concept into practical means of education, stand-by personnel and operations0 On the other hand, we do not yet see the materialisation of a genuine under- standing for national infrastructures with a deeper commitment for education and training to address the vaster subject of a general prevention of violence and search for building peace0 The efforts of the member states of the European Union to build national infrastructures for conflict prevention and peace building must be given a much more serious consideration than in the past0

The role of Voluntary Organisations Governments and Intergovernmental Organisations often express the importance of a greater role for Voluntary Organisations in building a more peaceful environment0 In this context, it is important to define some of their comparative advantages to justify a higher degree of partici- pation of Voluntary organisations in the necessary work to pre- vent violent conflicts and build peace: • Small-scale, financially efficient, quick and responsive • High degree of long-term commitment • Can create scope for dialogue and may be felt as less threatening facilitators or mediators • Can reach both parties to a conflict • Is less gender blind The expressions of confidence - implicating that governments, inter-governmental organisations and voluntary organisations

7 should work closely together - must also be followed by appropriate action in channelling much needed resources0 It is evident that the resources asked for are quite small compared to the costs of the military or mixed military/civil build up to handle ”crisis management”0 In a communication from the European Commission on Conflict Prevention (COM 2001:211), voluntary organisations are acknowledged as key actors0 A shift in the allocation of resources, concentrating towards pre- vention of violent conflicts, would enable Voluntary Organisations to develop this role in many aspects of prevention of violence and peace building0 Governments often refer to Voluntary Organisations as key actors0 We look forward to see words followed by action0 The common goal should be more firmly established and recognised by acknowledging that “more and more peacebuilding would result in less and less crisis- management”0

Nonviolence “Nonviolence is a holistic theory and practice that rejects aggression and violence in order to achieve goals or resolve conflicts in a constructive way” (Nonviolence, UNESCO)0 The concept of nonviolence should be integrated in all discussions and practice0 Existing and acknowledged methods and strategies should be integrated in the work of Voluntary Organisations0 Raising awareness on methods of nonviolence should be part of education at all levels0 ”One of the main stakes of non-violent education is teaching human beings how to resolve conflicts from an early age0”(UNESCO) In promoting nonviolence it is paramount to see the role of women as decisive partners in implementing participatory demo- cracy and directly involve women in all aspects regarding the prevention of violent conflict and peacebuilding0

New aspects Under the general heading of prevention of violence, an additional aim of the conference was to indicate new aspects,

8 which, at first sight, may not be seen as related to the subject matter0 However, if we consider basic human health as a decisive factor in creating a culture of prevention and nonviolence, these factors should more consciously be part of peacebuilding, both in the long and short term0 • Peace building and prevention is not only about building a theoretical framework; it must be complemented by very practical exercises as well0 Aggression and violence is mostly related to emotions related to ”the other” – a person, a group of people or society at large0 Violence has to be countered on many levels, not only on an intellectual/ factual level but also on the emotional one0 The programme “Peaceful Touch” – Massage in schools against violence, was introduced to the participants0 • While acknowledging that women must be given voice and space in the broad discussion about People’s Security, it should also be recognised that men must engage in discussions on male gender roles and root causes of violence0 Change will only come by looking at gender from these two complementary perspectives0 This necessity of changing male values was presented to the conference by the “Dialogue Project”0 • Silence too has to be present in order to give the needed result0 The great world religions have recognised that outer peace demands also a conscious inner peace0 Peaceful states rest of course finally on peaceful minds! Moments of silence and contemplation were integrated in the conference programme0 The importance of silence and stillness is closely related to the issue of time0 How do we use our common resource of time? Stressful situations cause unnecessary tensions and contribute to an unhealthy environment0 An urgent need in all societies of the world is to develop additional and more efficient efforts to prevent violence0 The recommendations by the conference Gripsholm II to the European Union and its member states concentrate on supporting

9 infrastructures for conflict prevention and peacebuilding by allocating more resources to prevention, strengthening the role of voluntary organisations, securing increased participation by women, improving education in peacebuilding and integrating the concept of nonviolence0 The above-mentioned “new“ aspects could prove to be a valuable contribution in finding new methods to address the problems of violence in society0

On behalf of Peace Team Forum:

Göran Bäckstrand, Swedish Red Cross Kerstin Grebäck, The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation Margareta Ingelstam, Christian Council of Sweden Bo Wirmark, Swedish Peace Council

10 To the Swedish Presidency of the European Union, the Member States and the European Commission

Meeting at Gripsholm, Sweden, May 1-4, 2001 at a conference with participants representing national and international governmental and voluntary/non-governmental organisations; Considering the intentions of the European Union to establish a programme for the prevention of violent conflicts at the forthcoming Council Summit meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June 2001; Having discussed ways and means of Promoting Prevention of Violent Conflicts and Building Peace by Interaction be- tween State Actors and Voluntary Organisations; Being convinced that new insights create new methods for addressing tension and aggression; Recognizing the necessity in all countries of establishing an ongoing dialogue between state actors and relevant voluntary organisations (VOs)/non-governmental organi- sations (NGOs) dealing with the complex subject of pre- vention of violent conflicts; Declaring our willingness to participate in, and facilitate, such a dialogue; Committing ourselves to actively mobilize public support, not the least among young people, to the need of conflict pre- vention measures through awareness-building and public information programmes;

11 Emphasizing the importance to incorporate VOs and NGOs in an early phase and at the highest levels into the analysis of violent conflicts and in the design and development of country/regional strategies to deal with violent conflicts; Underlining the necessity of active involvement of affected people in conflict-prone areas in the development and implementation of such strategies; Stressing that there is no real democracy and sustainable peace without the equal participation of both women and men, including at all decision-making levels, guaranteed through a process of continuous gender analysis; Recognizing the need for research, formal and informal education and training at all levels for peace building and prevention of violent conflicts; and the importance of how indivi- duals shall live their values; Being convinced that a culture of preventing violence is expressed by long-term efforts to transform violent conflicts and to build peace; the participants of the “Gripsholm II” conference have the pleasure to present the following comments and recommendations:

I The European Union and Policies for Preventing Violent Conflict We welcome the important steps made by the EU in promoting conflict prevention and peace building, especially recognizing the lead given by the Swedish Presidency0 10 We urge the EU, and especially its member states, to demonstrate a stronger political commitment to the implementation of the Nice Council Declaration on mainstreaming conflict prevention in all its activities and programmes including the relevant clauses in the Cotonou Agreement and other external assistance programmes0 20 In addition to existing country strategies, encourage the EU and the EC to approach conflict prevention on a regional and sub-regional basis with programmes, which strengthen the regional and sub-regional capacities at

12 governmental, parliamentary and civil society levels0 This will involve greater decentralization to delegations0 30 Ensure that EU conflict prevention policies and programmes recognize the need and advantage of working with civil society – especially the role of VOs/NGOs; and that mechanisms for involving civil society in policy-formulation and programme-implementation are strengthened0

II Evaluation of Peace Building Experiences 10 In order to accumulate the knowledge on strategies and tactics for conflict prevention and peace-making and to increase efficiency of programmes and projects, we strongly recommend the institutionalisation of a process- oriented evaluation at all relevant levels0 The results of these evaluations are useful input and will improve the quality of training, project identification and design, policy development, and academic studies0 20 The criteria and methodology of evaluation must in addition include and strongly depend on local situations and local needs, including time frame0 Evaluations have to be performed in close co-operation between local organisations themselves, international agencies and bi- lateral donor organisations0 We therefore recommend the European Union to take the initiative to co-ordinate and promote the evaluation of peace building efforts to the member states and relevant international organisations0 There is a need for the international community to re- cognize the important role, competence, views and feelings of local stakeholders0 Therefore the international community must work in close partnership with local stakeholders straight from the early phases of intervention0 30 We further recommend that the European Union co- ordinate meetings where VOs/NGOs involved in peace building and agencies implementing EU peace building programmes can exchange and enhance learning through a continuous dialogue0 We recommend that such meetings

13 be held in all the member states and that funding be made available for VO/NGO participation from EU member countries as well as from areas of violent conflict outside of the EU0

III National Infrastructures for Conflict Prevention and Peace Building 10 State and non-state actors have shown a growing interest in conflict prevention and peace building0 However, there is a need for deeper dialogue and closer co-operation for the development and implementation of policy and practice0 Within the field of conflict prevention there are still many gaps: there is often a lack of adequate mechanisms to act effectively on early warning signals, of solid conflict analyses, of expertise and capacity, of overviews of the different stakeholders in this field, or of government- NGO forums0 20 Therefore, we call upon EU governments and VOs/NGOs to support infrastructures for conflict prevention and peace building at national and EU-levels0 To take this forward, the creation of national platforms for conflict prevention and peace building, with sufficient capacity in staff and financial resources, is essential0 In countries where national platforms for conflict prevention and peace building are already active, these platforms should be supported0 30 National infrastructures can provide mechanisms for governments to enhance their knowledge, policy and practice in conflict prevention and peace building, and act as a catalyst for initiatives to fulfill the gaps in the field0 Core tasks of a national infrastructure include: – Stimulating networking amongst VOs/NGOs and with governments; – Raising awareness for the opportunities for conflict prevention and peace building; – Acting as an information clearinghouse0

14 IV Civilian Peace Services Many civilian programmes and initiatives have contributed to the prevention of violent conflict and peace building around the world and have accumulated a wealth of experience0 There is a need however for trained and experienced people in greater numbers for a wide range of assignments, including missions organised by intergovernmental organisations, governments and VOs/NGOs0 We therefore have the following recommendations: 10 EU member states should, in co-operation with VOs/ NGOs, support the development of national civilian peace services, in order to contribute to a resource of 5,000 trained European civilians (e0g0 monitors, observers, mediators, trainers) in addition to the 5,000 police already decided0 They should be made available to the EU, OSCE and UN and to other inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to assist in initiatives for the prevention of violent conflict, civilian crisis management and peace building, in partnership with civilians from other parts of the world, as appropriate0 20 EU member states should support the development of further training for civilian peace service personnel, including co-operating with training programmes of other countries and international organisations0 30 In these efforts, co-operation among intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organisations is crucial0

V Financial resources Prevention of violent conflict is an ethical imperative that puts demands on financial resources, besides being cost-effective0 It requires only a fraction of the costs of crisis management and enforcement0 Over time, this will save both lives and money0 Consequently, there is a strong rationale for the allocation of resources to conflict prevention0

15 If the European Union and its member states want to see VOs/ NGOs as active partners in the prevention of violence and human suffering, it is necessary: – to acknowledge the need for additional resources to be directed at long-term conflict prevention; – to make financial and other resources available to civil society and its relevant VOs/NGOs – to enhance and expand competence and capacity in peace-building0

16 Promoting the Prevention of Violent Conflict and Building Peace by Interaction between State Actors and Voluntary Organisations

Introductory Address by Ms Christina Magnuson1 Many historians and writers have already given their judgement of the past century as a particularly violent and cruel one0 New and old technologies have in surprising combinations made it possible to commit atrocities on a very large scale0 How shall we come out of vicious circles of revenge? How shall we be able to transform all conflicts, which are part of the human adventure, and build more peaceful societies? Four years ago I had the pleasure to welcome a similar forum to this Red Cross centre and some of you were present on that occasion0 I am happy to be with you again as a demonstration that we are collectively engaged in a long term undertaking0 In 1999 States signatories to the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement adopted a Plan of Action at its 27th International Conference0 This conference has in principle met every four year in order to promote Inter- national Humanitarian Law and Humanitarian Actions0 I believe that we have to be inspired by such a perspective and recognize that States and Voluntary Organisations need many more meetings of this kind, in Gripsholm and in other places all over the world, to be able to reach the goal of sustainable peace for all people0 We in the Red Cross and Red Crescent are mourning these days0 Last week six staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross were killed in the Democratic

17 republic of Congo during an assignment to bring assistance to victims of the ongoing conflict in that country0 Every one of these tragedies, which have become quite frequent during recent years, should not only bring home that the International Humanitarian Law is not respected and due action has to be taken by all States0 It is also a strong reminder that we have to devote more energies and resources to prevent these violent conflicts0 And for these preventive actions there is no easy fix0 We have to build the necessary infrastructure in all countries, to reach out for knowledge and insight and patiently learn to live our values! The common humanitarian values! I hope that you will have constructive and useful discussions in this little town, Mariefred0 As some of you know, the origin of the name is a Carthusian monastery founded in the 15th century, Pax Mariae or Mary´s Peace0 The Carthusian brotherhood, one of the few Voluntary Organisations of its time, was dissolved in the following century and the bricks of the monastery buildings were used to build the castle of Gripsholm0 We do hope that the present Red Cross environment will prove congenial for building lasting and constructive interaction between States and our present Voluntary Organisations0 If our new and still fresh century shall be remembered as a contrast to what we have lived, we need to be inventive and vigorous0 I look forward to seeing this dialogue between States and Voluntary Organisations be part of building the desired sustainable peace in Europe and elsewhere0

18 Solidarity and Security – Probing the Meaning of Nonviolence

The Personal and Spiritual Perspective on Nonviolence and Peace

By Jayanti Kirpalani2 I would like to thank the organisers here for their vision and courage in inviting us to share the personal and spiritual component within the subject of prevention of conflict, and to probe the meaning of nonviolence Firstly, I would like to acknowledge and appreciate the enormous effort that has been put into peacemaking and trying to create a culture of nonviolence by all those gathered here I will leave that side of the subject to all of you – the experts – and focus my remarks towards the spiritual dimension, for this is my particular area of experience A spiritual truth which is a basic principle, is that whatever is within is reflected without The inner state of human beings creates the outer state of the world When there is peace within; peace in the world is not impossible However whilst there is aggression within, then even sticks and stones become weapons of war So in order to establish a world of peace, it is essential to return to the state of peace within Today the norm for people seems to be a state of ‘peacelessness’ Yet, in fact, the natural state of the human being is that of peace For those who belong to a faith tradition there will be the awareness of the teaching that ‘human beings are created in the image of God’ Recognizing that the Divine Creator is the embodiment of absolute peace, then surely the Creation also has this quality in its origin Interestingly, from the scientific point of view this also holds true In 1986 UNESCO held a conference

19 in Seville where experts presented the results of research that showed aggression and violence were not inherent in the human species but rather were acquired later, and that peace and nonviolence were the natural conditions of the human being This leads us to another question - Is the original nature of the human good or evil or a combination of both? Today we see a combination, we see divine and devilish traits functioning together in human life and yet so often it is the devilish traits that dominate However, if we are the creation of the Divine then surely divine qualities are the original inherent state of the human being We often too have this experience of the inherent goodness of the soul Given the conditions of violence today in every sphere and level of society in the world, the question arises, well, what has gone wrong? Globalisation is the reality of today’s world, with its pluses and minuses Major factors of globalisation are materialism and consumerism There has been a loss of the awareness of spiritual identity, being replaced with an identi- fication only with the external material world Television has been a major force in the globalisation of the culture of materialism Research in the USA indicates that there is a direct correlation between the number of TV viewing hours and the individual violence This fact is fairly well recognised However another statistic that isn’t so well known is that there is also a direct correlation between the number of TV viewing hours and financial debt The advertising and consumer culture of TV promotes spending money which often leads to debt In this materialistic culture, peace has been forgotten because the inner self has been forgotten A loss of awareness of that inner state of being and identification with the external material world leads to a loss of inner peace and the equilibrium of nonviolence Into the emptiness of the spirit comes anger and violence Just as darkness doesn’t have a reality of its own existence but is simply the absence of light, in the same way, when peace disappears, violence comes into its own One doesn’t need to fight the darkness, rather one just has to light a candle, and the greater the power of the candle, or the greater

20 the number of candles, the greater the intensity of the light So too, when we become aware of our spiritual identity and come to the awareness of the inner being, there is peace and this peace can grow As people of peace gather together, just as we have done here, the power of peace multiplies In fact if we wish to transform the world and create a world of peace this is truly the only way There has never been a majority that has changed the world, it has always only been a handful A small group of committed individuals have impacted history and made a difference We come together as revolutionaries com- mitted to positive change The transformation of the minority reaching the point of critical mass will shift the majority and create a culture of peace Another aspect of violence has been the increase in discrimination of race, religion and culture A UN event in Geneva in 1984 looked at the subject of discrimination in matters of belief; and there were such opposing views that the seminar did not come to any conclusion at all However representatives from the University of Minnesota decided to carry out research on the subject They interviewed young people in several countries and found that where an individual had self-respect, there was little discriminatory behaviour, and where there was lack of self-respect there was greater discriminatory behaviour We see a situation where humanity is trapped in a vicious circle There is a general lack of value for the self, leading to cycles of dependency and addictive behaviour patterns to compensate If there is no knowledge of the inner being, there is discontentment within and a search for happiness in temporary supports, people, possessions, places, position or even alcohol and drugs Emotional addictions of ego and anger are part of this cycle of vicious behaviour patterns leading to the conditions we see around us on every continent There also seems to be a general state of helplessness in which many feel disempowered We often see that multinationals have even greater power than governments today and so we question whether the individual can have any power The Charter of the

21 UN begins with the declaration of ‘we the people’ The return to true self-awareness and self-dignity reminds us of the real value of the self Respect for the self leads to respect for human life and value for the dignity of each human being around me Where there is violence there is usually fear born out of ignorance When I don’t know my neighbour, and I am afraid because he or she looks different, smells different, eats differently and behaves differently, I am likely to be discriminatory in my dealings When I take the time to know and understand my neighbour there will be respect To know others with clarity, I need to give time to know myself first for only then will I learn about others Peace is very much linked with love, understanding, respect and truth In fact we find that all positive values are interconnected and these form the basis of civilisation The breakdown in society today is a direct result of the loss of values To return to peace we need to return to a culture of values The family structure used to be the vehicle for the transmission of values, where values were not ‘taught’ but rather ‘caught’ through the relationships within the family Storytelling, time spent together as a family meant that a child grew up with a code of conduct and ethics, and with heroes and heroines to guide him or her along life’s journey I lived in India until the age of eight, before moving to London, and my family there consisted of my parents, grandmother and great grandmother, who was a great storyteller Today it is common for parents to leave the child to be minded by the TV set and we see the influence that this has To create a culture of values needs the support of both formal and informal education – teachers and parents alike I have been sharing the philosophy of the Brahma Kumaris to indicate the spiritual guidelines with which we are working for inner peace and peace in the world Let me now share some of the activities that the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University has co-ordinated to give you an idea of how this translates into the reality of today’s world In 1986 the Brahma Kumaris co-ordinated the Million

22 Minutes of Peace, which reached 88 countries and became the largest non-fund raising project for the United Nations’ International Year of Peace We were asking people for something more valuable than money – themselves – their time We asked them to give a minute of their time for meditation, positive thoughts or prayers for peace Over a billion minutes were collected within a month and presented to the UN Secretary General Following this the UN Peace Studies Unit requested us to do a follow up project and we initiated and coordinated ‘Global Co- operation for a Better World’ This took place in 129 countries across the globe, in which we asked people to share their vision of a better world The project reached out across all levels of social strata – princes and prime ministers, aboriginal elders in central Australia, shoeshine boys in Brazil and leper colonies in the Philippines, to name just a few There were many ideas generated yet the overwhelming response can be summed up in one word – values People all over the world said that a better world was a world based on values such as peace, love, respect, joy and truth In 1993 the book that documented the results of the project was published, ‘Visions for a Better World’ In 1990 people of the world began to tell us that they were interested in values and since then the word ‘values’ has come into focus in business, politics, education, health care, in fact in all areas of life Having seen the result of a world without values we are again recognising the need for values At the point when there is motivation to practise values we recognise the need for spiritual power to enable us to do this The present discussion around the world on values seems to be a bridge to spirituality and the journey within In 1995 a book entitled ‘Living Values – a Guidebook’ was published by the Brahma Kumaris to honour the 50th anni- versary of the UN, celebrating the dignity and worth of the human being The values that we carry within the self and follow in our lives determine the quality of our own dignity and self esteem The book describes twelve universal values, which are the bedrock of human life and civilization This book became

23 the basis for the ‘Living Values: an Educational Programme’ which is now running in over 70 countries Books for this have been published and contain activities to promote the development of values for children and young people of different age ranges – 3- 7yrs, 7-14yrs and 15-22yrs Our latest international project was to honour the International Year for the Culture of Peace designated by the UN for the year 2000 UNESCO, which was given the mandate to implement this programme, created Manifesto 2000 and requested people’s signatures as a sign of their personal commitment to nonviolence and peace During 2000, UNESCO collected 75 million signatures worldwide; of these 35 million were collected by the Brahma Kumaris, with a large proportion from India The motivation and commitment of the organisation for these projects has come from the experience of personal inner peace and the desire to share this gift with all others Each one of us has an impact on at least one hundred others that we are in contact with There is a saying in India that 1+1 do not make 2 but rather 11, and 1+1+1 make 111 The energy multiplies as we come together The project of Global Cooperation also underlines another important factor The old paradigm for the world is that conflict and competition are the modes necessary for survival and progress Poignantly we see in the world the critical conditions that have been created through this It is now clear that the old paradigm is no longer functional and a new paradigm is necessary – that of co-operation Co-operation requires letting go of ego and external differences and coming together re- cognising the specialities of each and every one In doing so we value each other so that our energies work together in con- structing a better world of peace

24 Solidarity and Security – Probing the Meaning of Nonviolence

For Peace An Islamic Perspective

By Tariq Ramadan3 Peace is what we all hope for, and yet in these times of violence and turbulence, sustainable peace seems like an elusive dream Peace requires renewed, tireless and continued efforts by all human beings Conflict is a reality in our personal life, in relations with neighbours or strangers It is also a challenge that must be overcome, if a state of harmony and peace between human beings is to be achieved and maintained This state of tranquillity is what the Islamic tradition as well as other religious and spiritual traditions teach us to seek It is therefore necessary for all of us, to make an effort, to work within our own respective traditions, but also to work together with other populations and the media to change our ways of thinking in order to build bridges and open up new horizons towards a state of peace for all Through it all it is necessary to remain hopeful but also to be realistic and see things clearly; it is in the mixture of faith and realism that dreams are eventually transformed into reality Faith without realism can mislead us; clarity without belief could prevent us from acting – two extremes that, when not put together, produce more words than actions Personal experience has taught me the valuable lesson that peace cannot be attained without social, political and economic justice To disassociate them is dangerous, for that allows one human being to achieve peace while exploiting another and denying him/her dignity and human value The present state of the world is a testimony to the fact: no justice, no peace

25 In the ensuing sections I would like to share some personal lessons, and to present some of the areas where, in my view, urgent action is needed Through common efforts we could find a possible way of living our lives together

Lessons drawn from an experience I once invited the Catholic human rights activist Pierre Dufresne to a conference that we organised At that time he was very ill, but he came anyway for the sake of friendship He made a simple yet profound statement: You mustn’t be mistaken about your enemy With each day, I gain a deeper understanding of his words I reflect upon them, and ask you to join me How many Muslim women and men today are making the mistake in considering those belonging to a different faith, Christian, Jewish and in a wider sense all those who represent humanism as being true enemies with whom one should not get involved? How many humanists, Christians, and Jews are mis- taken by considering Muslims as a potential threat, and an enemy who is likely to invade their country or cause bloodshed? All are mistaken about their enemies; all those traditions – humanistic and religious – are based on common values, which include the always-present concern about conscience and human dignity What unifies them is more significant than what divides them Should we not make a collective effort based on everything we have in common and ought we not “compete in the application of what is good”, as the Qur’an commands us to do and where we distinguish ourselves? Finally, we must carefully reflect upon concepts such as “Islamic civilisation” and “Western civilisation”, for not only do they caricature all of us but they could also be used to promote confrontation and conflict What is overlooked is that both are the civilisations of the children of Abraham and as such are common grounds that hold many opportunities to cross bridges and to meet Who is then the enemy in the Abrahamic traditions; the Jew? The Christian? The Muslim? The humanist? None of them, of

26 course Our most likely common enemy is the emerging wor- ship of productivity at all cost, the passionate individualism, and the uncontrolled and inhumane progress Together we have to struggle against the prevalence of lack of meaning and lack of conscience, the death of spirituality, and the economic and educational inequalities present in the heart of every society As defenders of justice, humanists and members of the extended family of people of faith, we must assume our responsibilities We must engage in honest and sincere dialogue, which will not be easy, for true dialogues and profound debates are never easy, but they are essential When I started to teach I was just 18 years old I taught French I was also involved in associations with a special concern for Third World issues I transformed this commitment into a special “pedagogy of solidarity” within the school system We worked in two directions: one was working against marginalisation and exclusion from the Swiss society, and the other was focused on developing countries and included carrying out humanitarian projects and by travelling to these countries At that time I was working for a number of solidarity organisations such as ATD Quart Monde, Médecins sans Frontiers (Physicians without Borders) and Terre des Hommes I was working together with small communities in South America, where I collaborated with working class priests, with Dom Helder Camara, and in Africa and as well as in India At an early stage I started working with humanists that declared themselves atheists or agnostics, and with Christians Along my journey, I met with Abbé Pierre, Father Guy Gilbert, Soeur Emmanuelle and Mother Teresa as well as Edmond Kaiser, Albert Jacquard, Hubert Reeves, Jean Ziegler, Rene Dumont and many, many others I was very critical in regard to school systems, because I felt they failed to help young people to develop social and human concerns and to become involved An incident, which has marked me deeply, was the loss of one of my students, Thierry, with whom I worked for three years He died from an overdose We had made a journey to Mali together His death put me into a

27 state of deep reflection During these years I lived with a religious conviction, which I did not make public for professional reasons; I advanced quickly in my career and eventually became head of the Institute for Secondary Education at the age of 25 At the end of the eighties, I became cognisant of something; I suggested to young people that they should acknowledge and respect other cultures, but at the same time I felt almost forced to deny my own, and since I had never actually cared that much about making my culture and convictions public, people started talking about it, and became suspicious To maintain credibility, I had to modify what I was saying, and in that sense minimise the specifics about my conviction I eventually resigned from my post as head of the Institute, because being part of management meant that my involvement should not have a religious connotation At the same time I resigned as President of the School Association of Solidarity I wanted to become more independent and to be able to go deeper into the issue of mutual understanding of different religions and cultures I clearly understood one thing: without the promotion of knowledge, without dialogue and mutual trust, we will never be able to reach our goals I believe that these are the fields where we have to concentrate our efforts

What can we do?

a) School and education As we get swept away by the high speed of our lives today, we seem to lose touch with the past In many respects, modern ways of thinking have diminished the significance of true knowledge; which means we will end up living free in a state of ignorance Being trapped in ignorance is a complicated situation, because one is unaware of the obstacles ahead This is true in the spheres of religion where our societies illustrate our religious illiteracy, as well as the social, economic and political areas and the media It is not unusual in our societies that people, ignorant of their own culture and history, are being pushed to get to know the culture and history of others That makes no sense!

28 Today, education is not only a concern for parents and teachers; it must be of concern for the society as a whole People of all faiths, humanists, and everybody who feels a responsibility for the future, need to come together to develop the kind of education that will meet the demands of our time The overall aim, at home and in the school, is to build the character of a human being The distinction between the family’s role to raise the individual and school as a place of instruction and education is no longer valid; what do we suggest instead? I propose, that we view the home and the school as an open field, where the freedom of each citizen and the future perspectives for peace are being deliberated and decided There is no shortage of those who criticize schools and paint teachers as lazy and incompetent, but what is being overlooked is that today’s teachers are expected to be fathers, mothers, social assistants, educators, psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, and very often confidants Our societies have to find citizens who take their respon- sibilities seriously, and dedicate themselves to improving the schools and preventing them from becoming isolated, closed institutions that could be likely breeding grounds for tendencies of extreme-right, as the less desirable ghettos and dysfunctional suburbs It is essential to have a positive interaction between society and schools, which must be supported by the public at large The schools should be living places at the very heart of the community Local communities, parents and teachers have to co- operate at all times, instead of wasting time trying to find out what has not been done, and who is at fault We all have to get involved in the field of education in a wider sense that involves us in projects that range from after-school activities to general training/education programs for all citizens For ten years, I have been working closely within the com- munity, and I cannot think of any other way to pursue this mission It is necessary to work together; we cannot afford to continue to have teachers on one side, politicians on the other, social workers in between, or to separating Christians, Jews,

29 Muslims and humanists If we continue in that path, we are mistaken both in terms of methods and partners It is also imperative that we teach about the essential beliefs, practices and history of the different religious traditions Public discussion about religion has been long avoided for fear of confrontation or conversion, but we can no longer afford that Ignorance of simple historical facts is prevalent in the work place and in the classroom Students are reaching university level without mastering the most basic historical information; I was amazed to find myself having to repeat over and again these elementary information in my classes because student lacked such foundational knowledge The schools have to respond to this, in one way or the other Our multicultural societies require an education, which prepare citizens with deeper understanding of themselves and the society in which they live Without knowing our history, our past, our diverse religious traditions, it would be difficult to envision a future or a true pluralistic society To advocate a better knowledge about various faiths is not the same as promoting one religion or the other It is more of a call for an effort to gain deeper knowledge of facts and references This has implication for those who teach within this discipline; they need to be qualified both in terms of knowledge and pedagogy The teachers have to be able to provide the students with enough knowledge so as to counter the upsurge of prejudice and misunderstanding What is needed is teaching in a scientific manner, and to have even greater impact, the students should engage in dialogues with people who are devoted to different faiths This should be integrated into the educational curriculum at all stages of the student’s education Today, some students are seeking these opportunities for dialogue, but it is always outside their regular school schedule This is certainly a positive step, but these students are not usually the ones who are most in need of this knowledge, because they are those whose home environment heightened their awareness to the importance of such knowledge This knowledge must be available to all students and this can only be

30 done by making it part of regular curriculum Only then can we provide students with equal educational opportunities and live up to the ethos of democracy rooted in securing proper education for all To those who do not recognize the necessity of the knowledge of world religions and history and whose opposition is based on the fear of being convinced to convert to another faith, I say: Yours is a call for the “freedom to be ignorant” which is mendacious and dangerous Whatever faith or religion we might follow, or even in the absence of a faith for that matter, we must never work against “more and deeper knowledge” Freedom, as it pertains to religion, is so intimately related to knowledge, yet freedom has been so often evoked to perpetuate restrict knowledge, so much so that we are about to create free “ignorant” societies b) Debates and dialogues It is imperative that we move towards a renewed culture of dialogue What do we want by that, and why is this necessary? The answer lies in the gloomy predictions of “imminent cata- strophe” that will be the result of the clash of civilizations But what is not realized is that this perspective is imposing questions that we have refused to ask ourselves for decades For those who belong to a religious tradition, the questions being asked con- stitute the essential elements upon which their faith is built: the meaning of life, ethics, a critical mind, and solidarity Many of those who take a humanist stance are also concerned with these questions Together we must strive to ask these questions, to call for dialogue, to intervene in social, educational, political and economic life in order to find common grounds, propose solutions and develop alternative strategies Our situation does not require “a re-structuring move”, which we sometimes try to pursue, in the name of “reform” and which often is only a matter of re-arrangements and a change in manage- ment Very often those reforms are being pursued for budgetary reasons When we carry out these so called reforms, we seem content

31 that “things are moving”, but they turn out to be reforms that only make us go around, rather than move us forward These movements of reform are optical illusions; and we are blinded by the excitement about the change that is believed to have occurred, while the basic problems remain The question might be: What should we invest in today to ensure a better future of our children? Some people immediately think of the human dimension: the spiritual, emotional, and knowledge sharing Others think of the economic aspects When even the question is not understood in the same way, how can we expect common answers? This is the root of our problem: the level of understanding, reflection and involvement What we need is a new kind of fundamental reform based upon humanity and justice A reform where, in my view, it is necessary for us to envision a “breakthrough”, a different way of being and a new perspective in how we deal with important issues Every person, according to her/his values, conscience, and level of individual involvement should be able to contribute in some way Once we have started to move in this direction it is essential that we strengthen our ability to avoid deviations and divisions We have to fight against a leadership that does not fully incorporate soul and conscience This matter cannot be left to few specialists who conduct a dialogue: it is of utmost importance to involve the public at large in these discussions Opposing a leadership, that usurps the publics’ right to such an engagement, is not only necessary but it is a proof of true citizenship To be with God is to remind ourselves of the true place of human beings: of humanity, brotherhood, and to celebrate the diversity of our thoughts The faith of today is a marriage be- tween an intense spirituality and a determined resistance We have to conscientiously resist a world without conscience That is the core meaning of our determined resistance Faith is about the heart and the intelligence In Islam the concept of testimony “Shahada”, is to bear witness that humanity lives up to these ideals The West is also a partner in this testimony Having passed the stage of isolation, the Muslim communities

32 of Europe have formed a network whose mission is, in my view, to call upon all individuals and organisations who posses the good will and who strive to live up to those ideal, to participate in a new debate about society This collaboration should lead to a project of societal change Alone, none of us has the best solution, but together we could make one step in the right direction, and set up short, middle and long-term goals We should all strongly oppose any attempts of “forced” conversion, but this opposition should not mean that we refrain from dialogue and engagement Social fractions and exclusion of young as well as elderly people are obstacles to the return and appreciation of our respective values, and our demand for human dignity and social justice c) North-South justice We also have to remind ourselves about a world where 17% of the population holds 80% of the total wealth These figures hold within them violence They are acts of violence committed without the conventional weapons, but nevertheless they are terrible and destructive violent acts Human beings are suffering from numerous atrocities and are being stripped of their dignity This is where all decent people of the world, those who understand their religion, their duties, and their commitment to social justice must stand united Their solidarity and collaboration and their refusal to accept simplifications, caricatures, rumours and pettiness, are essential to reclaim dignity for humanity We can not afford to sit idle and waste time, while countless women and men live with the discrimination prevalent in our societies, while many are humiliated every day because they do not have the necessary means for daily life, while others suffer from torture in the prisons of dictatorships, while the young people lose hope for the future In the name of all those who have been dehumanised, disenfranchised and demoralized, WE MUST ACT NOW We must dare to strongly reaffirm our convictions without closing our minds, to be determined without being violent, to be powerful without being oppressive

33 At a time when we need to take grand stance and exert maximum efforts, we seem to be facing for the moment a state of “minimum consensus”, where attempts to open one’s mind are dampened by doubt and expressed in the mind’s hesitations to commit So we hear: “I no longer really know”, “I really can’t say anything”, “I can’t be explicit” We are living in some kind of “approximation” where “maybe yes, maybe no” and statements of non-commitment are the dominant speech The inability to make decision is being mistaken for or misrepresented as freedom The prevalence of indecisiveness is a source of great concern for me, because it leads to indifference and lack of involvement We have to dare to make a decision today, and risk being wrong; we have to speak, to question and to breath new life into the debates of different opinions, while respecting one another enough to address deeper questions and get to the bottom of our problems I do respect the hesitation, the need for time to reflect, and I understand that at times the task at hand is so daunting that it seems easier to just carry on with our daily lives rather than pause to ponder But it pains me to see this used as an excuse for intellectual laziness, where we sit in front of our television sets and judge people, or complain about the state of the world at meal time between cheese and dessert Self-satisfied with what/ where they are, and sure of what ought to be done, without ever doing it, nothing ever disturbs these judges, for they participate in the High Mass of relativity, offered by the absolute power of the trends I am sometimes embarrassed to see some Christian friends so afraid of being judged that they hide what they believe in, or disguise it as something else They do not dare to live out their convictions for they fear shattering the image of being “modern” that they want to portray; an image that is not usually associated with the religious I think responsibility, not only to others but also first and foremost to themselves, dictates that they act differently We must not hesitate to translate our convictions into actions, to

34 express our faith and our spirituality, to be open and take part in all initiatives that allow our societies to be places where diverse ideas flourish, where ideals have the potential to be reality, where citizens are allowed to live out their convictions d) Learn again about spirituality Spirituality is a subject matter that is very close to my heart Our modern world may seem harsh and cruel, a place where a woman and a man are anxious to protect their spirituality and as a result face numerous challenges in that attempt The question put before us is simple: How do we today live and preserve a spiritual life, the inner life of meditation that enables us to rediscover the essence of life? That is not an easy task; it is even more difficult to transmit to the next generation How do we pass on to our own children the meaning of inner life, the essence of a relationship with God and His creation? These are questions posed to all us, concerns common to all of us; they should serve as starting point, an introduction if you will, to address issues regarding values, meaning and ethics It is of common concern to all citizens, and we have to promote the reflection upon them through local resources For the last decade, the efforts have multiplied within this area, and I am happy to see all the European citizens of the Muslim faith, taking part in these initiatives

A way to peace Living in the West, our honour obligates us to never forget the people of the South, and the injustices they are suffering Our ethics of citizenship demand that we take to task our govern- ments and remind them to uphold the principles of “liberty and justice for all” We must demand that they terminate relation- ships with dictators and encourage pluralism and democratic rights in all countries We, the people of the West who even today engage in ongoing struggle for justice at home, have a past and present history that invites us to be the voice for the voiceless We will not succeed in creating societies, that are truly

35 pluralistic, unless we make concentrated and continued efforts Mutual respect and trust require that we listen to one another and improve our mutual understanding In this regard, our school programs are not always adapted to the current demands of pluralistic societies, and too many of our citizens accept superficial explanations and hasty judgements It is impossible to live together in ignorance Our societies have changed, and we all have to make an effort to get to know our neighbour We must get beyond the efforts of “mediation” exerted by the media and others, where very little, or worse yet misleading, information is given about who our neighbour is, his convictions and hopes It is an understatement to say that Islam is misrepresented today; it is true that the Muslims themselves are responsible for that, but it is nevertheless necessary that their fellow citizens do not accept the caricatures and simplistic portraits that are spread We have to remain hopeful; during the last years a profound evolution has been taking place among the Muslim communities in Europe Media has not paid attention to the progress that has been achieved, and the progress is by necessity slow, but it exists Among the second or third generation, more and more Muslims uphold at the same time their Muslim conviction and their Western culture With regard to constitutions, they defend citizenship, call for an open identity and promote an American or European Muslim culture At the time of my last visit to Canada and the United States, this summer, as well as the last years in Europe, I have been a witness to changes that illustrate that this process is already well underway Are we ready to get involved, and face the challenge of living together? If we want to build strong bridges and build up the mutual trust that is needed, we have to simultaneously engage in honest self-critique and in reflective dialogue that does not leave aside any questions We have been warned about the dark picture of a “clash of civilisations”; in response, we are obligated to build up areas of common involvement and to refuse a lecture from a world of Manicheism Our best response to the “logic of war”, and to those who promote the caricature confrontation

36 between the West and the Muslim world, is to live the exchange and enrichment that is taking place in the daily lives of our towns and districts We have many values that are common and universal Islam, in standing before the Creator, calls for self respect and respect for others, for love of our fellow human beings and for justice Adherents to all faiths, citizens of all persuasions and affiliations: It is time to escape from our intellectual and social ghettos, to learn how to approach one another in each other’s complexity, and to respect the differences without com- promising the fundamental principles of diversity, justice and equality The challenge before us and my message to all of us is this: Take the necessary risk to promote critical self examination and to have the humility to recognize that without each other, we can neither do anything nor hope for peace

37 Creative Forces in a Multidimensional World

UN Sanctions Regimes The case of Angola

by Anders Möllander4 The war in Angola is one of Africa’s most longstanding violent conflicts, but there is hope The comprehensive regime of sanction measures from 1993, decided by the Security Council and directed against UNITA’s war efforts, is beginning to make an impact “Smart sanctions” are possible Prior to 1999 the general feeling about Angola sanctions in the corridors of the UN was one of malaise The rebel movement UNITA under the leadership of Jonas Savimbi5 had resumed war after the elections in 1992 The Security Council had reacted with unanimous decisions on sanctions in order to bring UNITA back to the democratic, political process In 1993 sanctions related to the procurement of arms, military equipment and fuel were adopted Following the signing of the Lusaka Protocol on 20 November 1994, an uneasy peace ensued However, UNITA´s failure to comply with its obligations under the protocol soon prompted the Security Council to threaten and then, in 1997, to impose additional sanctions These included freezing of bank accounts, prohibition of travel by senior officials and closing of UNITA offices abroad In 1998 the purchase of diamonds from UNITA controlled territory was prohibited The malaise felt in New York related to the apparent impunity with which UNITA was able to circumvent the sanctions regime Apart from encouraging the movement to continue its war effort, the lack of follow-up reflected badly on the ability of the Security Council, the UN secretariat and, indeed, the international community to enforce its decisions

38 This was especially so as the decisions of the council had been taken with reference to the situation as a threat to international peace and security Continued and increasing human suffering in Angola as a result of the war underlined the urgency of the situation Canada had in January 1999 taken over the responsibility in the Security Council for chairing the Sanctions Committee on Angola and the Canadian UN envoy, Ambassador Robert Fowler, embarked on an ambitious consultation and fact-finding mission which resulted in two reports to the council The reports contained a total of 19 recommendations aimed at strengthening the implementation of the decisions taken by the council In February 1999 the council supported a recommendation that there should be studies “to trace violations in arms trafficking, oil supplies and the diamond trade, as well as the movement of UNITA funds” In May a Panel of Experts was established under my chairmanship to carry out this task The panel consisted of ten international experts and got a six months’ mandate Common wisdom at the time was that little could be expected of the Panel’s work It was considered next to impossible to establish how weapons were bought and brought into the conflict area and equally, if not more, difficult to ascertain how diamonds were exported to finance arms purchases However, the panel was able to report with some detail on these matters We were greatly helped by the fact that the government of Angola during the latter half of 1999 managed to oust UNITA’s forces from its strongholds Andulo and Bailundo on the Angolan High Plateau Defectors were coming over to the government side, and some soldiers were captured These, as well as some captured materiel, were eventually made available to the panel and were useful in corroborating information received from other sources Through interviews with some key officers who had left Savimbi and through discussion with experts in the field, the panel was able to piece together a picture of the diamonds-for- arms business of the movement The panel could thus in its

39 report of 10 March 2000 (S/2000/203) present a credible account of how UNITA had procured arms and military materiel It had apparently worked mainly through international brokers who were supplied with end-user certificates acquired from friendly governments, notably Togo and Burkina Faso in West Africa, which also gave refuge to UNITA officials and their families In exchange, the heads of state in these countries received diamonds and funds The arms brokers had apparently mainly procured arms in or through Bulgaria The government of Bulgaria decided to co-operate with the Panel in investigating the deals The diamonds were mined in areas controlled by UNITA using local labour or workers brought from neighbouring Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) The diamonds were used mainly to pay for the purchase of arms and other goods Diamond brokers would be engaged to evaluate packages needed for the purchases of goods A major operator of cargo flights in African countries was identified as the main carrier of goods to UNITA territory A result of this work is that the culture of impunity has been broken Many reports point to the fact that it has been made more difficult and less profitable for UNITA to sell its diamonds and more difficult and costly to acquire arms A follow-up mechanism has been working on leads established but not fully investigated by the panel (Reports: S/2000/1225 and S/2001/ 363) Other panels have followed in the footsteps of the Angola- panel, notably on Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where illegal exploitation of natural resources is also funding the activities of rebel groups An international diamond certification scheme is being prepared by an international working group – the Kimberley group – named after its first meeting place in South Africa The work of the group is based on a resolution in the UN General Assembly It aims at identifying diamonds legally mined and exported, through a system of certification and controls, thus isolating illegal export and import of diamonds

40 A discussion is taking place in New York on the strengthening of the capacity of the council and the secretariat to follow up on the council’s decisions on sanctions It should finally be noted that the design of the sanctions regime against UNITA has not been questioned during the process and that the sanctions, and efforts to render them more effective, continue to enjoy un- animous support within the Council The sanctions are clearly defined to target the military capacity of UNITA under Jonas Savimbi and are largely without negative humanitarian effects Humanitarian aid to victims of the war has thus not been affected by the sanctions decisions or their implementation The effect of the work of the Panel of Experts has thus been i a increased awareness of the sanctions regime directed against the war effort of UNITA in Angola It has apparently also affected UNITA’s capacity to continue the war At the same time, it has contributed to the strengthening of the capacity of the UN to follow up also other decisions by the Security Council on sanctions The methods used – panel of experts which report to the sanctions committee, “naming and shaming”, and follow up through a so called follow-up mechanism – have already been widely copied to good effect The discussion on the design of sanctions regimes has been influenced by the Angola case “Smart sanctions” is becoming a recognized and applied discipline To try to end the war in Angola and to alleviate the long- standing suffering of the Angolan population has long been an imperative for the UN and for most of its member states, including for Sweden For someone who has viaddressd, as I did in 1993, two then recently besieged cities, Malanje and Kuito, and seen aid-workers having to sort starving children into possible survivors and hopeless cases, the motivation to work towards these ends is strong

41 The Necessity of Changing Male Values

By Nicklas Kelemen6 I would like to say some ugly and vicious things about men and traditional masculine attitudes and I will do it - not because I am a masochist, nor because I am against men It is, in fact, on the contrary Let me give a short background to the question of why it is important that man should take part to a considerably greater extent in the work against violence and in the work for equal rights of women It concerns the need of a reconsideration of our past and the need of creating a new male role model for our children So what is wrong with men? Nothing - except the fact that men stand for about 95% of all physical violence Let us make a distinction of three different kinds of violence 1 The greatest amount of violence occurs in the course of wars; to wage war has always been an exclusively male task What is different now, compared to the past, is that men are not any more fighting in the “old chivalrous manner”, that is face to face; in using modern arms, they may not even see their own enemies The great majority of the victims of modern wars are civilians, including children and women The last century was the bloodiest the humankind ever experienced (more than 110 million people were killed during that century according to a UN report) 2 The violence we are exposed to in all peaceful societies is criminality Male individuals stand for about 95% of it In no country the rates of the female prisoners are higher

42 then just a very few percent We have to admit that criminality is also a job for men - though, needless to say, most men are not criminals 3 The most shameful form of violence, which we men have difficulties to talk about, is male violence against women, in terms of battering and raping women These subjects are still often taboo Statistics, if and when available, show that at least 10% of women are exposed to severe male violence Then, why do men so often handle conflicts with violence? Without underestimating the importance of the discussion so far concerning the social, political, economic, ethnic, religious and psychological issues, I think we men have to realize, that it is highly unsatisfactory that only the feminists are questioning “the male identity” - we men need to question it as well In this respect, the great disease men suffer from is – as I would call it - “The John Wayne Syndrome” It is an important indication that close to 80 % of the male population of the United States regards John Wayne as a male role model No 1 But, of course, even if the media and the film industry pollute the souls of young men all over the world with the images of the trigger-happy heroes, still, we cannot put the blame on Hollywood for all the tremendous amount of bloodshed’s and violence of the world The roots of embarrassing masculine symbols like John Wayne, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Rambo, James Bond, Superman, Swartzenegger and equals go back to the history of male traditions of ancient times These shallow-minded modern heroes are in fact only the pale inheritors of the actual male heroes of our past ages: Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionhearted, Genghis Khan, Suleiman the Magnificent, Wallenstein, Charles XII, Napoleon, Kutusov, Nelson, Wellington and so on And it was the endless line of these kinds of leaders who did set the examples for the young boys, generation after generation,

43 what masculinity should be all about These leaders were guided, basically, by one principle: The more you conquer the greater you are For me personally, it became an important experience to listen to the famous peace and conflict researcher, the Norwegian professor Johan Galtung He is an old man, who has spent most of his life studying different cultures His conclusion is that the main responsibility for the violence of the ages falls upon the nobility (He himself is from a very old noble family) Societies were governed by the nobility, and their teaching was: Men solve conflicts by violence Individual conflicts were to be settled by duels and conflicts between groups or nations by wars Men were educated to be conflict-illiterates The influential philosopher Nietzsche, in his famous book on Zarathustra, says: “Man should be educated for war and a woman for the recreation of the warrior Everything else is foolish” These wives were generally alive until the first World War In August 1914 happy masses – together with most of the intellectuals – greeted the war with cheers To my surprise – I learned it quite recently – even the novelist, whom I may value most, Thomas Mann, greeted this war as “the possibility of the purification of the European soul” But, because of the invention of the machine-gun and the incredible mass slaughters as a result, it did not take long time to realize that the old ideas of chivalry had gone for ever The great novel by Eric Maria Remarque, “Nothing new on the Western front”, was a start for a new anti-violent male hero And still, it took another World War and Hiroshima to get a larger number of men to understand that wars should not be the masculine way to settle conflicts (Nevertheless, we are still having more than 30 armed conflicts going on) When it comes to the traditional male views on women, it is again nothing to be proud of In the wonderful culture of the ancient Greece, women were like slaves They were not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the state and were not even allowed to go the theatres The Church of the Middle Ages continued the line of the ancient belief, as Aristotle thought, that women

44 are incomplete, half-men and the Church regarded women during the course of menstruation as unclean, so during this period, they were not even allowed to go to church In many places, the members of nobility had the lawful right to “Prima noctra” - the first night - that is, in practice, the right to rape virgin girls And even during the age of the Enlightenment, when the fight for human rights and equality had started, women were not included The great philosopher J J Rousseau, who was courageous enough to deny the divine rights of the kings and therefore had to flee from France, in his famous Social Contract (1755) writes: “it is in the nature of life, that the family ought to be commanded by the father Since the woman necessarily having occasions of intervals of inaction (menstruation), this is a sufficient reason for excluding her from the supreme authority” More than a 100 years later another great and a very influential thinker, Schopenhauer, says the following: “Women are suited to being the nurses and teachers of our earliest childhood precisely because they themselves are childish, silly and short sighted, a kind of intermediate stage between the child and the man, so the actual human being is a MAN” About 200 years ago, in her book “A vindication of the rights of women”, Mary Wollstonecraft had pointed out that denying women rationality is denying their human rights During the last 100 years strong feminist movements came to life and in the last 50 years more and more women have high social positions in the democratic societies In Scandinavia the female participation in the parliaments is close to 50%; elsewhere it is about 10 - 15 %, while outside of the democratic world there are hardly any women in executive positions Globally, still even today, more than 90% of the political, economic, military and religious power belongs to MEN It is a shame And even more, this unequal state of the affairs is not only a shame, but, as history shows, a terrible danger too Our children, in particular boys, need a new male role model Without active male involvement it will take too long time for women to change patriarchy into societies, where real equality

45 between the sexes could be achieved Therefore it is necessary that men form alliance with the progressive part of the feminist movements And even if it might be more difficult to change traditional male attitudes than what it was for Wellington to defeat Napoleon, it is a challenge we men have to face

46 What do State Actors and Voluntary Organisations Expect from Each Other as Concrete Contributions?

by Jan Cedergren7 Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak at this conference on the important subject of how we as governments see the role of voluntary organisations in conflict prevention and peace building From the Swedish government we welcome that the conference is taking place in Sweden during our EU Presidency and we give it our active support The Swedish democratic development over the last 100 years or so is largely based on an active civil society In Sweden we have a long tradition of close co-operation between government and civil society actors We see the strength and vitality of civil society groups and organisations as an essential part of our democracy Through our external relations – not the least through our development co-operation – we have the ability to draw on this experience when working with partners in other parts of the world Voluntary organisations were active in Swedish aid projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America long before the government took a role as a provider of development assistance Voluntary organisa- tions continue to play an important role, not least in humanitarian and development assistance work A great proportion of the Swedish development assistance is channelled through NGO:s There is also a large share, which goes to supporting civil society project in partner countries,

47 aimed at strengthening democratic development and ensuring a pluralistic society The number of NGO:s and their activities in a country can, to a certain extent, be seen as an indicator of the well-being of that society Civil society has the role of channelling popular participation in society Civil society organisations can enable people to make their voices heard, which will reduce their sense of powerlessness and increase their chances to influence developments in their own community and country This is a precondition for strengthening democratic values and the respect for democratic institutions Democratic institutions can then provide the tools by which a society can manage differences and solve conflicts, without resorting to violence Civil society is thus an essential part of efforts to prevent the outbreak of violent conflict and ensure sustainable and lasting peace Solutions to violent conflict can seldom be imposed from the outside It must be the parties themselves - including a range of civil society actors - that own the process of change However, it is important that they are also provided with the right kind of support from regional and international actors As external governments and NGO:s, working with partners in the field, we must distinguish between different actors in a given context and see the heterogeneous nature of civil society Not all groups are working for democratic and peaceful develop- ment in society It is also important to avoid contributing to the creation of or increased imbalances between interest groups in society We as governments, as well as non-governmental organisa- tions from the North, must scrutinise our own role, as well as the role, played by co-operation partners working with development, human rights or peace building The role of civil society actors, including NGO:s is increasingly recognised by governments and international organisations The Cotonou agreement which was reached last year between EU and 77 ACP-countries, as well as the UN Millennium Declaration, recognise the importance of dialogue between governments and civil society actors The inclusion of civil society and economic and social actors in the Cotonou Agreement is a new feature in the

48 ACP-EU partnership The objective is to involve these actors in defining strategies and in setting priorities, which so far has been the exclusive jurisdiction of governments Hereby, mechanisms are established which reconcile the responsibilities of governments by recognising the increased role played by the voluntary sector As you are probably aware of, the Swedish EU presidency hopes that a concrete EU programme for conflict prevention can be adopted at the European Council next month in Gothenburg In order to be able to strengthen the conflict prevention capacity of the Union, partnership with other international and regional organisation, including voluntary organisations is seen as an essential part Last week in Brussels, the Presidency had a constructive dialogue with a group of NGO:s on the present work of the Union’s conflict prevention capacity We hope that future presidencies will have regular meetings with NGO:s, in order to secure the exchange of information, building coherence in activities and fostering common visions and values At the same time, the co-operation between non-state and state actors must be based on mutual respect and recognition of the independence of the other There must also be a clear division of labour based on the principle of comparative advantage Let me therefore end by giving you some ideas on where I see the role of NGO:s to be especially important, not least in the context of the EU capacity: – in early warning, picking up important information in the field that signals the risk of violent conflict – in implementing policies and support at the local level, addressing the root causes of conflict – in norm-setting, carrying and safeguarding important values in society – in mediation and negotiations, based on impartiality and trust – in support to civil society actors, working for democracy and peace

49 – in collecting Lessons Learned, which can be a basis for improved policy-making – and finally, in education and training Thank you

50 What do State Actors and Voluntary Organisations Expect from Each Other as Concrete Contributions?

by Jörgen Johansen8

Political Courage The last years the concept of Early Warning has been in focus of the international discussion on conflict handling This has been an important and useful discussion The idea to prevent the violent phases of conflicts by intervening at an early stage is of course a good one It is easier to act at an early stage In my view Early Warning is not the main obstacle any more It is good and necessary but not sufficient There is seldom a lack of warnings in areas of potential violent conflicts International Alert and others are doing excellent work even if there is more to be done on refining the tools The problem is that warnings are not acted on What we need more is Early Action The reason why we have a lack of Early Action is the lack of possible political credit for efforts in this field When politicians are considering an Early Action, they are faced with two possible outcomes: Either violence starts in spite of the efforts to prevent it and the decision-makers will at best be ignored It could also be that they can be accused of a complete disaster or even worse, they can be blamed for what happened The other option is that no violence occurs in the conflict Then the main problem is that it is almost impossible to prove that the effort taken on was the reason that no violence took place It is not easy to convince anyone that what was done prevented the tense situation to

51 turn into a violent conflict In both these cases it is very difficult to get any political credit for such efforts So in order to take on such duties we need more political courage from the politicians We also need too se more political will to try other options than bombing from an altitude of 5000 meter or economical boycotts Politicians took enormous risk when they, despite many warnings from the military experts, started to eliminate large parts of the Serbian infrastructure It was a complete failure and the result catastrophic The willingness to fulfil the OSCE- mission in Kosova was not near the willingness to start a large scale three months of bombings to a price of at least 50 billion dollars When do we see politicians taking risks to test other means in a large scale and the willingness to allocate sufficient resources? I would like to quote the subtitle of the autobiography of MK Gandhi: My Experiments with Truth That could be a good guideline I would like to see many more experiments

More Resources There is an urgent need for more than ideas and good intentions In most cases we need to be much more concrete and specific The ideas on Early Action needs to be tested, modified, improved further, in short to be developed from the level of ideas to workable tools for handling potential violent conflicts More people need to be trained in conflict-work There is a gigantic need for education and training The work to be done in conflict areas must include all levels of the actors The present focus on the top-level representatives is far from enough Without including the grassroots and the important middle level people the possibility for a fiasco is huge We have seen too many examples of so called “Peace Agreements” being signed by top-level representatives Most of them are violated before the ink has dried Without involvement from the whole societies any peace-effort will face enormous difficulties There is an urgent need for more resources to be allocated to research and development of conflict handling In these times when the military establishment are searching for tasks to justify

52 their existence the shift from guns and bombs to more peaceful means are a realistic option In order to implement such means we need to allocate much more resources to research, education, development, training as well as large-scale exercises We need to do a considerable job in order to have workable alternatives for present and coming alternatives It would not be unfair to ask for 10% of the present military budgets as a start When we can prove that we are on the track to good alternatives the split could grow from 10-90 to 50-50 as the next step

53 What Do State Actors and Voluntary Organisations Expect from Each Other as Concrete Contributions?

by Gay Rosenblom-Kumar9 When asked to speak on this panel about the UN´s interaction with NGOs and what the UN expects from them in the field of conflict prevention or peacebuilding, I hesitated for two reasons: 1 Because one person can only give a small part of the answer for the 10000 at the Headquarters in New York or 40000 worldwide I don´t know everything the UN does with NGOs, not even my own department, let alone the whole system You may have very many contacts, especially with UN in the field and know better than I 2 I represent a minority view that sees conflict prevention as needing to be South-motivated, South-owned, non- interventionist, cross-sectoral, multi-level (IGO, State, NGO), starting earlier than at the sign of violence, infused and mainstreamed into all our work, and truly inclusive and integrated The UN has been saying that in its rhetoric, developing a strategy, but hasn´t figured out a way to imple- ment it yet We are struggling, and I believe, need help So if I give the official UN perspective, please bear with me, if I am schizophrenic and if my UN hat slips off and on I would like to touch on a number of points: What UN has done; very new and relevant movement that indicates what we may do; my department´s projects; and my personal ideas on how we might move together

54 1 UN has moved a lot, and is seized with the issue Many new activities, relationships and forums with NGOs, Brahimi, Prevention team, Frame-work on Coordination on prevention, IASC, UN Staff College My grip is that while we have worked with NGOs, usually Northern and if not, use Southern NGOs for implementation, but almost exclusively Northern ones for analysis and mostly in politi- cal and humanitarian areas, not long-term prevention 2 The UN in the process of completing two reports for release this month Peacebuilding action plan – outgrowth of Brahimi´s and Secretary General´s report to the Security Council on the prevention of armed conflict The action plan is mainly about what UN should do, but does say that UN should look for gaps in partnerships and how to fill Also, a new PB unit should recommend ways of strengthening internal structures with external peace- building actors, should collect lessons learned and create a database of all potential and create a roster of peace- builders (in staff) but could also include outsiders 3 Out of 50 pages in the report on Armed conflict, under the subject of NGOs and civil society there are six paragraphs and three recommendations in the latest draft, all of which rather general and doesn´t say anything new But, it does; those paragraphs say that the capabilities of NGOs need to be further explored and evaluated for their potential as possible partners or to influence situations Further, it recommends that NGOs interested in conflict prevention organize an international conference on their role in conflict prevention and future interaction with the UN in this field One could take this as an invitation to explore linkages has been offered 4 My department´s projects, mainly in conjunction with UNDP, take a capacity-building approach based on the premise that managing conflict is everyday work of a government UNDP is unable to take early action because that is when it is too sensitive We leave that for OCHA

55 and DPA But our department can do a kind of early, early action, well before situations slide toward violence Based on the premise that the management of disputes and conflict in society is one of the primary and enduring re- sponsibilities of all governments and, therefore, one of the pre-eminent areas in which the UN can serve its Member States One aspect of the increasing United Nations system-wide priority given to conflict prevention and management is the strengthening of the governance capacities of States to manage and regulate conflicts in constructive and nonviolent ways As such, several capacity-building projects are being undertaken to impart awareness and skills to government officials and their civil society counterparts, to assist them to anticipate and respond to crises, to work effectively in conflict-prone environments and to increase their ability to defuse tension and address the inequalities that may lead to violence The projects involve strengthening governance institutions, enhancing mechanisms for participation, supporting the development of mediation facilities and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, and providing skills training to enrich national development policy and practiced with conflict resolution principles, tools and techniques so as to better harness development as a vehicle for sustainable peace To do this, the project is collaborating with African conflict resolution practitioners to develop training material in four areas: A/ Conflict analysis and early response development B/ Skills development for conflict transformation C/ Conflict sensitive approaches to development D/ National capacity-building in conflict management The training workshops will be delivered to African government officials and their civil society counterparts in partnership with training institutions on the continent, such as public administration and management institutes, universities, NGOs, civil service training institutes

56 I will be more than happy to give you our webaddress address for more information10 The project is built on the premise of full collaboration with NGOs and with local institutions We are seeking funding for the second phase to partner with local institutions and imbed these courses in their curriculum so that it is sustainable My dream is to replicate the model in East/ Central Europe, in Asia and in Latin America I would welcome your suggestions and ideas 5 What do we expect and/or want? On this, I only speak for myself Knock at our doors, share your wisdom, knowledge, experience even if we don´t think we need it Work at cooperating with us not matter how frustrating or slow or seemingly ineffective it is, understand our caution and our limitations Don´t trash us, and most important, don´t give up on us Encourage your own governments to strengthen links and ties, try to influence us directly and through your governments, ie position papers, reports, policy advice to governments and the European Community etc could especially mention how to interact with or influence the UN – Know what you want from us and what you are willing to give – Send us reports, they are read by some – Read our reports to know what they say Specifically, – Figure out the UN to connect to the right places in DPA, in UNDP there´s ERD, the Framework, the Prevention Team, the field offices – there´s usually a governance person, sometimes a peacebuilding person – Invite lots of UN people to the October meeting on lessons learned Make that conference recommended

57 in the prevention report and make it in New York so that the UN cannot use the excuse that it cannot afford to send people With regard to conflict prevention there is a Lessons Learned Unit that will struggle to take on more than what it now does There is supposed to be a new peacebuilding unit in DPA – Help build national and regional infrastructures and networks for peacebuilding in developing countries – Partner with us to jointly seek funding from bi- laterals or mujlti-laterals for joint conflict prevention and peacebuilding projects – Add to the roster of peacebuilding staff and resources Finally, hold the vision Last century has seen violence of untold proportions, but it has also seen humanity rally together and attempt to address and palliate such tragedy in myriad ways unknown in previous time That´s why I´m optimistic Because we have so many actors – states, IGOs, international and national NGOs, networks and we are finally beginning to talk with each other and organize Opportunities for self-reflection like this conference are very inspiring Keep present in our consciousness the balance of heart and head in the work we do

58 The European Union: From Crisis Management to Conflict Prevention

by Patrick Simonnet11 Everybody knows broadly what Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management are about (Those who need to refresh their knowledge can consult the very good charts provided by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs) What people are perhaps less familiar with is: – what EU can already do – what more it can do in the future • Let me start by saying that the EU is not new to conflict prevention, crisis management and even post-conflict reconstruction • If you take conflict prevention – and there is a good reason to start with that; all regional co-operation programmes vis-à-vis the Balkans, the Mediterranean, Central and Eastern Europe, the NIS - they all contain conflict prevention provisions Conflict prevention is a general goal of these agreements alongside economic and social development and this is supported by concrete actions • Rehabilitation programmes in Rwanda, projects for democracy or the rule of law in Central America, projects aiming at the strengthening of the judiciary in Colombia, human rights training programmes for police forces in Algeria or South Africa – they all have a clear conflict prevention perspective And they have been implemented by the Commission for years

59 • But much more can be done and the EU is working hard for that Conflict Prevention has come to the fore thanks to the Swedish Presidency of the EU, and this is also a high priority for our external action • How can that be done: The Commission and the Council have jointly made different recommendations at the Nice European Council The Commission has also specified its proposals in a recent Communication (COM(2001)211), and at the Gothenburg European Council the EU as a whole is going to adopt a European Programme for the Prevention of Violent Conflicts • To make it very simple, there are two types of instruments that can be used and developed for conflict prevention 1 Community instruments: They include development policy in a broad sense eg HIPC initiative (in 1999 the Commission committed one billion ecu for ACP countries and 54 millions for Latin America and South-East Asia), all our co-operation programmes (Phare, Tacis etc) and our trade policy (GSP, Everything but arms etc) These mainly serve for long term prevention to address root causes of conflict (poverty, social in- equalities, regional or ethnic disputes etc) but also for short term prevention (emergency economic aid eg Cash Facility for the Palestinian Authority, Oil for democracy programme to Serbia etc) We have also now the Rapid Reaction Mechanism All these instruments are managed by the Commission, which is responsible for the EU budget and for the development of Community policies 2 Political, diplomatic or crisis management instruments under the CFSP/ESDP (so managed by the 15 member states acting together) They include political dialogue, the deployment of special envoys (EU Special Representatives) or the Secretary General of the Council/High representative, Mr Solana

60 They will also include in the near future the new crisis management mechanisms (see below) There is also international co-operation, which is necessary for a coherent impact at global level • Clearly the most powerful instruments at the EU’s disposal for long term prevention are the external co-operation programmes run by the Commission, and our Com- munication makes a few specific recommendations Let me underline just two of them: 1 We want to use external co-operation programmes to address root causes of conflict in a more co- ordinated way In particular we want to use conflict indicators and new programming tools to better integrate conflict prevention in the strategies designed for each beneficiary country of our assistance If proved necessary, we also want to engage more in activities supporting democratic institutions, the civil society and the security sector Let’s note that in the field many of these activities are implemented by NGOs 2 We want to improve the efficiency of actions targeting specific causes of conflict such as drug trafficking, conflict diamonds, spread of small arms, destabilizing population flows We are already doing things in these fields but we can do more (certifi- cation, scheme for conflict diamonds) • Let’s come now to crisis management, as of course we are not living in an ideal world and crises that have not been prevented have to be managed Our capacity to address situations of conflict is also a key challenge in building a credible and effective external policy Since 1999 (Cologne/ Helsinki) we have advanced by loops and bounds • There has been a lot of attention on the progress made in developing the military headline goal and on creating the necessary new structures However, I won’t insist on that

61 because the Commission is not involved at all; that’s something for the 15 Member States acting together • Beside military capabilities, we also want to develop civilian capabilities starting in the four priority fields, which are policing (deployment of police officers), rule of law (deployment of judges, prosecutors etc), civilian administration and civil protection Even if we have a certain experience of intervention in crisis locations, the development of these capabilities is still quite a challenge • We know that there are at least three problems: 1 to react more quickly in crisis situations (in this respect we have developed the Rapid Reaction Mechanism); 2 to be able to deploy appropriate personnel in sufficient numbers which requires strong efforts in terms of training and 3 to ensure more effective co-ordination (at head- quarters level between EU actors, in the field and between the field and headquarters) • Let me stop there and conclude by saying that a coherent approach to conflict prevention and crisis management depends on three factors: a clear definition of objectives, capacity to act and the political will to act The last point is crucial The effectiveness of the Union’s actions will depend, above all, on the extent to which this action expresses a common political approach by the Member States

62 The European Union: From Crisis Management to Conflict Prevention

by Terhi Lehtinen12 It is likely that the EU continues to intervene in crisis management activities, particularly in neighboring areas in the future Therefore, the main challenge in the area of conflict prevention is to adopt a more proactive approach in using existing community instruments, such as development cooperation, in an integrated way to address the root causes of conflicts The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) budget is very limited, so the use of the community budget and the European Development Fund (EDF) for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries is crucial in developing preventive actions on the ground The challenge of integrated approach is in dealing with inter- pillar complexity between community instruments, the CFSP and the third pillar issues, such as police, rule of law and migration Also, the institutional complexity (General affairs Council, Political and Security Committee, High representative for CFSP, DG RELEX etc) requires a special attention to the coherence in designing the EU conflict prevention policy This also requires a full support from Member States and the European Parliament, which is in charge of the community budget, where priorities are finally translated into financial flows Finally, it is important to ensure that the EC Delegations and the Member States embassies on the ground contribute to the EU analysis of situations and provide early input into the discussions in Brussels-based committees

63 The European leaders have shown political will to “mainstream” conflict prevention, and the main challenge is its implementation It would be useful to designate few “pilot areas” of imple- mentation (such as human rights, democracy, security sector reform) The special attention should be paid to capacity building and training of local police forces, judges in the civilian policing and the rule of law There is a need for an integrated approach to unstable regions, which would require a special attention to regional context, including cross-border phenomena (refugees, diamonds, arms), to adapted country strategies and even to different areas in the countries (stable areas in the midst of war), where targeted development activities could promote structural prevention of future conflicts The special challenge is to design a coherent approach to divided countries, where interventions take place both on government and opposition-held areas The use of common strategies, political dialogue and special envoys may be useful in addressing some key sources of instability The link between ECHO’s activities and “civilian protection” should be clarified Also, the potential for using new Rapid Reaction Mechanism for rapid interventions is to be explored in the near future Although it is important to monitor the potential shift of EU resources towards conflict prevention, the main attention should be paid to “result”-indicators and conflict impact assess- ments of different community programmes, instead of only measuring financial inputs Although the Cotonou Agreement now includes an explicit article 11 on conflict prevention as a part of political dialogue, other co-operation agreements (such as ALA, MED) should also pay a special attention to the area of conflict prevention Finally, there is a clear linkage between poverty and conflict, and therefore, the EU programmes could involve structural intervention in the area of poverty by linking to the countries’ own Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSP), where they are available

64 The European Union: From Crisis Management to Conflict Prevention

Taking Stock and Next Steps by Paul Eavis13

The current situation The EU has many instruments at its disposal to help address conflict prevention While there has been a certain amount of success, there has also been criticism levelled at the EU’s approach to preventing conflict for being ineffective This brief presentation summarises the strengths and weaknesses of existing EU initiatives for conflict prevention, and outlines priority areas to improve the EU’s capacity to prevent conflict

Strengths and weaknesses The EU has made progress with several initiatives in the area of conflict prevention:

Strengths: • Good policy framework for conflict prevention – eg paper by Javier Solana, High Representative of CFSP and Commissioner Patten, presented to the EU Nice summit, 2001, which outlines effective measures for EU action in the field of conflict prevention14; new Commission Com- munication on Conflict Prevention (April 2001) • The EU has a wide range of CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policy) and development co-operation instruments, which could help to prevent the onset of violent conflict

65 • Conflict prevention initiatives have increasingly been given a higher profile in successive presidencies, in particular the Swedish presidency • The Cotonou Agreement (the aid and trade partnership agreement between African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the EU) prioritises conflict prevention within political dialogue and allows political dialogue to focus on issues such as the arms trade, excessive military spending, democracy and the rule of law; the agreement also provides a framework to work with civil society groups in the development and implementation of policies and programmes • Existence of EC country delegations, and commitment to strengthen delegations with more regional political advisers Weaknesses: • The EU has concentrated on reacting to conflict in strategic, visible locations, such as the Balkans, as opposed to the poorest countries where most violent conflict takes place More attention should be paid to less strategically important locations • Conflict prevention still hasn’t really been mainstreamed into EU development programming • There has been no discernible shift in EU resources available for conflict prevention There has also been a reluctance on the part of the EC to engage in certain thematic areas, such as promoting reformation of the security sector, an essential measure for attaining stability in post-conflict societies • There has been little attention paid to the impact of trade policies risks of conflict, and hence on their potential to contribute to long-term conflict prevention; • Whilst there is specific reference in the Cotonou Agreement for engaging civil society in development initiatives and conflict prevention measures, no mechanisms have been developed to realise this

66 Priorities for action

The need for detailed analysis to guide EU engagement EU Country Support Strategies (CSS) should include a thorough analysis of the risks of conflict, which can then inform appropriate conflict prevention programmes This requires the EC delegations to draw upon a wide range of information sources, including taking information from the field via civil society bodies and NGOs working in the regions concerned Further- more, these papers should be shared among all institutions and civil society actors

Commitment to improve coherence and co-ordination Effective coherence and co-ordination has not been realised yet Within the EU all officials should be fully aware of the importance of co-ordinating action to allow relevant bodies to implement programmes efficiently In addition to this, the EU’s in-country delegations must be given more authority in programme development and implementation This will maximise the potential for field-defined strategies to be appropriately implemented in the area of conflict prevention To assist this, an inventory of skilled personnel needs improvement

Improve coherence between Member States, the Commission and the Corporate Sector Incoherence between Member States, and between Member States and the Commission, seriously restricts the effectiveness of initiatives at the political level Furthermore, there is a need to develop co-operation between Member States and the corporate sector to, amongst other things, tackle the issue of war economies The example of oil companies operating in Sudan is illustrative EU companies are directly involved in the oil business in Sudan, and hence compliant in the human rights abuses being perpetrated by all actors in the conflict, and involved in providing revenue for the Government and thereby the means to prolong the war The EU and its Member States should exert

67 more influence over the corporate sector to adhere to their corporate responsibilities, and take active steps to initiate dialogue between companies and civil society

Focus support on the poorest countries Poverty and unequal access to social and economic opportunities is an important root cause of conflict Efforts should, therefore, be devoted to reducing poverty in the poorest countries rather than concentrating on the more strategic, visible conflicts of the near abroad There has been a downward trend in development assistance to the HIPC countries, illustrated by the ACP countries’ share of the budget allocation for development assistance falling from 45% to 14% between 1992 and 1997 A significant amount in this budget was dedicated to the reconstruction of Kosovo, at the expense of the poorest regions

Improve targeting of development assistance The impact of the Commission’s development assistance is dependent not only on the quantity of assistance provided (although this is important), but on the quality of assistance provided too The effectiveness of development aid as a tool to prevent violent conflict is likely to increase if it is targeted appropriately to programmes dedicated to good governance or democratisation projects The EU should also provide assistance to enhance governance in the security sector A commitment to developing an accountable army and police force, judicial system, civilian administration and democratic government is essential for maxi- mising the potential for countries to achieve sustainable peace and stability

68 Promoting the Prevention of Violent Conflict and Building Peace by Interaction between State Actors and Voluntary Organisations

Concluding remarks by Ms Lena Hjelm-Wallén15 on behalf of the Swedish EU Presidency Ladies and gentlemen, Dear friends of prevention, I am very pleased and honoured to receive the recom- mendations of this conference on behalf of the Swedish Government and the Presidency of the European Union! Civil society and its organisations are exponents of our commonly held values, based on the principle of each individual’s equal value and a vision of a better world for all! Conflict prevention is one of the priorities of Swedish foreign policy! We are currently looking at ways of enhancing our own capacity by integrating a conflict prevention approach into all Swedish international actions! Sweden is also working for the gradual integration of a conflict prevention perspective into the policies of international organisations and into intergovernmental co-operation! We believe in the possibility to foster a culture of prevention worldwide! Our strong commitment to the UN and our active contribution to the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Security and Defence Policy offer special opportunities in this connection! It is our hope that the European Council in Gothenburg in June can adopt a concrete programme for conflict prevention! The work to develop such a programme is currently under way,

69 in close co-operation with our European partners! The European Union, in co-operation with other key actors including the UN, OSCE, other regional actors and NGO:s, has an important role to play in conflict prevention! The fifteen member states and the European Commission have a unique range of preventive instruments at their disposal! The Union holds the biggest share of international trade and is providing more that 50% of the world’s official development aid! Through trade agreements and development assistance programmes the Union has a considerable potential to influence processes of change in specific countries and regions and in global multilateral organisations like the UN, the World Trade Organization and the International Financial Institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank! In changing from a pattern of reaction to one of prevention, the Union can make a clear difference on how those organisations are acting in their operations! The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is an important partner to the EU, with its well established conflict prevention capacity! In other regions, for example in Africa, the partnership and collaboration with the OAU, SADC and ECOWAS can enhance the peace-building capacities and improve co-ordination between actors at different levels! In discussing the EU capacity for conflict prevention it is essential to have a close dialogue with civil society and its org- anisations, as important partners in policy development and policy implementation in the field! We know that there is deep knowledge and firm commitment within the NGO community to prevent the outbreak of violent conflicts! The Swedish govern- ment sees the recommendations of this conference as an important contribution to our efforts to enhance the capacity of the European Union, as well as the national capabilities of individual states, within the area of conflict prevention and peace building! We need to recognise that the key to preventing violent conflict is held by the parties themselves! Solutions to violent conflicts cannot be imposed from outside! They must be

70 developed and nourished by the parties involved in a process of change! Thus, efficient conflict prevention demands engagement first of all at the local level – by governments, politicians, local authorities and civil society! The role of external actors, such as the European Union, must be to support locally and regionally led conflict prevention processes! But we can also inspire, by good examples and good arguments, through concrete dialogue about values, objectives and means! As I am sure that you would all agree, conflict prevention is not really about preventing all forms of conflict that occur in human society! But it is about avoiding violence and channelling change through peaceful procedures where all stakeholders in society have a say! To achieve results however, we must be very concrete and down to earth! The challenge is to link vision and values with concrete policy options, based on realities on the ground! The outcome of this conference also reflects the importance of developing ways of sharing experiences and information by systematically collecting Lessons Learned, based on peace- building activities in the field! This can then be collated into a Common Catalogue of Lessons Learned and become an important tool for both policy development and implementation! Co-operation and co-ordination between actors, which also has been a central theme of this conference, lies at the heart of effective and timely conflict prevention, given the complexity of issues involved! Effective partnership requires common objectives and reinforced co-ordination at a number of levels: – in early warning, where partners, not least NGO:s, have a field presence and access to information which should be fully utilised in building early warning capacity, – in situation analysis and policy planning, where effective implementation requires collaboration among partners, – in implementation, where state actors, the Commission of the European Union and non-governmental organisations play leading roles!

71 Effective partnership also requires co-ordination in the area of evaluation! As the result of the conference has shown, the division of labour between actors working in this field, need to be based on the principle of comparative advantages and transparency! One very important aspect, which has been dealt with at the conference, is the need for training and education as an important way to enhance national and international conflict prevention capabilities! This is one key area for future co- operation between NGO:s, governments and international organisations! It is a way of bringing about a common under- standing of what we need to achieve through concrete action and it can provide us with the necessary tools to be able to carry it out! Finally, I would like to say that the findings of this conference is an important contribution to a common effort to strengthen the conflict capacity of the European Union, but also the UN, other regional organisations and nation states! Sometimes we all feel frustrated by the slow pace of change! At the same time, it is only through hard work and determination that we can achieve results in the long run! The contribution of non-governmental organisations is essential in the process to strengthen our conflict prevention capacity! As governments we have the responsibility to ensure that your efforts and capabilities are fully taken into account and utilised in the best of ways! I will share the recommendations with my colleagues in the Swedish Government, as well as with colleagues in the European Union and with other Governments! The summit in Gothenburg, I am hopeful, will adopt a comprehensive programme for conflict prevention! It will be an important step to strengthen the capacity of the Union in this field! I am also convinced that the next EU- presidency, through the Belgian Government will continue this process, as well as other presidencies to come! The follow up of a EU programme for the prevention of violent conflict will be a real proof of the sustainability of the policy of peaceful change globally! We look forward to work together with you in this process!

72 Lessons Learned from Peace Building 16

Assignment of the Working Group

I Rationale It is often acknowledged that the field of conflict prevention and peace building is in need of greater coherence and that it lacks an integrated body of knowledge! In an attempt to overcome this gap, several works have been published recently that explore lessons learned in the fields of conflict prevention and peace building! These valuable publications show that the field is more or less moving into a stage of increased knowledge, insight and understanding! Some even say the field is moving from its infancy into adolescence! For the field in general, it is of utmost importance to collect lessons learned, to develop an analytical framework and to look for common features in the diverse approaches and sectors! Therefore the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation has taken the initiative to start the “Lessons Learned on Peace Building” project!

II The “Lessons Learned on Peace Building” Project The project started with the organisation of an expert meeting in Northern Ireland in the beginning of February this year, where some 35 experts came together to discuss lessons learned on peace building! One outcome was the general conclusion that there is much more happening in terms of lessons learned within governments, NGOs/Voluntary Organisations and institu- tions than most of us were aware of! Because these initiatives are very scattered, it was seen as of great importance to attempt to link the different initiatives to promote learning from each other!

73 There have been a number of different initiatives and approaches to promote lessons learned in peace building! These have included; Codes of Conduct within organisations, general do’s and don’ts in peace building, conclusions derived from impact studies on peace building, descriptions of general instruments of intervention, programmes or activities as well as reflections at meta-level on ways to deal with the complex nature of the field of conflict prevention and peace building! Ultimately, however, it would be useful to develop a framework for these different approaches and sectors that would encompass specific contexts! One result of the expert meeting in Northern Ireland was the initiative of the European Platform to facilitate an open international network for lessons learned in peace building! The aim of this network is the sharing of experiences and findings of lessons learned from conflict interventions! This initiative is the beginning of a long-term programme on conflict prevention and peace building! The working group on ‘Lessons Learned on Peace Building’ at this conference is the next step in this trajectory! Furthermore, several regional seminars will be organised in conflict zones together with local Voluntary Organisations/NGOs to discuss their view(s) on learned lessons! Also, a large international conference will be organised in October 2001 on ‘Lessons Learned in Peace building’ at ‘Kontakt der Kontinenten’ in the Netherlands! Finally, a document will be published integrating different experiences and comments from different conferences and regional seminars! The intention is to widely discuss the draft documents and the publication! It is important not only to stimulate the exchange of information and discussion in the conflict prevention field, but also to raise political and public interest for these issues! The publication will also be placed on the webaddress of the European Platform!

III Discussion Points Professor Mari Fitzduff, Executive Director of INCORE (Initiative on Conflict Resolution & Ethnicity), Northern

74 Ireland, will give a short introduction to the conference, in relation to the working document for this conference! Three specific sessions will follow!

Session 1 We will have a general discussion on lessons learned and the project of the European Platform! Discussion points – lessons learned, evaluation and impact of peace building – what do we know? – what are the main ‘unanswered questions’? – where do we need to focus on urgently?

Session 2 The second session will focus on conflict zones in the Balkans with presentations of: – Igballe Rogova from Kosovo, leader the organisation ‘Mutrat Qiriazi’ and is the initiator of Women’s network in Kosovo! – Madeleine Rees, Head of office, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sarajevo! – Saso Ordanoski, Center for Strategic Research and Documentation in Macedonia! In this session, special attention will be given to the role of women in peace building!

Session 3 The third session will focus on the following: Discussion points – Some general lessons learned and Do’s and Don’ts – Lessons on the specific roles of governments, NGOs/Voluntary

75 - Organisations interaction and their complementary relationships and roles! - Ideas for follow up for the project of the European Platform and the international network for lessons learned in peace building! Chair: Professor Enno Hommes, chair of the European Centre for Conflict Prevention

IV Possible Outcomes One of the aims of this international conference is to formulate recommendations for EU presidencies! Following are some elements, which can be used for recommendations related to lessons learned on peace building! 1! It is very important that lessons learned on conflict prevention and peace building are further researched, analysed, collected and integrated into a framework! 2! In this effort it is important to bring together the following different constituencies working on these issues: - Governments and International Governmental Organisations - Voluntary Organisations/NGOs and practitioners - The academic field Special attention should be given to involve as much as possible the experiences from conflict regions! 3! Finally it is important to disseminate the outcome to a large audience such as governments, Voluntary Organisations/NGOs working with conflict resolution, peace building, human rights, development and humani- tarian aid, academic field, donors and the media!

76 Report of the Working Group It is widely acknowledged that the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding is in need of greater coherence and that it lacks an integrated body of knowledge! To meet this need, several publications have recently been issued, which draw on years of experience! These valuable publications show a movement from a pioneer into a more reflective stage of increased professionalism! It is now time to capitalise on this and stimulate the development of a more coherent analytical frame! Clearer insights into what does and what doesn’t work will not only increase the support for the field itself! It will also raise political and public interest in conflict prevention and peacebuilding! The aim of the working group on lessons learned in peace- building was to explore lessons learned from own experiences! Several people shared their personal experiences and / or from their organisations in different conflict zones such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Northern Ireland! What follows below is the summary of the presentation of David Wiking on the evaluation from Sida support to conflict management and peacebuilding! This is followed by the recommendations that were concluded after the discussions!

Assessing Lessons Learned by Sida Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) has given support to an increasing number of peacebuilding initiatives during the last decade! In Spring 2000, Sida commissioned an evaluation with the purpose of identifying lessons learned and draw conclusions for future initiatives in the sector of conflict management and peace building! One of the conclusions is that the nature of peace building is rather different than that of development projects and so is their approach in evaluation practice! Peace building initiatives are processes that are not easy to grasp, while development work is visible in concrete results!17 Two projects were undertaken! First of all a bibliographical survey ‘The state of the art’ is made with an overview on the

77 literature contributing to the debate on evaluation and lessons learned! It outlines two evaluation methodologies, which are commonly used in current evaluations of conflict management and peace building! The first could be characterised as a ‘mainstream’ approach exemplified by the criteria of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)! The criteria out- lining this kind of evaluation are efficiency, effectiveness, impact, sustainability and relevance! The second methodology often used is the ALNAP (Active Learning Network on Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance)! This approach focuses more on the impact of activities on personal rather than project levels! ALNAP outlines eight different issues that should guide the research! The project of Sida focused on five different case studies: • the Israel/Palestine Centre for Research and Information • the Olof Palme International Centre in the West Balkans • the Conciliation Resources project on women’s empower- ment and the Star Radio project in Liberia • Diakonia in South Africa • the East Timor dialogue project of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University! The ALNAP methodology proved to be a useful tool in conducting evaluation on conflict related projects! Therefore, the eight categories or issues outlined below show a possible framework through which an organisation, outsider or insider, can collect lessons learned! 1 Appropriateness: How appropriate are the proposed activities to the circumstances that not only change in terms of the conflict but also in terms of the relation between the donors and the recipients? 2! Coherence: Coherence should be analysed under two dimensions! External (overlap, linkage, duplication and

78 contradiction with other activities or projects in the same region) and internal (between the overall policies, strategies and project proposals)! 3! Connectedness: this issue relates to the sustainability of the project! Is the short-term activity compatible with the long-term development considerations? 4! Gender equality: images of self-identity, modes of com- municating, models of organisation and traditions of partici- pation are related to gender! 5! Flexibility: the willingness of both donors and NGOs working in the field to adapt to changing circumstances as is often the case in conflict areas, and to add and delete activities if necessary! 6! Location of responsibility: is there a clear division of tasks and responsibilities? 7! Pressure for success/possibility of failure: the refusal to accept failure could lead to misleading reports which in their turn will lead to bad policy making 8! Institutional competence: this issue focuses on the extent to which the organisation is capable of institutional learning and the ability to sustain new competence for future projects! Furthermore the study comes up with some general con- clusions and some interesting general ‘lessons learned’: – There is a growing body of theories and concepts on the underlying causes of conflict and their symptoms, and there is also a considerable literature on conflict resolution as well as a growing amount of experience! However, there remains a gap between theory and practice! Much of what is done in the field is designed on the basis of untested assumptions! There is little academic work that helps identify on-the-ground activities that can help to transform and reconcile antagonistic reactions! – The state of current knowledge implies that it would be

79 counter-productive to attempt to generate a template for Sida peacebuilding activities! There is no formula of conflict resolution and peacebuilding waiting to be applied! – There is a cultural clash between the general field of deve- lopment cooperation and the field of peace and conflict!

Recommendations for EU presidencies

General considerations It is very important that Lessons Learned on Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding are further researched, analysed, collected and integrated into a framework! In this effort it is important to bring together the following different constituencies working on these issues: – Governments and international governmental organisations – Voluntary organisations/NGOs and practitioners – The academic field Special attention should be given to involve as much as possible the experiences from conflict regions! Finally it is important to disseminate the outcome to a large audience such as governments, voluntary organisations/NGOs working with conflict resolution, peacebuilding, human rights, development and humanitarian aid organisations, academic field, donors and the media!

1 Lessons learned – evaluations In order to accumulate the knowledge on strategies and tactics for conflict prevention and peacemaking, to increase efficiency of programmes and projects we strongly recommend to pro- mote institutionalising process oriented evaluation at all relevant levels! The results of these evaluations are useful input and will improve quality of training, project identification and design, policy development and academic studies! The criteria and methodology of evaluation must strongly

80 depend on local situations and local needs, including time frame! Evaluations have to be performed by local organisations themselves as well as by international agencies and bilateral donor organisations, in close cooperation! We therefore recommend the European Union to take the initiative to co-ordinate and promote the evaluation of peace- building efforts to member states! We further recommend that the European Union co-ordinate meetings where NGOs involved in peacebuilding and agencies implementing EU peacebuilding programmes can exchange and enhance learning through a continuous dialogue! We recom- mend that such meetings be held in all parts of the Europe and that funding be made available for NGO participation from European countries as well from areas of violent conflict!

2 Lessons learned – security and civil society In order to be more effective in peacemaking we recognise that every level of society (such as business, media and other relevant stakeholders) have a role to play in creating all forms of security and peace! Military interventions have to be looked at in this perspective! We therefore recommend a balanced approach, recognising the civilian contribution in peacemaking, which will also be reflected in the budget! There is a need for the international community to recognise the important role, competence, views and feelings of local stakeholders! The international community must work in close partnership with local stakeholders straight from the early phases of intervention!

81 The European Union and Policies for Preventing Violent Conflict18

Assignment of the Working Group

I Rationale The European Union is one of the most powerful actors internationally in terms of trade, foreign affairs and development assistance! It has been widely acknowledged, however, that despite its policy commitments it has thus far failed to maximise its potential for conflict prevention and resolution! In recent years there has been a growing awareness both within EU institutions, among member-states and also more widely that there is an urgent need to address this weakness both at the policy and the operational level! Recent attempts to address institutional weaknesses have included a report to the Nice Council in December 2000, by the Commission and the High Representative, which recommends the need to address conflict in external relations and co-operative agreements with ACP states, in addition to highlighting it as an issue within CARDS, MEDA, ALA, PHARE and TACIS cooperation programmes! The Commission is also preparing a Communication on conflict prevention to be presented to the Council in April focusing on addressing the root causes of conflict through the use of the development and external aid instruments available to the Community! For these initiatives to be both effective and coherent across the full range of EU instruments, a number of reforms as well as additional resources will be required! Implementation of these reforms will present considerable challenges for the European Commission and Member States!

82 II Aim To suggest recommendations for how the EU could enhance its policies and practices in order to ensure long term and sustain- able approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding across the range of its available instruments! The workshop, therefore, will explore the strengths and weakness of EU approaches to conflict prevention and peace building and will suggest ways in which current policy positions can be more effectively mainstreamed!

Session 1: Developing EU policy frameworks for conflict prevention Aim: This session will look at existing policy frameworks for conflict prevention and peace building used by the EU and will determine to what extent they are being implemented! It will also look at the impediments to implementation in order to make recommendations for mainstreaming policy objectives across all areas of external engagement! (See annex 1: summary of EU policy papers and resolutions)

Discussion Points – Which EU instruments can be used most effectively for conflict prevention? – What are the institutional capacities and organisational challenges that need to be addressed if conflict prevention and peace building are to be mainstreamed?

Session 2: Informing policy with practice - case study experiences Aim: This session will seek to draw out the lessons from the EU’s engagement with countries in 2-3 regions of the world in order to identify recommendations for ‘best practice’ to inform the EU’s approach! The workshop will examine relevant conflict themes derived from case study research, which can provide valuable lessons for the EU and its member states! Participants will draw out lessons from the studies and will develop practical recommendations for implementation! These recommendations will complement the findings from session 1 in order to ensure

83 that proposals are coherent with EU agreed mandate and policy frameworks!

Discussion Points – How has the EU sought to integrate conflict prevention objectives within regional/country programmes (CFSP and development co-operation)? – What experience has been gained in integrating conflict prevention into the development programming cycles and what are the implications of the newly established Europe aid? – How has the EU sought to ensure a coherent engagement (with different policy interventions and different actors)?

Session 3: Priorities for future engagement Aim: To identify key priorities for enhancing EU engagement in the field of conflict prevention and peace building based on the findings of the first 2 sessions of the workshop! The workshop will seek to identify not only key priorities but also how best the priorities and recommendation may be implemented: thus it is envisaged that the workshop will address: – Enhancing the EU’s institutional capacity for conflict prevention – How the EU can work more effectively with other inter- national, regional and national bodies in mainstreaming conflict prevention and peace building – Prioritising conflict prevention within the EU’s CFSP – Prioritising conflict prevention within the EU’s trade and development co-operation programmes, including regional agreements such as Cotonou! – Ensuring coherence across EU pillars and instruments!

Discussion Points – What are the key priorities for the EU regarding conflict prevention?

84 – How can these best be taken forward?

III Possible outcomes

1! That the EU builds its own institutional capacity in conflict related issues by enhancing its human resources through specialist recruitment and training and through decentralisa- tion from the headquarters to the Delegation level! 2! That the EU fosters appropriate forums in which cross- cutting issues related to conflict prevention and peace building can be addressed by officials working in different member states, directorates and arms of the Commission! 3! That the EU specifically task the Inter-Service Quality Support Group, which will be responsible for main- streaming Development Policy and lessons learned across all external assistance programmes, with mainstreaming conflict prevention and publicizing lessons learned! Ensure that reviews of the EU policy on Coherence are published and that DG Development’s role as “coherence focal point” is strengthened with the introduction of a complaints procedure, which could receive reports from non-EU state and non-state actors! 4! Increase the capacity of civil society both within the European Union and in conflict-affected countries by channelling resources to them, ensuring they have the political space and appropriate access to advocate and undertake conflict prevention activities! 5! Support the development of international frameworks which ensures the private sector both nationally and inter- nationally contributes effectively to conflict prevention and to socially responsible policies particularly in conflict- affected areas! 6! Develop shared regional analysis with member states, which prioritises conflict prevention and provides a framework on which to build a coherent strategy for EU engagement which is best able to support the building of

85 sustainable peace and development in regions at risk of conflict! And to strengthen, enhance, and development EU initiatives around the control of light weapons! Ensure that gender considerations are an integral part of EU policies and practice related to conflict prevention and resolution and that this is monitored!

Report of the Working Group19

Recommendations for EU presidencies

1! That the EU builds its own institutional capacity in conflict related issues by enhancing its human resources through specialist recruitment and training and through decentralization from the headquarters to the Delegation level! 2! That the EU fosters appropriate forums in which cross- cutting issues related to conflict prevention and peace building can be addressed by officials working in different member states, directorates and arms of the Commission! 3! That the EU specifically task the Inter-Service Quality Support Group, which will be responsible for main- streaming Development Policy and lessons learned across all external assistance programmes, with mainstreaming conflict prevention and publicizing lessons learned! Ensure that reviews of the EU policy on Coherence are published and that DG Development’s role as “coherence focal point” is strengthened with the introduction of a complaints procedure, which could receive reports from non-EU state and non-state actors! 4! Increase the capacity of civil society both within the European Union and in conflict-affected countries by channelling resources to them, ensuring they have the political space and appropriate access to advocate and undertake conflict prevention activities!

86 5! Support the development of international frameworks, which ensure the private sector both nationally and inter- nationally contribute effectively to conflict prevention and to socially responsible policies particularly in conflict- affected areas! 6! Develop shared regional analysis with member states, which prioritizes conflict prevention and provides a framework on which to build a coherent strategy for EU engagement which is best able to support the building of sustainable peace and development in regions at risk of conflict! And to strengthen, enhance, and development EU initiatives around the control of light weapons! 7! Ensure that gender considerations are an integral part of EU policies and practice related to conflict prevention and resolution and that this is monitored! 8! That the EU adopts a culture of accountability through the creation of an Ombudsman’s office for programme and affected countries! 9! That the EU develops a more coherent vertical and horizontal policy and decision-making framework across separate sectors to ensure the greater effectiveness, efficiency and coordination of policy strategies! 10! That the EU works to ensure that NGO’s and national governments of vulnerable partner countries are directly involved in the development of country and regional strategies! 11! That the EU quickly develop and mainstream a set of appropriate tools and methodologies for conflict analysis for the working and decision-making levels of the organization! 12! That the EU make the necessary changes to ensure that the comparative advantages of bilateral and multilateral strategies are better understood and implemented in a more coherent manner!

87 13! That the EU look to establishing procedures which allow decisions and action to prevent conflicts to take place in the absence of the required political will! 14! That the EU find a more appropriate balance of resources from “crisis management” to “conflict prevention”! 15! That the EU enact and move forward towards the completion of all follow-on activities for already agreed to initiatives before embarking on new lists of forth- coming initiatives! 16! That the EU find an appropriate balance between large sectoral support projects and multi-sectoral local com- munity projects!

88 National Infrastructures for Conflict Prevention and Peace Building 20

Assignment of the Working Group21

I Rationale Conflict prevention has grown out of its infancy Recently, the EU, the United Nations and the G8 voiced their belief in the need to do more to reduce the potential for violence and to support mechanisms that will ensure peace This new interest in conflict prevention is promising, but some critical remarks should be made The fields of violent conflict prevention and peace building are still relatively new and developing However, between words and deeds stands implementation The question is: How could conflict prevention and peace building measures be incorporated into the structures, the strategy, and the operating policies of international governmental organisations, governments or voluntary and non-governmental organisations (VOs/NGOs)? Another issue is that of coherence The progress in integrating conflict prevention and peace building measures in all relevant sectors (foreign policy, trade, development co-operation, humanitarian aid, and so on) differs significantly amongst EU member states It is however possible to identify several common prerequiaddresss that should be fulfilled to come to a coherent and integrative approach towards conflict prevention and peace building However, in most of the EU countries there are clearly some major gaps in this field There is: – Lack of early warning mechanisms There is a need to identify rising tensions and emerging conflicts, mechanisms

89 to pick-up and analyse signals; – Lack of good up-to-date on-going conflict analysis There is a need for day-to-day analysis of conflict dynamics to translate early warning signals into concrete policy options required for intervention; – Lack of expertise and capacity to undertake the analyses and to carry out policy options, both within the governmental apparatus and within Voluntary Organisations/NGOs; – In order to get capacity to understand, analyse and work with the vast subject of prevention of violent conflict and building sustainable peace government support must be given to training and education on all levels in society; schools and colleges, educational institutions and academic fora; – No overview of who is doing what in the field of violent conflict prevention and peace building An overview is not only needed to avoid duplication or competition, but also to identify the gaps in this field; – Lack of interdisciplinary networks and fora connecting teachers, academics, civil servants and practitioners This could be helpful to share experiences and views from a different angle; – Lack of monitoring and evaluation of interventions Only in the last few years has more attention been paid to the actual impact(s) of our interventions and the ‘Do no Harm ’ approach is gaining in importance; – Need for more resources to make possible all kinds of projects supporting: the prevention of violent conflicts, reconciliation, and post conflict peace building

II Aim

What needs to be done Below we would like to make some suggestions for a framework or infrastructure, necessary to fulfil a number of these needs

90 Besides creating several new institutions, we consider it even more important to incorporate the existing governmental apparatus, academic institutions, colleges and Voluntary Organisations/NGOs into such an infrastructure For especially the Northern countries, actively involved in conflict regions by intervening in many different ways (eg development co- operation, humanitarian aid, political support to peace processes), implementation or institutionalisation of conflict prevention and peace building measures is needed in all sectors, at all levels, both in the governmental apparatus and in Voluntary Organisations/NGOs An infrastructure that incorporates state and non-state actors would ease a clear division of labour, which is an absolute pre- condition to be effective in the prevention of violent conflicts And of course, a related infrastructure is also needed in the conflict zones as well Within such an infrastructure, the special role of women in peace building should be emphasised

III Organisation of the workshop programme The article on national infrastructures for conflict prevention and peace building is a starting point for discussion at the ‘Gripsholm-II’ workshop Although some speakers will be invited to shortly introduce the topic (ten minutes at maxi- mum), the main goal of the workshop is to have an open and interactive debate The workshop will be divided into three rounds Each should end up with some recommendations In the third round we should have some time to extract general conclusions out of the recommendations of the three rounds

Session I: The role of the government The first session will introduce the topic and a start will be made to take a look at the state of affairs in different EU member states, with a specific focus on the conflict prevention policy of several governments Chair: Paul van Tongeren, Executive Director, European Centre for Conflict Prevention

91 • Rationale & importance of an infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building Introduction by Thania Paffenholz, Swiss Peace Foundation & Peace-building Centre in Switzerland • Exploring the state of affairs in different countries, Introduction by Georg Frerks, Conflict Research Unit, Netherlands Institute for International Relations ‘Clingendael’

Discussion points – Which tasks should be fulfilled by the government? – Which tasks should be fulfilled by others, non-state actors?

Session II: The role of Voluntary Organisations/NGOs The second session will carry on with the inventory of state of affairs, but with a focus on the role of Voluntary Organisations/ NGOs and NGO-networks Chair: Thania Paffenholz, Swiss Peace Foundation & Peacebuilding Centre in Switzerland Introductions by: Ian White, representing the Irish Peace and Reconciliation Platform; Barbara Müller, representing the German Platform for the Peaceful Management of Conflicts; Anne Palm, representing the Finnish Platform KATU

Discussion points – What is the situation regarding infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building in your country? What is still needed in your country? Which tasks are and which are not being fulfilled yet? Do you see other gaps in this field? – What is the relationship between these actors, and in what form could a relationship take shape? – What is/could be the role of national networks on conflict prevention and peace building?

92 Session III: The role of the European Union The final session will focus on the role of the European Union and on the relationship between national and international policy Chair: Paul van Tongeren, Executive Director European Centre for Conflict Prevention Speakers: a governmental representative and an EU representative

Discussion points – Which tasks should be fulfilled at a European level and which should (also) be fulfilled at a national level? – How to best link the national with the international level?

IV Recommendations Elements for an infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building:

Pillar 1: Building the community 1 Raising awareness of the possibilities and importance of conflict prevention and peace building 2 Introducing conflict resolution programmes in schools and other learning institutions 3 Conducting advocacy activities 4 Streamlining of information - information clearinghouse 5 Stimulating the creation of interdisciplinary networks and fora

Pillar 2: Building the capacity for conflict prevention and peace building 6 Supporting the incorporation of conflict prevention measures in all relevant activities, 7 Creating more professional capacity within governmental

93 institutions and Voluntary Organisations/NGOs 8 Introducing university programmes and training on conflict prevention, peace building and reconciliation 9 Establishing expert pools & resources banks 10 Stimulating early warning-early action networks/systems 11 Analysing Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Pillar 3: Operational activities 12 Creating rapid reaction facilities (mechanisms for quick financing) on a national level 13 Creating and stimulating conflict resolution organisations 14 Creating central focal points as a co-ordinating body for conflict prevention and peace building

Report of the Working Group

Introduction Governments and NGOs have shown a growing interest in conflict prevention and peace building However, there is a need for deeper dialogue and closer co-operation between governments and NGOs for the development and implementation of policy and practice Within the field of conflict prevention there are still many gaps: there is often a lack of adequate mechanisms to act effectively on early warning signals, of solid conflict analyses, of expertise and capacity, of overviews of the various stakeholders in this field, or of government-NGO forums This working group tried to look from different angles how to bring about this dialogue in order to fill these gaps and to come to an infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building At the first session, the role of the government and the role of NGOs were at the centre of the discussion Which tasks should be fulfilled by governments, and which tasks by other, non-state actors? Thania Paffenholz introduced the recently created Swiss

94 Center for Peacebuilding, based in Bern This Center was created by the Swiss government and the Swiss Peace Foundation after broad consultation with Swiss peace and development NGOs (Paid) membership is open for all NGOs active in or related to the field of conflict prevention, trans- formation, reconciliation, peace building et cetera The staff of the Center consists of five full-time persons and two to three persons for support The Center is funded by the Swiss government The objective of the Center is to support the constructive role of Switzerland in settling international conflicts This presupposes a coherent Swiss peace policy The Center has a unique ‘in-between role’: it is expected to promote synergies between the various actors involved in peacebuilding - governmental and non-governmental, national and international The Center also wants to develop cooperation among Swiss non-governmental organisations (NGOs), their cooperation with international NGOs and their links to official Swiss policy The following kind of activities are foreseen: – Platform and facilitator: The Center will provide a platform for the exchange of experiences and information and act as a facilitator with regard to the common resolution of problems by its partners in the area of peace building It will link its partners to relevant international actors; – Information and documentation: The Center will gather information and documentation related to peace building, hold events and write publications for specific target groups; – Analyses and advice: The Center will offer its partners services such as conflict analyses, strategy advice for peace building interventions, and gather lessons learned in civil peace building Paffenholz also identified the main difficulties to be tackled when facilitating dialogue and co-operation between the government and NGOs: the issue of confidentiality and mutual trust and the problem of talking a ‘different language’ Georg Frerks, head of the Conflict Research Unit of the

95 Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ focused on the state of affairs of governmental policy of some EU and other countries towards conflict prevention and peace building Although almost every EU country produced policy documents on these issues, the implementation of these documents is hardly documented Therefore, Frerks based him- self on the policy documents of different EU-member states and some other countries, referring to comparative research on this subject by his institute, and to a comprehensive and critical study on six different interventions by the Dutch government According to Frerks, the policy documents demonstrate a clear similarity in discourse: they speak of international law, human rights, democracy, good governance and so on The (proposed) embedding differs however, which reflects the different emphases or focuses governments put on these issues In some countries it is embedded in Foreign Affairs, others place it into Development Co-operation or even Defence At the same time the need for a ‘coherent and integrative approach’ is repeatedly stressed In addressing the root causes of conflict more differences appear: some put emphasis on poverty reduction, others focus more on political issues, such as democratisation, good governance or human rights These policy documents say however little about the implementation and the practices of the different governments in the field of conflict prevention and peace building The study on the Dutch interventions showed that there is a major gap between policy and practice In sum, the main conclusion was that the interventions were all reactive, too little and too late A clear framework of how to act on early warning signals was still lacking, analyses of conflicts were poor, institutional memory or long term strategy absent In order to get a better overview of the state of affairs in conflict-prevention and peace-building policies of different EU member states, it could be an interesting idea to conduct a comparative research on the budgets of different governments: what do they actually fund? Is the main financial focus on, for example, multilateral organisations, NGOs, Track I diplomacy, or on the military approach?

96 National Platforms for Conflict Prevention and Peace Building The working group further focused on the role of NGO- networks or national platforms for conflict prevention and peace building Representatives from five networks or national platforms indicated which tasks their network or platform is fulfilling, or could fulfil in the proposed infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building The Irish Peace and Reconciliation Platform differs from the other national platforms or networks in the fact that this platform is not working with conflicts far away, but with an indigenous conflict: the Irish – British conflict Ian White, Chairperson of the Platform, explained how this influences the position of the Platform towards the Irish (and British) government Being part of the conflict, the Irish government is seen as a client Therefore, a formal relation with the government would be welcomed, but not as a partner in a joint organisation or platform The main focuses of the Irish Platform are on the sharing of information and on training facilitators in peace processes At present, less attention is being paid to advocacy and lobby One of the main difficulties of the Irish Platform – and of other platforms as well - is the different background and nature of the NGOs participating in the Platform In the words of White: How to build peace amongst peace builders? Although the Platform managed to achieve some considerable successes in the field of advocacy and lobby by acting together, the Platform decided to contract a consultant to do research on the needs of Ireland and the future role of the Platform For the time being the Platform’s policy tends to move from total inclusiveness and agreement of all partners, to a more go-ahead policy As a part of this, White would favour a more open attitude of the Platform towards other conflicts and conflict regions This would help the Platform to learn from other, sometimes similar, experiences in other countries in conflict, and would enable the sharing of its own experiences with others The German Platform for the Peaceful Management of Conflicts was established in November 1998 as a loose and open

97 network of individuals, organisations, and institutions According to Barbara Müller, head of the secretariat of the German Platform, it consists of approximately 100 individuals, 43 NGOs (semi-state) and institutions respectively Participants originate from organisations in a wide variety of fields, including human rights, peace work, humanitarian aid and development co- operation, church organisations and related academic institutions The Platform works in a consensus-based manner and is geared to the principles of subsidiarity, decentralisation, and the division of labour The main mode of operation is to work together in joint project groups, which should display a clear element of “added value” The German Platform does not accept funding from the government and depends on voluntary contributions and funding from other organisations; a large percentage is being paid by the Protestant and Catholic churches in Germany The central tasks and functions of the Platform are: Information exchange/Clearing house function; Public relations/education; Lobby/advocacy; Advisory, support and training; International networking One of the main activities of the German Platform presently is related to the incorporation of conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms into the governmental apparatus and development and humanitarian NGOs The German government contracted Mary B Anderson from the Collaborative Development Action to help (primarily) development and humanitarian organisations to implement the ‘Do No Harm’ approach into their policy, strategy and operational activities This process is also subsidised by the Ministry of Development Co-operation The Platform uses the recently launched web-address (wwwkonfliktbearbeitungnet) to promote this kind of activities and to share relevant information about it The Finnish Citizens’ Security Council (in Finnish: Kansalaisten turvallisuusneuvosto, KATU) acts as a network combining the efforts of Finnish NGOs to prevent the outbreak and escalation of violent conflicts At this moment, some 50 Finnish non- governmental organisations and research institutes participate in

98 KATU, varying from churches, human rights, peace, women, youth, and student organisations, to development and humani- tarian agencies Although the creation of a more formal structure to strengthen the network is under debate for some time already, KATU remains an open and loose network One of the reasons for this, explained Anne Palm, secretary general of KATU, is that especially the larger organisations have a problem to ‘belong to another organisation’ (and therefore running the risk of loosing the profile) KATU depends totally on the funding of the government Although KATU is very free to spend the money according its own views, some problems do occur when trying to get activities funded in Finland itself KATU Citizens’ Security Council has an ongoing project in Southern Africa for four years now, assisting the creation of a regional conflict prevention network This network, established last December, includes NGOs from ten countries in Southern Africa KATU also promoted the creation of national networks in that region, which has already happened in five of the ten countries Other focal points and activities of KATU at the moment are small arms and the gathering of a database for NGOs involved in conflict prevention issues to find the key people and organisations to gather more information about conflicts

Discussion and conclusions In general, the working group concluded that there is no blueprint for a national infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building The comprehensive lists of tasks as mentioned in the background material should be seen as objectives These objectives should be pursued in each country, but should also be approached with some flexibility The state of affairs and the situation in the EU counties differ a lot

A need for dialogue There is however an obvious need for deeper dialogue and closer co-operation between NGOs and governments for the development and implementation of policy and practice Within

99 the field of conflict prevention there are still many gaps: there is often a lack of adequate mechanisms to act effectively on early warning signals, of solid conflict analyses, of expertise and capacity, of overviews of the different stakeholders in this field, or of government-NGO forums National infrastructures can provide mechanisms for governments to enhance their know- ledge, policy and practice in conflict prevention and peace building, and act as a catalyst for initiatives to fulfil the gaps in the field

Core Tasks for National Platforms In several countries of the EU a network or national platform for conflict prevention and peace building has been created These networks and platforms vary a lot Some networks put more emphasis on training and education, others focus more on lobby and awareness raising The working group identified how- ever some core tasks for each network or platform: – Stimulating networking amongst NGOs and with governments; – Raising awareness for the opportunities for conflict prevention and peace building; – Acting as an information clearinghouse There is a need for further research on and evaluation of networks in this field Kathleen Armstrong mentioned that her organisation, the UK based network CODEP, is currently doing research on this The main conclusions will be published on its webaddress (wwwcodeporguk) This issue will also be on the agenda of the European Platform’s conference on Peace Building Practice in October 2001 For this meeting the European Platform will produce a background document, reviewing in a more systematic way the existing networks and national platforms, in combination with some lessons learned on networking The representatives of the networks and platforms expressed their wish to have stronger linkages between each other Within the framework of the European Platform more meetings should be organised to have an exchange of information and experiences

100 Besides this, it is equally or even more important to stimulate networking in conflict areas and to create linkages between the northern networks and the networks in conflict zones

The role of the corporate sector Several times the role of the corporate sector in peace building was emphasised It is seen as one of the main challenges for the future to involve the corporate sector in peace-building processes They should be part of the infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building ‘Giving money is the easiest thing for them to do’, as one of the participants said How to change their behaviour and to convince them to play a constructive role is a different matter More dialogue between these worlds is needed

Education The working group stressed the importance of education in the field of conflict prevention and peace building Conflict resolution/transformation programmes must become an integral part of the curricula at all levels of education At this moment it is at best extra-curricular More attention should be paid to textbooks in conflict prone areas Research in for example Croatia and Serbia proved that textbooks are still full of prejudices and hatred towards each other The participants expressed their wish to organise an inter- national conference on education and peace building This conference should focus on peace studies at universities, peace education in conflict regions and peace education in northern countries To take this idea forward, an international working group of the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation may be established

Recommendations Recommendation 1 We call upon EU governments and NGOs to support infrastructures for conflict prevention and peace building at national and EU-levels To take this forward, the creation of

101 national platforms for conflict prevention and peace building, with sufficient capacity in staff and financial resources, is essential In countries where national platforms for conflict pre- vention and peace building are already active, these platforms should be supported National infrastructures can provide mechanisms for governments and NGOs to enhance their knowledge, policy and practice in conflict prevention and peace building, and act as a catalyst for initiatives to fulfil the gaps in the field Core tasks of a national infrastructure include: – Stimulating networking amongst NGOs and with govern- ments; – Raising awareness for the opportunities for conflict prevention and peace building; – Acting as an information clearinghouse

Recommendation 2 Besides creating networks within and between northern countries, networks in conflict prone areas must be stimulated as well More work has to be done to create linkages between these networks and northern networks

Recommendation 3 The corporate sector has an important role to play in peace- building processes In order to stimulate a more proactive involvement in these peace processes, more dialogue is needed between the business and NGO community

Recommendation 4 Conflict resolution / transformation programmes must become an integral part of the curricula at all levels of education The participants expressed their wish to organise an international conference on education and peace building This conference should focus on peace studies at universities, peace education in conflict regions and peace education in northern countries

102 Developing Civilian Peace Services 22

Assignment of the Working Group

I Rationale Today there is enough evidence arising from hundreds of examples of nonviolent transformation of conflicts which show that not only internal but also international conflicts can be diffused or even resolved through various forms of short-term or long-term peace initiatives, on local, national and inter- national levels Experiences from conflict areas in different parts of the world prove that voluntary organisations, including churches, co- operating across national borders, can make indispensable contributions to peace-building processes World Peace Brigade, Peace Brigade International, Witness for Peace and Christian Peacemaker Teams are examples of international peace-building programmes Peace Monitoring in South Africa, Escort Guatemala, Peace Service in Chiapaz, Balkan Peace Team, Peace and Development Teams in Eastern Slavonia are examples of programmes involving development agencies, labour unions, churches and other organisations The contributions of voluntary organisations in preventing violent conflicts are acknowledged by many governments, eg by the Swedish government: “Popular movements and NGOs have gained increased importance in recent years, partly because it is easier for them to act in undemocratic environments where individual governments may not want to get involved for varying reasons Moreover, NGOs can be on the spot quickly when complex catastrophes occur, already in co-ordination with local organisations”23 In line with the new security thinking there is a great and

103 urgent need for developing civilian peace services (CPS), ie educating and preparing women and men to serve in organised ways in preventing violence, transforming conflicts and building peace in areas of conflict, contributing to nonviolent social transformation and common, comprehensive, just and sustainable peace and security at home and abroad The establishment of CPS - and other similar initiatives24 - on a large scale is gaining wide support by voluntary organisations, including churches and other faith-based groups25 Networks and coalitions for establishing CPS are therefore developing in many countries The networks include a variety of developmental, peace, human rights and environmental organisations26 In the document, Preventing violent conflict – Opportunities for the Swedish and Belgian Presidencies of the European Union in 200127, European peace institutes and voluntary organisations recommend that EU and member states should: – Support the development of civilian peace services – Undertake studies of how they can best make use of CPS – Implement existing educational programmes for the training of national and international peace workers for service in conflict areas – Establish a European regional resource comprising 10,000 men and women who can be drawn upon to work in conflict areas

II Aim To explore a more intensive development of CPS, a co- operation between Voluntary Organisations, governments and IGOs

III Discussion Points One key issue is the education, training, preparation and commitment needed for people working in conflict areas All over the world voluntary organisations, churches, universities and institutes have been developing various methods, models

104 and curricula for long and short courses28 The education and training for a “European regional resource” is dependent on various factors to be discussed Examples are: Discussion points – The main focus, in accordance with relevant documents of the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the EU, especially the new European programme for prevention of violent conflicts; – The conditions, roles and functions of the local organisations and people living in the midst of the conflict; – The roles and functions of the peace-workers, addressing the root causes of conflicts and targeting the structural risk factors; – The role and functions of women in preventing violent conflicts; – The role and functions of youth in preventing violent conflicts; – Partnership, co-operation and division of labour between the actors involved in working with the conflict, including actors from the media and the business world; – The code of conduct, providing an ethical framework for the education and training as well as for the field work; – An emphasis on facilitating skills, enabling the participants to share their knowledge and empowerment skills in the local communities in the conflict areas, contributing to “a culture of prevention” on different levels of society29; – An integration of “nonviolence”30 into capacity building processes, utilising the stories of people and movements that used and lived nonviolence against injustice, violence and oppressive regimes A second issue is the need for national, European and international infrastructures/mechanisms/organisations promoting the development of a civilian peace service31

105 Process The three sessions will be used for a creative and constructive participatory process, supported by a professional facilitator (provided sufficient funding is secured), and will bring in people with experience and expertise

IV Possible Outcomes Recommendations will focus on: – Aims, principles, implementation plan, etc for the co- operation between Voluntary Organisations, governments and IGOs on the education and training of people working in conflict areas, integrating the prevention of violent conflict into most assignments – Aims, principles, implementation plan, etc for an independent European non-governmental resource bank of civilians, with knowledge, experience and skills in pre- venting violent conflicts and peace-building This resource, which can be used by IGOs, governments and voluntary organisations as a way to identify qualified candidates for particular missions or posts, should be linked to similar resource banks, with financial support from national governments to provide this kind of service – Aims, principles and implementation plan for education and training (approximately 10 weeks) to prepare women and men to serve in organised nonviolent ways, contri- buting to human rights, democracy, reconciliation and just and sustainable peace, at home and abroad – Aims, principles and implementation plan for building “cultures of prevention” at all levels, thus contributing to the development of “a culture of prevention” in Europe and internationally – Forming one or more working groups with participants from governments, IGOs and Voluntary Organisations, who are able to follow up the recommendations in con- structive work

106 Report of the Working Group

Proposed Follow-up Meeting on Civilian Peace Services

What CPS Meeting of (xx) number of days and (yy) number of participants Concerning agenda topics – see next pages! Why To advance the conceptualisation of, cooperation of and further development of civilian peace services, including training curriculum and design, and to map next steps for implementation When Proposed for Winter 2001/02 Where Location? Who Proposed Convenor(s) of CPS Meeting CPS Meeting Preparatory Group Lead agency: Peace Team Forum, Sweden Chairperson Member(s) Preparatory Working Groups – to include representatives of European Network of Civilian Peace Services and Global Nonviolent Peace Force Convenor(s) / lead organisation? Chair(s) Members CPS Meeting participants to include representatives of UN, OSCE, EU and governments, Role of non-European participants? How Immediate next steps What? By whom?

Agenda Topics

I Concepts and Content • Define civilian peace service concept

107 – An umbrella for pools and standing services/teams, or defined as one or the other? – Relationship/interface of civilian pools and CPS standing structures – Difference between CPS operations and military and humanitarian operations and development efforts – Terms, roles and qualification issues (eg expert, civilian, non-violence) • Inventory of earlier and present CPS experiences and networks • Case studies (as scenarios for deployment) – How many and which case studies? • Possible phases of CPS development • Focus on prevention of violent conflict • Focal point for values clarification and for sharing of experiences and methods for broad dissemination and use by other operational actors in their roles in prevention of violent conflict

II Strategies and Goals • Justify need for civilian peace services • Elevate CPS concept on agendas of major players in European peace-building community • Develop political support for civilian peace service • Develop political will for early intervention (= for prevention of violent conflict vs crisis response) • Raise popular awareness • Relationship and communication/coordination/cooperation among – political entities (governments, IGOs)

108 – various actors (public entities, INGOs, NGOs) – various national, regional, global CPS infrastructures – EU Task Force and other possible military peace- keeping structures – work in partnership with local actors in conflict zones • New structure(s) for coordination and decision-making

III Preparation • Criteria for peace team involvement – Terms of engagement – Code of conduct • Roster development • Education/training – Internationals, nationals, locals • Funding

IV Operationalization • Peace team mandate, composition and design • Recruitment • Maintaining individual group identity/autonomy (eg faith-based groups, Red Cross) • Assessment

109 Conflict Prevention as a Government-NGO Joint Venture

A Postscript Comment

By Ragnar Ängeby32 In today’s world there is an increasing awareness that relation- ships are genuinely more important than things and that the wholes are primordial to parts We talk about a holistic and integrated approach In this light we talk about globalisation of trade, global public goods and of global values We also increasingly recognise the community nature of the self that challenges us to see the inter-relatedness that exist between us and which makes us see ourselves not merely as individuals with equal worth but also as parts of a community where we relate to others and where we are sharing common interests globally When we do not take other human beings as objects of our use but rather as fellow human beings with whom we can learn and change, we open the possibilities for being ourselves more fully We are also increasingly aware of the generative power of language, which allows us to freshly interpret our experiences, together and in dialogue with other human beings, thus giving us the possibility to create new realities Looking back at the Gripsholm II Conference, one can clearly see that the event had all the elements of those guiding ideas for the future global society in which we are going to live, hopefully more harmoniously than in the past The prevention of violent conflict is in this context probably the most cost-saving measure to take in order to bring about a fair and sustainable global economy and a decent life for the people in the world We know that the main reason for poverty and famine is destruction, caused by violence and war, which ruins culture, social and economic structures, communication

110 and material assets For those of you who know Swedish history, it is evident that the remarkable development from poverty to affluence which took place over the last 150 years, was very much a result of our ability to preserve peace within the borders of our own country, and with peace to develop democracy and the rule of law In spite of extreme violence in our neighbourhood, we basically managed to keep a climate of dialogue and common learning within our society The civil society and its different organisations played a key role in the Swedish process of change They were based on a set of core values, which were voiced by a number of individuals of different social and political backgrounds The core values were intimately linked to the basic ethics and values of Christian thinking as they were expressed, mainly by broad social movements such as the temperance, revival and labour movements, which tried to liberate the ethics and the values from the conservatism of the old power structures The Gripsholm II Conference came about at a moment when Global Society is looking for guidance to handle a situation where traditional structures ruling our lives are questioned but new ones are not yet clearly identified I believe that, in a way, the global challenge today is similar to the challenges that Sweden faced by the end of the nineteenth century People, in those days, saw the need for change based on visions for a better world and on values in which they believed The focus of the introduction of the Gripsholm II Conference on solidarity and security – probing the meaning of nonviolence with speakers of different faiths – gave the conference stability, consolidating the global message of peace The common values transformed into practice, was the substantial message of all the sessions of the seminar The Swedish Presidency of the European Union was happy to receive the Comments and Recommendations of the conference There is a growing awareness of the complexity of preserving and building peace globally and of the need to interact with all stakeholders In addition to the strong role of the state is added

111 the creativity of other actors in conflict situations Awareness and sensibilities are influencing attitudes and beliefs creating conditions for the development of skills and capabilities to act for change The voluntary organisations of the civil society, based on personal commitment of a number of individuals, are increasingly important parties in the processes of preventing conflict and building peace, also recognised by the Governments of the European Union, the European Commission and the UN In his remarks on Conflict Prevention to the Council for Foreign Relations in New York on March 6, 2002, Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the UN concluded: “The policies of conflict prevention that I have outlined today will succeed only if the root causes are addressed as well – and not just by Governments or the UN, but also by civil society, the private sector ” “You can help us convince the parties of the folly of conflict, and deepen the work of prevention by supporting local, civil society prevention programmes, which are often more effective – and more acutely needed – than Government initiatives:” Those words, in retrospect, serve as a good piece of inspiration of those who made the Gripsholm II Conference possible and to all of us who will participate in the follow up

112 Appendices

113 114 Preventing violent conflict

Opportunities for the Swedish and Belgian Presidencies of the European Union in 200133

Introduction Violent conflict causes massive humanitarian suffering, under- mines development, stifles economic growth and prevents the maturation of political institutions The need for conflict prevention is now well accepted by the EU and it has a key potential role However, political realities mean that the focus of EU action is invariably on crisis management (often military) rather than on longer-term action to prevent conflicts erupting in the first place The Swedish and Belgian presidencies of the EU offer a vital opportunity to put measures in place to increase the EU’s capacity to prevent violent conflicts and promote a culture of prevention This briefing paper sets out key proposals for action

Costs of failing to prevent violent conflict The costs of failing to act to prevent recent wars such as those in Kosovo, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and others are stark: • Humanitarian suffering – In Rwanda alone, an estimated 800,000 people were slaughtered in the 1994 genocide, 15 million people were internally displaced and a further 800,000 made refugees • Financial costs – The Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict has estimated that the costs to the international community of the seven major wars in the 1990s (excluding Kosovo and calculated before the close of the decade) had been $199 billion This is in addition to the costs to the countries actually at war

115 • Political costs – The inability of the EU to prevent the crises in Bosnia and Kosovo have damaged its credibility, provoked worrying dis-agreements between Member States and placed strains on the NATO alliance • Late action is costly and risky – experience shows that the earlier action is taken, the higher chance of success Violent conflicts are very difficult to stop once they are underway, crisis management (especially troop deployment) is more expensive, and the failure rate is higher

The EU and conflict prevention The EU has the potential to play a crucial role in preventing violent conflict It has the world’s biggest single market, the largest aid budget, an unparalleled web of historic and cultural ties, and representation at the top tables of diplomacy and economic planning Used carefully, these economic and political levers could be targeted more effectively to help address the root-causes the tensions that can so often lead to violent conflict However, this is clearly not happening The EU, the United Nations and the G8, have all agreed that much more should be done to reduce the potential for violence and to support mechanisms to ensure lasting peace The G8 Communiqué Okinawa 2000 called for the promotion of a ‘Culture of Prevention’34 And the EU has agreed a number of important conflict prevention initiatives in recent years35 The Amsterdam Treaty established a Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit (PPEWU) which has the potential to increase the Union’s capacity for prevention It also paved the way for the incorporation of the Western European Union (WEU) into the EU At the Helsinki summit on 10–11 December 1999, within the context of a revised European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), the European Council agreed the creation of a Rapid Reaction Force for military crisis intervention, to operate where NATO is unable or unwilling to The resolutions of the Helsinki summit also provided for the improvement and more effective use of the instruments of non-

116 military crisis management The EU commissioner charged with bringing this about, Christopher Patten, has stated that the EU will have to launch initiatives in a range of sectors: humanitarian aid and rescue services; mine clearance and disarmament; the supply of police personnel; the provision of legal and administrative support for democratisation; monitoring of elections and human rights; and conflict mediation in crisis regions

Focus on the civilian aspects and long-term conflict prevention This flurry of recent initiatives is encouraging In theory, these institutional changes could develop the coherent integrated approach to aid, trade and development policy for which many in the NGO sector have long called In practice, however, there are already indications of an unbalanced approach Political pressures are forcing crisis management to the top of the agenda and the emphasis is on the development of a military rapid reaction force Some attention has been given to non- military crisis management but here the focus is on the creation of a police rapid reaction force There is a danger that resources will be focused on the military side of crisis management The Commission is talking of a draft budget for civilian crisis management of 15 million Euros This is approximately equal to the amount earmarked for crisis prevention and civilian conflict resolution by the German foreign ministry36 This focus on crisis management also means that longer-term conflict prevention is in danger of being sidelined This would be a mistake There is undoubtedly a need for the EU to develop the capacity to react to crises But surely equal, if not greater effort is needed to prevent them from occurring in the first place?

Opportunity of the Swedish and Belgian Presidencies The aim of this document is to highlight practical steps, which the EU could take to put the commitments on conflict prevention into practice during the forthcoming Swedish and Belgian Presidencies The paper proposes several non-military

117 headline goals, for national and EU policy-makers Sweden has traditionally played a leading role in conflict prevention and has declared that it will be a priority for its forthcoming Presidency The government published a comprehensive action plan in 1999 on ‘Preventing Violent Conflict’ NGOs are therefore looking to the Swedish Presidency to lead concrete progress at the European level Belgium has also developed initiatives for conflict prevention, notably in the field of small arms control NGOs therefore call upon the Belgian government to pick up the challenge of ensuring EU action to prevent violent conflict when it takes over the EU Presidency in the second half of 2001

Key issues for the EU to address This paper outlines issues for the EU to address in four main areas: • Development co-operation, trade, international financial institutions and the private sector • Common Foreign and Security Policy • Institutional changes needed to enhance EU and national capacity • Working with civil society

1 Development co-operation, trade, investment and international financial institutions Inequitable economic development, declining economic performance, macro-economic instability and reductions in human development can all contribute to the risks of violent conflict Much of sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has seen a decline in macro-economic performance and worsening social indicators over the last 15 years It is no coincidence that many of these same countries are experiencing ongoing conflict or are suffering in the aftermath of civil war Conflict is most likely to manifest itself when social and political structures are unable to cope with macro-economic

118 shocks Socio-economic decline invariably leads to deepening stratification in society whereby poorer or marginalized groups are further isolated from the political and economic mainstream leading to increased tension and violence Violence can also occur as economic shocks impact on those with a stake in the economic system and political power The violence that accompanied and followed the market collapse in Indonesia is a recent example of this phenomenon The EU’s development and trade policies, and relations with the IFIs (World Bank and IMF), however, have failed to fully recognise these linkages and the key role they can play in promoting sustainable development and peace In the past, EU economic policies have often exacerbated tensions in society and increased the risk of violent conflict For example, unevenly distributed development assistance has increased tensions between groups, protectionist trade policies have hindered the access of developing countries to international markets and created economic shocks, and IFI structural adjustment programmes have forced cuts in spending on social services and fuelled instability The Swedish and Belgian Presidencies provide an opportunity to ensure that the EU’s economic instruments and policies are targeted to help prevent violent conflict a) Development co-operation There is a worrying potential move in European development policy away from a focus on conflict The reform of the European Commission (EC) and the new draft of the European Community’s Development Policy appear to signal a move away from the comprehensive policy framework for conflict prevention and peace-building in Africa and beyond37, which the EU has developed since 1995 The Foreign Policy Unit of the former DGVIII, for example, which promoted much of this work within the EC, has been dissolved and there seems to be a decreased interest within the EC in conflicts occurring outside Europe and a refocusing of development co-operation towards economic issues There also seems to be a concerning transfer of responsibilities away from

119 DG Development which needs to be addressed (see section 3, Institutional changes to enhance the capacity of the EU and Member States to prevent violent conflict) The EU is currently setting new parameters for its development co-operation with developing countries through such documents as the Cotonou Agreement of 23 June 2000 on ACP-EU relations, the draft European Community’s Development Policy of 26 April 2000, and the Commission Communication on co-operation with ACP countries in conflict These will shape EU development assistance policy to countries in conflict in this decade As such they raise a number of important issues for conflict prevention:

Give priority to the LDCs Most violent conflicts are in the developing world, particularly in the poorest countries in Africa From a conflict prevention perspective, there is reason for concern about the long-term trend in the reduced proportion of EU development aid going to ACP countries This is at a time when the proportion of assistance directed to the regions in the immediate vicinity of Europe (the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and countries of the Former Soviet Union) is increasing dramatically While 513% of all community aid went to least developed countries (LDCs) in 1986/87, it was only 336% in 1996/97 Furthermore, funds from the EC’s 2001 draft budget that were originally set aside for LDCs have been reallocated to the reconstruction of Kosovo Discussions are currently underway over how to fund the aid promised to Serbia Support to the Balkans is vital but it must not be at the expense of support to the world’s poorest countries The Communication on EC Development Policy proposes that increased selectivity should be applied in the allocation of resources to countries Disbursement will relate to results obtained on the basis of impact indicators approved beforehand This is linked to a move away from a “stop-go” disbursement system towards a continuous one (“more/less”) Increasing the impact of development assistance is welcome but this new model must be carefully developed to ensure that countries in conflict

120 or who do not meet the criteria are not disadvantaged The Communication says that in fragile situations the EC will develop direct support for the populations concerned by paying particular attention to the most vulnerable groups This is vital but it is also important that the EC engages with governments who are willing, but unable to meet the criteria

Focus on conflict The latest policy documents on development clearly identify trade liberalisation and foreign direct investments as the primary motors for growth in developing countries However, neoliberal economic polices and economic growth alone are not enough to achieve stability The need for development assistance to focus on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and ‘structural stability’ contained in previous Commission papers is largely absent Without a focus on conflict it will be impossible for the EC to achieve its objective of poverty reduction Another key issue to be addressed is the need to create a secure and just environment in which development can flourish (see section 2b, ‘Strengthening the rule of law and reforming the security sector’) Targeting development assistance on promoting integration into the world economy means shifting the focus away from other areas which have the potential to contribute to stability and conflict management Previous Commission documents have focused on how development assistance can address root causes of conflict but this approach is not fully reflected in the new Communication The Commission proposes to apply and mainstream a number of cross-cutting principles (eg gender equality and the environment) throughout the policy but conflict prevention is not included

Good governance and civil society The Development Policy makes a welcome commitment to good governance, human rights, promotion of civil society and a dialogue with a wide range of social actors, including local government and the private sector These developments provide scope for a more proactive EU role in terms of conflict prevention

121 and peacebuilding However, it is unclear how these commitments will be put into practice Greater clarity is needed on the type of support for good governance which the EC will provide, and concrete mechanisms must be established that enable sustained engagement with both southern and northern civil society Support for democratisation in developing countries is vital Democracy rooted in civil society is an important system for non-violent conflict prevention and management

Conflict analysis and impact assessment The EC needs to strengthen its capacity to strategically plan and monitor its development co-operation, particularly with countries at risk of or affected by violent conflict For this, it requires analytical tools for conflict analysis and better strategic planning in conflict situations It is also crucial to develop systems to monitor and learn from current projects in conflict- affected countries This will require the EU to seek the views of a wide range of stakeholders and develop mechanisms for dialogue with civil society Promising steps towards developing tools for assessing the impact of EU policies were made by the Foreign Policy Unit of the former DGVIII, although little has been done in terms of implementation One issue to be addressed is the small number of staff in the EC who have responsibility for administering a large budget To ensure that EU assistance really tackles the root causes of conflict in an effective manner, it is important to recruit more staff with solid practical and regional experience to oversee the implementation of aid programmes

Improving disbursement Although the EU is the world’s largest donor of development assistance, with an annual budget of approximately 86bn Euros, a significant proportion of these funds never reach their destinations due to inefficient disbursement procedures and other political, bureaucratic and financial control problems A recent report from Commissioner Patten’s staff detailed almost 2,000 unfinished projects which had cost a total of 12bn Euros

122 and put the average time required by the EU to deliver aid at a staggering four years and two months Whilst many projects never reach the implementation stage, others, which rely on funding to be provided in tranches, are curtailed due to poor disbursement methods, with a risk that this may lead to heightened tensions in conflict-prone areas and increased levels of poverty in recipient communities Currently, EU funding priorities in developing countries are agreed with national governments, who are then responsible for overseeing distribution There are no mechanisms to allow civil society groups and other bodies working in the field more direct access to EU funds, nor to file complaints if the resources allocated to projects in their area do not arrive

Recommendations The EU should: • Increase the proportion of development assistance it provides to LDCs, especially those threatened by violent conflict • Explicitly state that conflict prevention and structural stability are key objectives of EC development policy They should be mainstreamed into programme objectives and into approaches to development in politically fragile situations • Focus assistance at helping governments to meet agreed impact indicators and support vulnerable communities • Implement conflict impact assessment frameworks and work towards mainstreaming these as part of all planning and evaluation processes in all countries threatened by violent conflict Independent evaluations of the impact of EU projects should also be commissioned • Develop concrete mechanisms to engage with civil society, particularly in the South in order to get their input into development policy and programmes • Increase its capacity for the efficient and timely delivery

123 of development assistance by shifting resources out of unwieldy bureaucratic procedures to allow more money to be spent on the implementation of projects • Allocate significant special budget-lines for conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities

b) Trade policy Conflicts have been triggered by economic shocks, as well as long-term impoverishment linked to a country’s unequal integration into the global economy In many cases, these triggers have been linked to falling commodity prices and revenues from agricultural or mineral exports Ongoing conflicts, on the other hand, are frequently fuelled or sustained by regional and global war economies based on trade in illegal goods The EU should promote equitable trade arrangements and to regulate this illicit trade Although the Cotonou Agreement has been finalised, the Regional Economic Partnership Agreements have still to be worked out It is vital that these grant ACP countries better access to European markets The EU is still upholding protectionist measures, effectively barring developing countries from exporting industrial and agricultural products to the EU Commissioner Lamy has just put forward important proposals to grant the world’s poorest countries duty-free access to Union markets However, there is reported opposition from some Member States The consequences of trade liberalisation in conflict regions need to be carefully addressed Neo-liberal economic policies can lead to social exclusion, economic instability, increased inequalities and reduced opportunities Moreover, there is a danger that opening up borders and creating free trade areas could make it easier for the illicit trade which is fuelling many conflicts to flourish The EU needs to match its push towards liberalisation with efforts to help tackle the illicit trade in arms, precious stones, minerals and hard woods

124 Recommendations The EU should: • Support the Commission’s proposals to grant duty-free market access to LDCs • Press for more equal trade relations on a global level and create an “enabling environment” for the economic development of the poorest countries This includes lobbying the WTO for trade agreements favourable to southern countries and pushing for increased democracy and transparency within the organisation Poverty eradication should be established as an objective of the WTO • Assist developing countries to tackle illicit trade by increasing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to police their borders and enforce controls The liberalisation of economies in conflict areas should only happen if such parallel steps are taken to ensure that the illicit trade will not flourish c) Relations with International Financial Institutions While there is an imperative for developing countries to reform their economies and integrate into the global economy, the polices that they have often been encouraged to pursue by the IFIs (World Bank and particular IMF hostility towards post- conflict grants (including the EU’s) due to IMF), have often contributed to greater instability and consequently the risk of violence In their inflationary effect can severely hamper reconstruction efforts There has been some reorientation of IFI policies towards poverty reduction, but much more needs to be done With the establishment of the Post Conflict Unit, and encouragement from its Development Committee, the World Bank has increased its post-conflict work and has funded some useful projects in this area But there is still a lot more that can be done to integrate conflict prevention objectives into IFI programmes The EU’s experience and analysis could play an instrumental role in this regard

125 In countries emerging from conflict, IFIs can play an important role in ensuring that financial assistance is geared towards rehabilitation, reconstruction and reintegration that will form the foundation of building sustainable peace The EU must play a lead role in promoting the reform of the IFIs so that their assistance focuses on preventing the re-emergence of conflict The EU and its Member States have frequently engaged in development programmes under bilateral funding arrangements with IFIs Although this arrangement has the potential to ensure co-ordinated efforts among donors, it can also transfer policy and implementation responsibility to IFIs and thus reduce EU control and accountability

Recommendations The EU should: • Ensure that IFI poverty reduction policies do not just aim to meet urgent social-economic needs, but also address the underlying causes of structural inequality hat exacerbate the potential for violent conflict • Ensure that co-financing agreements prioritise the inclusion of civil society in the formation of conflict prevention and good governance policies and projects • Encourage IFIs to shift their policies away from short- term goals towards long-term commitments aimed at preventing violent conflict and building good governance • Ensure that when co-financing arrangements are undertaken with IFIs that responsibility for policy, management and implementation are not handed over unless clearly accountable structures and complaints procedures are in place • Ensure the IMF removes its “deficit before grants” policy for post-conflict countries

126 d) Working with the private sector The changing nature of conflict and the rapid globalisation of the world’s economy over the last decade have combined to make the private sector an important actor in many conflict- threatened or afflicted societies But as the perceived power and influence of the private sector has grown, so has its potential to contribute to sustainable development and the prevention and resolution of violent conflict There has always been a strong moral argument for appropriate action, particularly in the well-documented cases in which company operations have created or exacerbated conflict However, there is now also a compelling argument that contributing to conflict prevention is in fact a business interest which goes beyond presentational concerns Conflict has a damaging impact on the core operations and bottom line financial considerations of the private sector From Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, the potential and reality of violent conflict is becoming an unavoidable business issue With many of the world’s leading multinational corporations headquartered in the EU, the EU has a strong interest in harnessing the potential of the private sector to contribute to sustainable development and conflict prevention Partnerships with the private sector and civil society are increasingly being seen as a way that international concerns can be tackled more effectively as indicated by the recent launch of the Global Compact by the UN The EU is well placed to exert a positive influence over the multinational companies based within its member states

Recommendations The EU should: • Endorse and support the UN Global Compact and include a commitment in EU policy documents to engage the private sector as a partner in furthering EU development and conflict prevention objectives and make such a commitment explicit in an EU Declaration;

127 • Consult and work with the private sector on issues which address the root causes of conflict, including: institution- building, equitable distribution of resources, anti-corruption measures, poverty eradication, human rights promotion and protection, security sector reform • Implement the recommendation of the European Parliament to create a legally binding framework for regulating European transnational corporations (TNCs) operating in developing countries

e) Controlling the diamond trade The illegal trade in diamonds and other precious stones is a key factor fuelling a number of ongoing conflicts Rebel forces in Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) use diamonds to finance their war efforts by exchanging the gemstones for arms and military support International outcry has meant that efforts to curb the illegal trade of “conflict diamonds” have gained momentum recently The issue has been debated at the UN Security Council and the G8 summit And the diamond industry has taken action to deny “conflict diamonds” access to world markets These are positive steps However, there is a limit to how effective industry self- regulation will be and more needs to be done by the EU and its member states European companies and citizens are major miners, traders and consumers of diamonds and EU countries have a responsibility and a moral imperative to help curb the illegal sale of diamonds from conflict zones Precious stones are a source of wealth It is therefore urgent to develop relevant mechanisms to control this trade in order to allow the African continent to benefit from this industry

Recommendations: EU Member States should: • Introduce national legislation that specifies a rough diamond’s original country of extraction at every point of

128 export and import Support international efforts towards the creation of an internationally binding treaty or convention that would establish a Global Certification System for rough diamonds • Establish a credible and effective monitoring system for the identification, certification and independent control of diamonds • Apply sanctions against countries, companies and individuals discovered to be breaking UN sanctions - traders should lose their registration, be barred from any involvement in the diamond industry and prosecuted • Declare dealing in undeclared rough diamonds illegal • Support the ‘Kimberley process’, launched by the government of South Africa, to stop the import of all uncertified rough diamonds and to establish clear standards in the diamond trade industry • Support the efforts to pursue this process through the 55th session of the UN General Assembly 2 Foreign and Security Policy Recent progress in developing the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy has been largely focused on strengthening the Common European Policy on Security and Defence for crisis management This work is welcome but it needs to be balanced with equal efforts to prevent conflicts and crises arising in the first place There is a stark contrast between the swift and costly initiatives for building up EU military capabilities and the hesitant and modest efforts to prevent conflicts and crises arising in the first place A major shift of resources into the civilian prevention field is urgently needed On the military crisis management level, an Interim Military Body and an Interim Political and Security Committee have been established to help the EU develop the capacity to respond to the full range of Petersberg tasks A Capability Commitment Conference is also being planned

129 A non-military crisis management capability is being developed A study on concrete targets was published at the Feira European Council, which identifies four priority areas: police; strengthening the rule of law; strengthening civilian administration; and civil protection Member States aim to be able to provide up to 5000 police officers for international missions by 2003 It is important that conflict prevention issues do not get sidelined with this focus on crisis management The notion of human security, which emphasises non-military aspects of security, is gaining greater credence in international affairs and should be at the heart of EU policy in this regard There is a wide range of issues for the EU to address:

a) Controlling small arms and light weapons The proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons are exacerbating conflict, fuelling crime, undermining development and creating instability in many regions of the world Tackling the small arms issue requires comprehensive action in a number of areas: strengthening legal controls on possession and transfer, combating illicit trafficking, reducing the number of weapons in circulation, and addressing the wider justice and development issues which drive the demand for arms International attention to the problems caused by the proliferation and mis-use of small arms has heightened in recent years The UN will be holding an international conference on the Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects in 2001 The EU has a particular responsibility to address the issue as many of its member states are major arms exporters and transit countries The EU also has the potential to play a key role in working with affected countries to help reduce the demand for arms as it is a major donor of development assistance And a number of policy initiatives have been agreed which pave the way for comprehensive EU action in this area

130 Recommendations EU member states should: • Strengthen the EU Code of Conduct on arms transfers by making it mandatory for each member state to publish a detailed annual report of their arms transfers and to introduce prior parliamentary scrutiny of arms exports • Work with the EU Associate countries to help them a) implement the Code of Conduct by exchanging information on destinations of concern and notifications of all arms export licences which have been denied; b) tackle illicit trafficking by supporting action to manage stock-piles, destroy surplus weapons and strengthen end-use controls • Agree strict common controls on arms brokering and shipping agents which require that all agents are registered and have to apply for a licence for each individual transaction from their national government • Implement the Joint Action on the EU’s contribution to combating the destabilising accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons Financial and technical assistance should be prioritised to Western, Eastern and Southern Africa to help implement the ECOWAS moratorium, the Southern Africa Regional action Programme and the Nairobi Declaration • Push for the adoption of a comprehensive action programme at the UN 2001 conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects Such a programme should include measures to control the licit as well as the illicit trade and should set clear deadlines and resources to ensure its implementation b) Strengthening the rule of law and reforming the security sector Countries with unprofessional and unaccountable or abusive security forces, weak justice systems and inappropriate levels of

131 military expenditure are particularly susceptible to violent conflict There is increasing recognition amongst the donor community that tackling these issues and reforming security institutions is vital for conflict prevention and sustainable development Whilst in the past targeting development assistance to the security sector was thought to be counter productive, it is now increasingly seen as a key development objective To ensure that assistance does not simply support abusive forces, ensuring respect for human rights should be a key element of SSR programmes The OECD has recently published a policy paper on the issue entitled ‘Security Sector Reform and Development Co-operation: A Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Policy Coherence’ There is much that the EU could do to incorporate security sector reform (SSR) objectives into development programmes However, there is still a reluctance in some EU governments and the EU Commission to use development assistance to support SSR projects that urgently needs to be rectified Attention should also be given as to whether the recently announced police and military rapid reaction forces could play a role in security sector reform in the countries they are deployed to

Recommendations: EU member states should: • Agree a Development Council resolution stating that it is appropriate for money from the EC development budget to be used for SSR This resolution should also include a comprehensive definition of the security sector, which includes military and paramilitary forces, intelligence services, police forces (together with border guards and customs services), judicial and penal systems, and civil structures responsible for the management and oversight of the above • Work within the World Bank and the OECD to revise their development assistance guidelines to include support for reforming the security sector

132 • Examine how the recently announced EU military and police rapid reaction forces could play a role in SSR in their operations For example, they could provide human rights and democracy training for local police and military forces and support projects to build police-community and civil-military relations • Provide assistance to developing countries to help better manage military expenditure and encourage increased openness in defence and security budgets • Support civil society organisations to help define security needs, monitor the conduct of security forces and hold them accountable c) Supporting demilitarisation, demobilisation and reintegration Effective demilitarisation demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) programmes are an essential element of security sector reform and peacebuilding In post-conflict situations the need to demobilise former combatants and reintegrate them into society is particularly acute If soldiers are not properly disarmed and reintegrated into society they can be a trigger for further conflict It is particularly important that demobilisation and reintegration initiatives are implemented promptly, backed by adequate resources, and include the destruction of surplus weapons and ammunition A number of EU-funded demobilisation and reintegration programmes have been undertaken, but these have often been carried out predominantly for financial reasons, (to reduce government expenditure on the military) or to quickly reduce the size of armies after the signing of a peace agreement The focus is too often just on reducing the number of soldiers and not on their disarmament and reintegration into society There has been little attempt to build the programmes into the wider social, economic and political environment in which they are carried out For example, in Djibouti, an EC-funded demobilisation programme started in 1994, however, there has been no support for reintegration until recently Even now, the

133 new World Bank-funded reintegration programme is only initially targeting 25% of those demobilised This is in an environment of high unemployment

Recommendations EU member states should: • Ensure that DDR programmes are adequately funded and that funds are quickly released to enable the speedy demobilisation and reintegration of combatants • Ensure that sufficient emphasis is given to reintegration and that DDR programmes are rooted within broader long-term social and economic development programmes • Place DDR programmes within a wider context of the reform of security forces, especially their democratic oversight • Include a comprehensive disarmament element within any demobilisation and reintegration programme which ensures the initiation of a process to collect and destroy all weapons

d) Regulating mercenaries and private military activity EU countries have been a traditional source of mercenaries which continue to fight in many ongoing conflicts despite international laws prohibiting their use Many private security and military companies are based in EU Member States and supply a range of security and military-related services to govern- ments, corporations and humanitarian agencies in regions of conflict There are legitimate uses of these companies, but also concerns because the unregulated nature of their activities means that their actions can seriously undermine prospects for achieving sustainable peace and economic development The EU partners have always made it clear that they unequivocally condemn mercenary activity Italy and Germany are, however, the only European countries that have ratified and signed the International Convention against the Recruitment,

134 Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries Few EU countries have appropriate domestic laws relating to mercenaries, let alone regulations to control the activities of the private security and military companies operating out of their territory The British government is to launch a policy consultation document on the issue in November 2000 It is important that other EU Member States do likewise and begin to discuss the problem in appropriate EU fora

Recommendations EU member states should: • Ratify the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries and support the review of international legislation pertaining to mercenaries currently taking place in the UN • Introduce or strengthen national legislation relating to mercenary activity and the export of military and security services, and take steps to harmonise common standards across the EU • Adopt an EU Common Position on mercenaries and the restrained and responsible use of private security and military companies e) Stopping the use of child soldiers It is estimated that there are over 300,000 children under the age of 18 currently fighting in conflicts around the world Hundreds of thousands more have been recruited, either in governmental armed forces or opposition armed groups Although most child soldiers are between 15 and 18 years of age, many are recruited from the age of 10 upwards, and the use of even younger children has been recorded Preventing the use of child soldiers should be a key priority for EU policy to address conflicts

135 Recommendations: EU Member States should: • Sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child increasing the minimum age for participation in the armed forces to 18 years • Ensure that special provisions are made in DDR programmes for the demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers • Support locally-based, culturally-sensitive programmes for former child combatants which address trauma and brutalisation, including programmes which pay special attention to the needs of girl soldiers • Ratify the International Criminal Court statute that makes it a war crime to conscript, enlist or actively use in hostilities children under 15 Member States should also urge partner countries to sign and ratify the statute 3 Institutional changes to enhance the capacity of the European Union and Member States to prevent violent conflict

a) Strengthening the PPEWU The Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit, provided for in the Amsterdam Treaty and established within the Secretariat General of the Council, is charged with improving the EU’s early warning and analysis capacity by monitoring potential conflict situations and drawing the attention of member state governments to rising tensions at an early stage However, there are signs that the unit is not fulfilling its mandate Of the 20 staff currently employed by the PPEWU, 11 are engaged on the Balkans, with only one member of staff assigned to the world’s most conflict-prone region, Africa There is a danger that the unit will only focus on the ‘strategic’ regions of Russia, Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean, with Africa, the Caucusus and other volatile regions neglected

136 Furthermore, political imperatives within the EU could lead the Unit to focus primarily on military crisis management response mechanisms, restricting its capacity to respond to, and prevent conflict in the long-term Since its inception in October 1999, the Unit has suffered from a severe lack of funding from EU member states, and is only provided with financial support on a yearly basis, restricting its ability to plan an effective long-term strategy

Recommendations EU member states should: • Task the PPEWU to concentrate on developing non- military mechanisms for conflict prevention and response, and to ensure that the current resource emphasis on military response is shifted to prioritise conflict prevention • Shift the PPEWU’s resources into non-military policies and programmes in conflict-prone regions outside of Europe, in particular the high risk areas of sub-Saharan Africa A priority should be to develop common strategies for West Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region and Southern Africa • Provide funding to the Unit on a sufficiently long-term basis to enable it to plan and implement effective conflict prevention strategies b) Enhancing the capacity of country delegations Country delegations are able to exercise a large degree of judgement over the form and content of EC-funded programmes and have the potential to impact positively on the risks of violent conflict However, the EU has not prioritised the enhancement of delegation capacity or the employment of country delegation staff with experience and expertise in conflict prevention Partly as a result, projects have often failed to take account of the priorities of local populations, increasing the risks of violent conflict emerging between them It has also restricted the EU’s ability to assess the impact that previous

137 development programmes have had on conflict and to feed the results into the formation of new projects The small size and limited capacities of many country delegations also means that they have a tendency to support large-scale infrastructure projects as the funds are easier to disburse This mitigates against EC support for smaller community-focused projects which could help prevent conflict In conflict-prone regions, it is essential that the work of country delegations is co-ordinated in order to maximise the potential for conflict prevention at national and regional levels The EU has appointed a number of regional advisers to help with co-ordination but this relies upon receiving sufficiently detailed and timely information from the country delegations to enable the effective monitoring of conflict risks, which they have neither the resources nor the expertise to do Furthermore, it is unclear how regional analysis feeds into the EC in Brussels to inform programming There is no focal point within the Commission to perform this role A further problem is that there is also no mechanism which allows non-EU citizens to make complaints directly to Brussels regarding the activities of EC projects or delegations The EU Ombudsmen are only able to receive official complaints from citizens of the EU This makes it more difficult for EU policy to be informed by the views of people living in the countries where the policy is actually implemented

Recommendations The European Commission should: • Enhance the size and capacity of country delegations to enable conflict prevention and peace-building practices to be carried out in line with policy • Introduce training for delegation staff in mainstreaming conflict prevention into EU policies and programmes • Expand the remit of regional advisers to allow the development of shared regional analyses, including significant input from all stakeholder groups

138 • Establish clear channels for review and complaint to which non-EU state and non-state actors have direct access This would assist in assessing the impact of EU- funded programmes on the risks of conflict, allowing criticisms to be fed into the development of new policies and projects c) Restructuring the Commission The restructuring of Commission’s Directorate Generals (DGs) and the strengthened co-ordinating role of the Commissioner responsible for External Relations have the potential to improve the EU’s ability to develop better integrated and coherent conflict prevention policies However, there is a concerning shift of responsibilities away from DG Development and a worrying lack of clarity over mandates, roles and responsibilities Since restructuring, foreign policy and political analysis in support of conflict prevention previously undertaken within a central unit in the EC’s DG VIII, have been assigned to country desks within DG Development and DG RELEX This is leading to a concerning lack of coherence The extent to which RELEX is able to positively affect the prioritising of conflict prevention initiatives in development projects is clearly limited This is especially true in Africa because RELEX has few African specialists There is a danger that these changes mean that the EC will lose the potential to link development assistance to conflict prevention The lack of political analysis in development programming means that there is a risk that development aid will become a tool for neo-liberal economic growth and the focus on conflict prevention will be lost There is also talk of establishing a new body, Europe Aid which will be responsible for the implementation of all EU external programmes EU delegations would then liase directly with this new body, with DG Development retaining responsibility for overall programming DG Development’s capacity is decreasing as some of its core

139 functions are transferred For example, the number of advisers in the Human and Social Development Unit will be almost halved There is a concern that this trend could lead to the end of a post for Commissioner for Development which is separate from those dealing with political and trade policies If that does happen, there would be no distinct institutional capacity within the Commission to formulate development policy

Recommendations The European Commission should: • Clarify the different roles and responsibilities of the different DGs within the Commission with regard to conflict prevention • Maintain a strong DG Development, with its own commissioner, which has primary responsibility for the EU’s relations with developing countries • Establish a mechanism to ensure that political analysis is included in development programming to allow the mainstreaming of conflict prevention during all stages of the project management cycle

d)National infrastructures for conflict prevention and peace- building As the Common Foreign and Security Policy is inter- governmental, it is important for national governments to build up an adequate infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building All Member States have an equally important role to play in conflict prevention and peace building Many EU governments have a long tradition of bilateral contacts with countries vulnerable for conflicts, by for example a common history, by trade agreements or long term development projects Several countries recognise conflict prevention as an integral part of their foreign policy and are exploring ways to implement conflict prevention strategies into their foreign, development, security and economic policies

140 In most of the presented policies, the role of civil society is recognised, and the need for co-operation and co-ordination is emphasised However, the mechanisms to ensure that this happens do not exist An infrastructure for conflict prevention and peace building is needed to establish an coherent policy and co-ordinated across a range of government department and priority issues towards emerging crises

Recommendations: EU Member States should establish national infrastructures for conflict prevention which contain the following elements: • Early warning-early action focal points for organisations that receive early signals of growing tensions in a region to report to A desk that collects and analyses this information, develops policy options and passes these onto a network of policy makers, civil servants, and relevant people and organisations would be useful to help translate early warning into early action • Networks and forums, which bring together civil servants, non-governmental organisations, academics and research institutes Regular seminars could be held to develop the network and discuss strategies towards particular countries, regions or issues of concern • Greater capacity in the field of conflict prevention and peace-building – member states should introduce programmes at universities on conflict prevention and resolution, mediation and training Expert pools and databases of practitioners and research experts should be developed 4 Working with civil society Civil society organisations such as NGOs, trade unions, the media, women and youth groups and religious organisations have a key role to play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding Despite often greater obstacles, civil society is a powerful force for helping to build peace in fragile war-torn societies They can

141 also ensure that policies accurately reflect the needs of individuals and communities The EU and member states are increasingly acknowledging the need and value of working with civil society groups and establishing effective partnerships This is welcome, however, there are not yet effective mechanisms to enable the EU to dialogue with civil society groups in the North and South, and it is difficult for such organisations to access the necessary financial and technical resources

a) Support for women’s groups Women are often the main victims of conflict They suffer human rights abuses such as rape, forced pregnancy and abortion and they are often the highest percentage of refugees and internally displaced people They are however more often than not excluded from decision-making process during the peace negotiations and in the reconstruction of society Yet women have a key role to play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding as evidenced by the activities, against all odds, of many women and women’s organisations The UN has begun to recognise the need to integrate a gender perspective into peace and security polices as evident in the Beijing Platform for Action and the more recent Beijing +5 outcomes document The EU, too, has made mention of gender concerns in various resolutions on development and conflict prevention This has however not led to concrete proposals nor explicit inclusion of gender in practical initiatives

Recommendations EU Member States should: • Support the adoption of the forthcoming EU Parliament resolution on Women, Peacebuilding and Security Issues • Ensure that women are equal participants as decision- makers in all phases and at all levels of conflict prevention, resolution, peacekeeping, peace-making, peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery;

142 • Develop gender impact assessments for post-conflict recovery programmes and ensure that civil society, especially women’s groups are consulted and included in their design, implementation and evaluation; • Support the development and implementation of a comprehensive research programme on women’s roles, needs and contributions in post-conflict reconstruction processes; • Create an innovative European Institute for Women Leadership in conflict management and peacebuilding
b) Support for youth and developing a culture of peace and non-violence The majority of the world’s population is below 25 years of age Youth are increasingly getting caught up in conflict – both as protagonists and victims However, in many parts of the world, they have also taken on a proactive role for change If EU conflict prevention strategies are to be effective therefore they must target youth A key part of this is encouraging the development of a culture of peace and non-violence The UN has declared an ‘International decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World’ from 2001-2010 The Swedish and Belgian Presidencies, therefore, provide an opportunity to help put this into practice:

Recommendations: The EU and Member States should: • Develop national, EU and international programmes to strengthen the capacity of youth to participate in peace- building in conflict areas • Develop curricula and programmes ensuring that the practice of peace and non-violence is taught in schools and in other educational institutions

143 c) Support for independent media The media have a critical role to play in conflict In Rwanda, for example, ‘hate’ radio stations disseminated anti-Tutsi propaganda and were a factor in creating the climate for genocide However, in other parts of the world, the media plays an important role in bringing communities together, providing independent information, creating a critical public, and acting as an institution of control against arbitrary or repressive state measures The media can be a powerful force for change and a guardian of democracy

Recommendations: The EU and member states should: • Develop programmes of support for independent, democratic and decentralised media

d) Supporting civilian peace services Networks and coalitions for violence prevention and peace- building are developing in many countries which include a variety of development, peace, human rights and environment organisations These organisations perform a number of key roles: for example, accompanying people or groups in danger, election monitoring, confidence-building, mediation, negotiation, education, and democracy and human rights training It is important that EU support for civilian peace services helps build, rather than takes support away from, local capacities for peace in Southern countries

Recommendations: The EU and member states should: • Support the development of civilian peace services • Undertake studies of how they can best make use of civilian peace services • Implement existing educational programmes for the

144 training of national and international peace workers for service in conflict areas • Establish a European regional resource comprising 10,000 men and women who can be drawn upon to work in conflict areas

This paper has been edited by Andrew McLean of Saferworld and compiled by staff at Saferworld and International Alert For further information please contact Andrew McLean Tel: +44 207 881 9290, Fax: +44 207 881 9291 e-mail: amclean@saferworlddemoncouk or Damien Lilly Tel: +44 207 793 8383, Fax: +44 207 793 7975 e-mail: dlilly@international-alertorg

145 Promoting the Prevention of Violent Conflict and Building Peace

by Interaction between State Actors and Voluntary Organisations

“Gripsholm II”

Gripsholm, Sweden, May 1-4, 2001

Programme of European Platform (European Centre for Conflict Prevention, ECCP) & Swedish Peace Team Forum (PTF) conference

Tuesday 1 May 2001: Arrival at Swedish Red Cross Educational and Training Centre! 18!30 Buffet welcoming dinner! 20!00 “Peaceful touch”! Massage against violence, an experience from Swedish Schools Mr Hans Axelson, Axelsons Gymnastiska InstitutLecture hall building

Wednesday 2 May 2001:

09!30 A short time of silence inspired by Dag Hammarskjöld

Welcome addresses – Ms Christina Magnuson, President of the Swedish Red Cross

146 – Mr Paul van Tongeren, Executive Director of the European Centre for Conflict Prevention and Transformation

Plenary Session 1: 09!45 Solidarity and Security – Probing the Meaning of Nonviolence Voices challenging People and Political Leaders to make a breakthrough! – Sister Jayanti Kirpalani, European Director, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University – Dr Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Islamology, University of Fribourg 11!00-11!30 Break

Plenary Session 2: 11!30 Creative forces in a multidimensional world! Two examples of good practices: – The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Mr John Packer, Director, OSCE HCNM, the Hague – UN Sanction Regimes! The Case of Angola, Mr Anders Möllander, Ambassador, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs How can Voluntary organisations promote examples like these two? 13!00-14!30 Lunch

Plenary Session 3: 14!30-17!30 Working Groups Introduction of main subjects (followed by Session 1 - Working Groups): – Lessons Learned from Peacebuilding Ms Mari Fitzduff - INCORE

147 – The European Union and Policies for Preventing Violent Conflict Mr KevinClements – International!Alert/Saferworld – National Infrastructures for Sustainable Peace Mr Paul van Tongeren – ECCP – Developing Civilian Peace Services Ms Margareta Ingelstam – PTF

18!00 Dinner 20!00 Social events including notions on indigenous cultures and nonviolence: Some Buddhist nonviolence practices and Tibetan peace songs Soenam Jamyangling and Lobsang Sherlhokangsar Venue: Gripsholm Castle

Thursday 3 May 2001:

08!45 A short time of silence inspired by Dalai Lama – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 09!00-11!00 Working Groups – Session 2 11!00-11!30 Break

Plenary Session 4: 11!30 Panel: What do State Actors and Voluntary Organisations expect from each other as concrete contributions? – Mr Jan Cedergren, Political-Director for Development co-operation, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs _ Mr Christoper Cushing, Senior Policy Advisor, Peacebuilding and Human Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada _ Mr Jörgen Johansen, Peace and Development Research Institute, Gothenburg University

148 – Ms Eugenia Piz-Lopez, International Alert _ Ms Gay Rosenblum-Kumar, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 13!00-14!30 Lunch 14!30-16!00 Working Groups - Session 3 16!00-16!30 Break

Plenary session 5 : 16!30Working with Men and Boys! The Traditional Male Role as a Root Cause of Violence Mr Nicklas Kelemen and Mr Vidar Vetterfalk, Male network: The Dialogue Project 18!15-18!30 Break

Plenary Session 6: 18!30 Working Group reports 20!00 Dinner with music

Friday 4 May 2001: Plenary session 7: 09!00 Presentation and debate of draft recommendations 10!13-11!00 Break

Plenary session 8 : 11!00 The European Union: From Crisis Management to Conflict Prevention A debate on the new Common Foreign and Security EU Policy! – Mr Patrick Simonnet, Crisis Management Unit, EU Commission – Ms Terhi Lehtinen, European Centre for Development Policy Management, The Netherlands – Mr Paul Eavis, Saferworld

149 12!30 Presentation of recommendations to the EU Presidency, Ms Lena Hjelm-Wallén, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Luncheon and Farewell

150 Participants

Lucia Alonso Seminario de Investigación para la Paz, P de la Constitución 6, 50008 Zaragoza Spain tel: 34-976- 217 217, e-mail: lalonso@ seipaz'org Kathleen Armstrong Conflict Development & Peace Network (CODEP), 52, Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF, United Kingdom tel: 44-20- 7799 2477, e-mail: kathleena@ codep'org'uk Hans Axelson Axelsons Gymnastiska Institut P'O' Box 6475, 113 82 Stockholm Sweden tel: 46-8- 54 54 59 00, e-mail: info@ axelsons'se Teresa Barnes Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Strömsborg, 103 34 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 698 37 40,E-mail: t'barnes@idea'int Cristina Barrios Spanish Embassy Djurgårdsvägen 21, 115 21 Stockholm Sweden Phone: 46-8- 667 94 30, E-mail:spain'amb'stockh@ telia'com Cora Bastiaansen European Platform for Conflict Prevention P'O' Box 10469, 3508 SC Utrecht,The Netherlands Phone: 31-30-242 7777, E-mail: c'bastiaansen@conflict-prevention'net Sybille Bauer International Security Information Service, Europé (ISIS), Rue Stévin 115,1000 Brussels, Belgium Phone: 32-2-230 0015,E-mail: isis-europe@ping'be

151 Inger Björk Red Cross Educational and Training Centre Gripsholm, 647 81 Mariefred, Sweden Phone: 46-159- 36100, E-mail: inger'bjork@ forumsyd'se Thérèse Björk Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights, Drottninggatan 101, 113 60 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 54 54 99 70, E-mail: therese'bjork@ humanrights'se Frida Blom Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society P'O' Box 4134, 102 63 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 702 18 30, E-mail: frida'blom@ svenska-freds'se Anna Bornstein Finn Malmgrens väg 112 121 50 Johanneshov, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 659 8406, E-mail: anna'bornstein@ telia'com Peter Brune Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SWEFOR), P'O' Box 1768, 111 87 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 453 68 40, E-mail: peter'brune@ krf'se Niall Burgess EU Council Secretariat, Policy Unit, Rue de la Loi, 175, 1048 Brussels, Belgium Phone: 32-2- 285 58 42, E-mail: niall'burgess@ consilium'eu'int Inger Buxton Ministry for Foreign Affairs 103 39 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 405 46 74, E-mail: inger'buxton@ foreign'ministry'se Göran Bäckstrand Swedish Red Cross, Box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 452 46 08, E-mail: goran'backstrand @redcross'se Arne Piel Christensen Consultant to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Silkesborggade 30, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark Phone: 45-35- 26 59 44, E-mail: arnepiel@ hotmail'com Kevin Clements International Alert 1 Glyn Street, London SE11 5HT UIC, United Kingdom Phone: 44-20- 779 38383, E-mail: kevin'clements@ international'alert' org

152 Eric Cleven Centre for Conflict Management, Norway Jørudbakken 8, 2608 Lillehammer, Norway Phone: 47-61- 25 05 59, E-mail: erik'cleven@ lillehammer' online'no Geoffrey Corry Glencree Centre for Reconciliation Glencree, Wicklow, NR' Enniskerry Co', Ireland Phone: 35-31-288 41 90, E-mail: corry@indigo'ie Maria Cruz-Guzman Spanish Embassy Djurgårdsvägen 21, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 667 94 30, E-mail: spain'amb'stockh @telia'com Christopher Cushing Department of Foreign Affairs and Intern' Trade (DFAIT), 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A-0G2, Canada Phone: 1-613- 992 8942, E-mail: christopher'cushing @dfait-maeci'gc'ca Yves-Jean Duméril International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), 19 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Genève, Switzerland Phone: 41-22- 733 23 26, E-mail: ydumeril@icrc'org Paul Eavis Saferworld 46 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0EB, United Kingdom Phone: 44-20-7881 9290, E-mail: peavis@ saferworld'demon'co'uk Ina Engelbrektson Swedish Red Cross, Box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-70- 401 40 34,E-mail: ina@gfs'gu'se Hanne Engelstad Campus for Peace, UOC, Av' Tibidabo 39-43, 080 25 Barcelona, Spain Phone: 34-93- 211 22 44, E-mail: hengelstad@ campus'uoc'es Mari Fitzduff Initiative in Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity (INCORE), Aberfoyle House, Northland Road, Londonderry BT48 7JA, Northern Ireland Phone: 44-28-7137 5500, E-mail: mfitzd@ ncore'ulst'ac'uk Birgitta Fredholm Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Styrmansgatan 3, 114 54 Stockholm, Sweden

153 Phone: 46-8-663 7959, E-mail: bk'sweden@ telia'com Georg Frerks Instituut Clingendael P' O' Box 93080, 2509 AB The Hague, The Netherlands Phone: 31-70- 324 5384, E-mail: gfrerks@ clingendael'nl Maude Fröberg Swedish Red Cross, Box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 452 48 01, E-mail: maude'froberg@ redcross'se Cynthia Gaigals Saferworld, 46 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W OEB, United Kingdom Phone: 44-20- 7881 9290, E-mail: cgaigals@ saferworld'demon' co'uk Urban Gibson OSCE-network in Sweden Polhemsvägen 43, 191 34 Sollentuna, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 35 58 3, E-mail: Urban'gibson@ swipnet'se Maureen Goodman Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University Global Co-operation House, 65 Pound Lane London NW10 2HH, UK Phone: 44-20- 8727 3357, E-mail: maureen@ bkwsu'gch'demon' co'uk Guido de Graaf Bierbrauwer European Platform for Conflict Prevention P'O' Box 10469, 3508 SC Utrecht The Netherlands Phone: 31-30-242 7777, E-mail: g'bierbrauwer@conflict-prevention'net Kerstin Grebäck The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation Tjärhovsgatan 9, 116 21 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 702 98 20, E-mail: kerstin'greback@ iktk'se Lena B Hansson Swedish Red Cross Box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 452 47 38, E-mail: lena'birgitta' hansson@ redcross'se Jos de la Haye Field Diplomacy Initiative Laar 8, 2140 Antwerpen, Belgium Phone: 32-3-2352 419, E-mail: fdi@online'be Henrik Herber Swedish Red Cross

154 Box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 452 47 68, E-mail: henrik'herber@ redcross'se Anna P:son Holmström Co-operation on Education and Capacity Building for Work in Crisis & Conflict Areas, Studentvägen 3, 752 34 Uppsala, Sweden Phone: 46-18-55 59 74, E-mail: anna'holmstrom@ teol'uu'se Enno Hommes European Centre for Conflict Prevention P'O' Box 10469, 3508 SC Utrecht, The Netherlands Phone: 31-30- 242 7777, E-mail: info@ conflict-prevention'net Margareta Ingelstam Christian Council of Sweden Box 1764, 111 87 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8-453 68 14, E-mail: margareta' ingelstam@ skr'org Ingrid Inglander Teachers for Peace Vegavägen 37, 184 50 Åkersberga, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 540 612 84, E,-mail: ingrid'inglander@ swipnet'se Jorma Inki Ministry of Foreign Affairs Unity Pol-23, Helsinki, Finland Phone: 358-40- 52111 63, E-mail: jorma'inki@ formin'fi Soenam Jamyangling Swedish Tibetan Society for School and Culture Allhelgonagatan 5 (ö'g'), 118 58 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 643 49 47, E-mail: tibet-schools@ swipnet'se Ann-Cathrin Jarl Womens International League for Peace and Freedom Svartbäcksgatan 46 J, 753 33 Uppsala, Sweden Phone: 46-18- 24 39 94, E-mail: ann-cathrin'jarl@ teol'uu'se Kishore Jayabalan Pontificial Council for Justice and Peace Att: Frank Dewane, 00120 Vatikan City State, Italy Phone: 39-06-6987 9911, E-mail: pcjustpax@justpeace'va Att: K' Jayabalan Jörgen Johansen Peace and Development Research Institute University of Gothenburg P'O' Box 700, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden Phone: 46-31-773 43 10, E-mail: jj_ahimsa@ hotmail'com

155 Bernt Jonsson Rotegatan 17, 753 37 Uppsala, Sweden Phone: 46-703-22 33 86, E-mail: bernt'e'jonsson@ telia'com Sanna Johnsson Olof Palme International Centre P'O' Box 863, 101 36 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8-677 57 70, E-mail: sanna'johnsson@ palmecenter'se Nicklas Kelemen Male Network Holländargatan 29, 113 59 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 33 84 44, E-mail: dialog'kelemen@ emaila'nu Sister Jayanti Kirpalani Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University Global Co-operation House, 65 Pound Lane, London NW10 2HH, UK Phone: 44-20-8727 3350, Phone: london@ bkwsu'com Terhi Lehtinen European Centre for Dev' Policy Management, (ECDPM), Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 21, 6211 HE Maastricht, The Netherlands Phone: 31-43- 350 2903, E-mail: p2@ecdpm'org Hans Levander Life-Link Friendship-Schools Programme Uppsala Science Park, 751 83 Uppsala, Sweden Phone: 46-18- 50 43 44, E-mail: friendship-schools @life-link'org Mikael Lindgren Civis Järntorget 3, 413 04 Gothenburg, Sweden Phone: 46-31- 775 09 44, E-mail: civis@civis'nu Sandra Melone European Centre for Common Ground Rue Belliard 205, 1040 Brussels, Belgium Phone: 32-2- 736 7262, E-mail: sandra'melone@ eccg'be Barbara Müeller German Platform for Peaceful Conflict Management Haupstrasse 35, 55491 Wahlenau, Germany Phone: 49-6543- 980 096, E-mail: jetztistgu@aol'com Anders Möllander Ministry for Foreign Affairs 103 39 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 405 10 00,E-mail: anders'mollander@ foreign'ministry'se

156 Vivianna Nyroos Danish UN Association Willemoesgade 54, 3 th, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark Phone: 45-22- 49 44 72, E-mail: viviannan@ hotmail'com Jessica Olausson Ministry for Foreign Affairs 103 39 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 405 57 85, E-mail: jessica'olausson@ foreign'ministry'se Kristina Oskarsson Swedish Mission Council P'O' Box 1767, 111 87 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 453 68 94, E-mail: k'oskarsson@ ekuc'se John Packer Office of the OSCE HCNM P'O' Box 20062, 2500 EB, The Hague, The Netherlands Phone: 31-70- 312 5512, E-mail: jpacker@hcnm'org Thania Paffenholz Swiss Peace Foundation P'O' Box 517, 3000 Bern 8, Switzerland Phone: 41-31- 310 2727, E-mail: paffenholz@ swisspeace' unibe'ch Millius Palayiwa Quaker Peace & Service Friends House 173 Euston Road, NW1 2BJ London, United Kingdom Phone: 44-20- 7663 1000, E-mail: milliusp@ quaker'org'uk Anne Palm KATU, c/o Finnish UN Association Unioninkatu 45B, 00100 Helsinki, Finland Phone: 358-9- 6220 1223, E-mail: anne'palm@ katu-network'fi Peter Penfold Department for International Development (DFID) 94 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5JL, United Kingdom Phone: 44-20-79177000, E-mail: p-penfold@ dfid'gov'uk Eugenia Piza-Lopez International Alert 1 Glynn Street, London SE11 5HT United Kingdom Phone: 44-20- 7793 8383, E-mail: epiza-lopez@ international-alert' org Tariq Ramadan Bureau de Tariq Ramadan - APAM 39 rue de la Boulangerie, 93200 Saint-Denis, France Phone: 33-1- 49 22 01 12, E-mail: tariq'ramadan@ span'ch

157 Igballe Rogova MOTRAT QIRIAZI Ali Hadri 23, Prishtina, Kosova Phone: 381-38- 548 272, E-mail: motratqiriazi@ ipko'org Gay Rosenblum-Kumar UNDESA 1 UN Plaza, Rm' 936, New York, NY 10017, USA Phone: 1-212- 963 8381, E-mail: rosenblum-kumar @un'org Mark Salter Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Strömsborg, 10334 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 698 37 14, E-mail: m'salter@idea'int Cynthia Sampson Peace Discovery Initiative 3305 B North 17th Street, Arlington, Virginia 22201 5248, USA Phone: 1-703- 243 0929,E-mail: cysampson@ aol'com Lobsang Sherlhokangsar Swedish Tibetan Society for School and Culture Allhelgonagatan 5 (ö'g'), 118 58 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 643 49 47, E-mail: tibet-schools@ swipnet'se Patrick Simonnet EU Commission, External Relations Dept 200 rue de la Loi, 100 49 Brussels, CHAR, Office 110, Brussels, Belgium Phone: 32-2- 296 42 93, E-mail: patrick'simonnet @cec'eu'int Gudrun Steinacker OSCE-secretariat, Kärntner Ring 5-7, A 1010 Wien, Austria Phone: 43-1- 514 36 242, E-mail: gsteinacker@ osce'org Bibbi Steinertz Women for Peace, P'O' Box 100 98, 100 55 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 667 97 27, E-mail: kff@telia'com Kalevi Suomela International Peace Bureau Sidovindsbågen 3, G 57, 00850 Helsinki, Finland Phone: 358-9- 698 60 39, E-mail: kalevi'suomela@ kaapeli'fi Luc Timmermans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DGCI rue Brederodetraat 6, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Phone: 32-2- 519 06 86, E-mail: ltimmermans@ badc'fgov'be

158 László Tóth Szeged Centre for Security Policy Oroszlán u'2, 6720 Szeged, Hungary Phone: 36-62- 564 363, E-mail: laszlo'toth@ polghiu'szeged'hu Paul van Tongeren European Platform for Conflict Prevention P' O' Box 10469, 3508 SC Utrecht, The Netherlands Phone: 31-30- 242 7777, E-mail: p'vantongeren@ conflict-prevention'net Fineke van der Veen Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, 2594 AC Den Haag, The Netherlands Phone: 31-70- 348 61 27, E-mail: fineke-vander' veen@ minbuza'nl Juliette Verhoeven European Platform for Conflict Prevention P' O' Box 10469, 3508 SC Utrecht, The Netherlands Phone:31-30- 242 7777, E-mail: j'verhoeven@ conflict-prevention'net Vidar Vetterfalk Male Network Saltvägen 6, 123 56 Farsta, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 722 77 68, E-mail: vidarvfalk@ hotmail'com Tim Wallis Peaceworkers UK 162 Holloway Road, London N7 8DD, United Kingdom Phone: 44-20- 7609 2777, E-mail: tim@ peaceworkers' fsnet'co'uk Karin Wegsjö Kungsklippan 14, 112 25 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-707- 81 13 72, E-mail: wegsjo@algonet Ian White Irish Peace and Reconciliation Platform Glencree, NR' Enniskerry Co', Wicklow, Ireland Phone: 353-1- 282 97 11, E-mail: info@ glencree-cfr'ie Anna Widepalm Swedish Red Cross P' O' box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 452 46 09, E-mail: anna'widepalm@ redcross'se Lisen Wijkman Stavgårdsgatan 23 167 56 Bromma, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 26 91 77

159 David Wiking Swedish Int' Dev' Co-operation Agency (Sida), 105 25 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 698 50 00, E-mail: David'wiking@ sida'se Bo Wirmark Swedish Peace Council Övre Slottsgatan 8A, 753 10 Uppsala Sweden Phone: 46-18- 71 49 89, E-mail: bwirmark@ algonet'se Eva Zillén The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation Tjärhovsgatan 9, 116 21 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 702 98 20, E-mail: eva'zillen@ iktk'se Anna Åkerlund Swedish NGO Centre for Dev' Co-operation, Forum Syd P'O' Box 15407, 104 65 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 506 371 63, E-mail: anna'akerlund@ krf'se Ragnar Ängeby Ministry for Foreign Affairs 103 39 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 405 57 24, E-mail: ragnar'angeby@ foreign'ministry'se Peter Örn Swedish Red Cross P' O' box 17563, 118 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: 46-8- 452 46 10, E-mail: peter'orn@ redcross'se

160 Inviting organisations

The European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation38

Mission The European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Trans- formation is an open network of some 150 key European nongovernmental organisations involved in the prevention and/ or resolution of violent conflicts in the international arena Its mission is to facilitate the exchange of information and experience among participating organisations, as well as to stimulate co- operation and synergy The European Centre for Conflict Prevention is an independent non-governmental organisation based in the Netherlands Its mission is to contribute to prevention and resolution of violent conflicts in the world, like in Kosovo and Rwanda The Centre acts as the secretariat of the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation and initiates, co-ordinates and implements the activities of the Platform Apart from that, the Centre has specific networking and awareness-raising objectives focused on the Netherlands

Prevention is better than cure While the ending of the Cold War has eased confrontation between the superpowers, international stability has eroded since 1991 There has been an outbreak of intra-state conflicts in many countries and regions of the world, to which the international community appears to have no adequate response The costs of this conflict in human, economic, material, ecological, and other, terms, are enormous A glance at the poor results of international efforts to prevent escalation of these conflicts, makes it obvious that far more energy and finance should be devoted, in the first place, into prevention But to be

161 effective, preventative policy demands a broad approach which integrates as many actors as possible International NGOs, as well as local organisations, can play a decisive role in preventing or de-escalating conflicts

The Amsterdam Appeal In February 1997, the largest-ever public gathering on conflict prevention was held in Amsterdam The European Conference on Conflict Prevention was hosted by the Dutch National Committee for International Co-operation and Sustainable Development (NCDO), and organised in co-operation with the Liaison Committee of Development NGOs to the European Union The Amsterdam Appeal, an Action Plan for European leaders, was drawn up This Appeal presents terms for an effective EU approach to preventing conflict, and outlines key advocacy issues for NGOs It stresses the need for participation by a range of actors, including NGOs, and urges coalition-building among NGOs and with national governments and European institutions At two subsequent meetings, proposals for the establishment of effective coalitions were developed: the outcome is the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation

National Platforms The Platform strives to be an open network of key organisations working in this field, and aims to include participant organisations in all European countries Optimally, these should be national platforms or networks, such as have already been established – or are being established – in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom Where no such national focal point exists, the Platform aims to support the creation of one Apart from national platforms, international NGO networks are also invited to participate

162 Objectives Having, as its ultimate goal, the building of support for conflict prevention in general, and for relevant policy initiatives at EU level in particular, the European Platform seeks to • facilitate networking • support (the establishment of) national platforms/contacts • encourage co-operation and facilitate exchange of • information as well as advocacy and lobbying activities among participating organisations • initiate catalysing and innovative activities • initiate educational activities • initiate media activities • enhance capacity and expertise in this field in Europe • encourage transatlantic information exchange and co- operation

163 Peace Team Forum (PTF) Peace Team Forum is a network of 50 Swedish organisations working for the prevention of violent conflicts, conflict management and peace building The primary aim of the network is • To develop a capacity to prevent violent conflicts • To manage conflicts and build peace in Sweden and the world • To contribute more effectively to a non-military structure for peace and security in Europe and the world • To improve and develop new methods of education and training in the field of prevention of violent conflicts and peace building This aim can be achieved by, for example: • Exchange of information and experience in the area • Enhancing competence and raising levels of preparedness within member organisations by arranging courses on prevention of violence and peace-building • Broadening and deepening the debate in Sweden by organising seminars and conferences • Contributing to a broader, in-depth discussion of the new security concept and the need for efforts at different levels - local, national and international The Network offers a forum for consultation and co-operative efforts The responsibility for projects carried out on behalf of Peace Team Forum will be assumed by a number of member organisations A working group is normally established for each particular project : • Within the framework of Peace Team Forum a working group – focusing on Education, Training and Capacity- building for work in conflict areas – has produced a book, “Empowerment for Peace Service A Curriculum for Education and Training in Violence Prevention, Nonviolent

164 Conflict Transformation and Peace-building”, and a manual, “Learning to Work with Conflicts”, in Swedish and English • Courses, seminars and workshops, directed mainly towards people active in Voluntary Organisations, have been arranged During spring 2002 the working group is responsible for a university course in educating and training of educators, “Conflict Transformation, Human Rights and Democracy”, in co-operation with the Stockholm School of Theology, the Academy of Democracy and Sida Civil Society Center • A report with the purpose to examine and describe the work of Swedish voluntary organisations in the field of prevention of violent conflicts and building peace has been produced by Anna Åkerlund, Forum Syd, on behalf of Peace Team Forum • A number of member organisations have participated in a common project, where the aim was to explore how the concept ”Do No Harm” could be integrated into the projects of each organisation This concept has been elaborated by Mary B Anderson, Collaborative for Development Action, as a framework for considering the impact of aid on conflict

165 PTF Member organisations

Africa Groups of Sweden Afrikagrupperna i Sverige Tegelviksgatan 40, SE-116 41 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)84 42 70 60; fax: +46(0)84 42 70 60 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.afrikagrupperna.se Amnesty International Box 234 00, SE-104 35 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)87 29 02 00; fax: +46(0)87 29 02 01 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.amnesty.se Artists for Peace Artister för Fred c/o Monika Lilja Källängsvägen 28, SE-181 44 Lidingö Phone: + 46(0)87 67 99 21 E-mail: [email protected] Base Tech For Daily Life c/o Georgios Papapostolou Cervins väg 17 B, SE-163 42 Spånga Phone: + 46(0)87 60 20 38; fax. + 46(0)84 74 76 65 E-mail: georgios@mkfc Caritas Sweden Ölandsgatan 42, SE-116 63 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)85 560 20 00; fax: +46(0)85 560 20 20 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.caritas.se Centre Party International Foundation Centerpartiets Internationella Stiftelse Box 2200, SE-103 15 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)86 17 38 66; fax: +46(0)86 17 38 10 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.cis.centerpartiet.se Christian Council of Sweden Sveriges Kristna Råd Starrbäcksgatan 11, SE-172 99 SUNDBYBERG Phone: +46(0)84 53 68 00; fax: +46(0)84 53 68 29 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.skr.org

166 Christian Socialists in Sweden Broderskapsrörelsen Box 704 03, SE-107 25 Stockholm Phone: +46(0)85 45 55 330; fax:+46(0)84 11 17 95 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.broderskap.se Church of Sweden Mission Sysslomansgatan 4 SE-751 70 Uppsala Phone: + 46(0)18-16 95 00; fax. + 46(0)18-16 96 40 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.svenskakyrkan.se/skm Church of Sweden Aid Sysslomansgatan 4 SE-751 70 Uppsala Phone: + 46(0)18-16 95 00; fax: + 46(0)18-16 97 00 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.svenskakyrkan.se/lutherhjalpen Civis Järntorget 3 , 3 tr., SE-413 04 Göteborg Phone: + 46(0)31-775 09 41; fax: + 46(0)31-775 09 49 contact person: Barbara Lindell E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.civis.nu Committee for Women in Western Sahara Kommittén för Västsaharas kvinnor c/o Sonja Gardefjord SE-Tomtebogatan 43, 113 38 Stockholm tel.+ 46(0)83 05 639 E-mail: [email protected] Diakonia Starrbäcksgatan 11, 172 99 Sundbyberg Phone: +46(0)84 53 69 00; fax: +46(0)84 53 69 29 E-mail: [email protected]: web address: www.diakonia.se European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) Box 50048, SE-104 05 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)81 628 29; fax: +46(0)81 611 78 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.elsa.su.se Fatima Union Box 2078, SE-103 12 Stockholm Phone: + 46(0)86 59 85 21

167 Justitia et Pax Västmannagatan 83 ö g, SE-113 26 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)83 204 48; fax: +46(0)83 427 41 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: home.swipnet.se/justitiaetpax Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation Tjärhovsgatan 9, SE-116 21 Stockholm Phone: +46(0)87 02 98 20; fax: +46(0)86 43 23 60 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.iktk.se Left Association of Swedish Women Svenska Kvinnors Vänsterförbund c/o Zaida Hagman, SKV, Linnégatan 21B, SE-413 04 Göteborg Phone: +46(0)31-14 40 28; fax: +46(0)31-14 40 28 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.svenskakvinnor.nu Left Solidarity Forum C/o Vänsterpartiet Kungsgatan 84, SE- 112 27 Stockholm Phone: +46(0)86 54 08 20 Liberia Dujar Association Solidaritetshuset Tegelviksgatan 40 116 41 Stockholm Phone: + 46(0)81 583 00 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.liberiadujar.org Life-Link Friendship-Schools Uppsala Science Park-Glunten, SE-751 83 Uppsala Phone: +46(0)18-50 43 44; fax +46(0)18-50 85 03 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.life-link.org Life & Peace Institute Liv & Fred- institutet Box 1520, SE-751 45 UPPSALA Phone: +46(0)18-16 95 00, fax: +46(0)18-69 30 59 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.life-peace.org MDM-Sweden Läkare i Världen Södra Kungsvägen 65, SE-181 82 Lidingö Phone: + 46(0)86 64 66 87 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.lakareivarlden.org

168 Mission Covenant Church of Sweden Svenska Missionsförbundet Box 6302, SE-113 81 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)81 518 30; fax: +46(0)86 74 07 93 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.smf.se National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations Landsrådet för Sveriges Ungdomsorganisationer (LSU) Kungsgatan 74, 5 tr, SE-111 22 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)84 40 86 70; fax: +46(0)82 035 30 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.lsu.se Olof Palme International Center Box 836, SE-101 36 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)86 77 57 70; fax: +46(0)86 77 57 71 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.palmecenter.se Peace Brigades International PBI Sverige Blomstigen 10, SE-424 37 Angered Phone: +46(0)31-330 75 09 E-mail: [email protected] web address: www.pbi.nu PeaceQuest, Sweden Lundagatan 56, SE-117 27 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)86 69 75 20; fax: +46(0)88 490 16 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.peacequest.se PMU-Interlife Pingstmissionens utvecklingssamarbete Box 4093, SE-141 04 Huddinge Phone: + 46(0)86 08 96 00; fax: +46(0)86 08 96 50 [email protected]; web address: www.pmu.se Religious Society of Friends in Sweden, (Quakers) Vännernas Samfund i Sverige, Kväkarna Box 9166, SE-102 72 STOCKHOLM Phone and fax: +46(0)86 68 68 16 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.kvakare.org Saami Council Samerådet Råsundavägen 29, SE-171 52 Solna tel.+ 46(0)88 22 388; fax: + 46(0)88 22 388

169 The Swallows, India Bangladesh Section Svalorna, Spolegatan 5, SE-222 20 Lund phone: + 46(0)46-12 10 05 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.svalorna.org Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SWEFOR) Kristna Fredsrörelsen Starrbäcksgatan 11, SE-172 99 Sundbyberg Phone: +46(0)84 53 68 40; fax: +46(0)84 53 68 29 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.krf.se Swedish International Liberal Centre Box 6508, SE-113 83 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)82 09 452; fax: +46(0)82 08 395 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.silc.liberal.se Swedish Mission Council Svenska Missionsrådet Starrbäcksgatan 11, SE-172 99 Sundbyberg Phone: + 46(0)84 53 68 80; fax: +46(0)84 53 68 29 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.missioncouncil.se Swedish NGO Center for Development Co-operation Forum Syd Box 15407, SE-104 65 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)85 06 37 000; fax: +46(0)85 06 37 099 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.forumsyd.se Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights Frivilligorganisationernas Fond för mänskliga rättigheter Drottninggatan 101, SE-113 60 Stockholm Phone: +46(0)85 45 49 970; fax: +46(0)83 03 031 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.humanrights.se Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (SPAS) Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen (SFSF) Box 4134, SE-102 63 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)87 02 18 30; fax: +46(0)87 02 18 46 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.svenska-freds.se Swedish Peace Committee Svenska Fredskommittén Tegelviksgatan 40, SE-116 41 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)86 40 90 65; fax: +46(0)86 41 11 35 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.svenskafredskommitten.nu

170 Swedish Peace Council Sveriges Fredsråd Tegelviksgatan 40, SE-116 41 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)86 44 72 91; fax: +46(0)86 41 26 55 E-mail: [email protected] Swedish Red Cross Svenska Röda Korset Box 17563, SE-118 91 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)84 52 46 00; fax: +46(0)84 52 46 11 E-mail: [email protected]; web address; www.redcross.se Swedish Save the Children Rädda Barnen Torsgatan 4, SE-107 88 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)86 98 90 00; fax: +46(0)86 98 90 10 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.rb.se Teachers for Peace, Sweden Lärare för fred c/o Ingrid Inglander, Vegavägen 37, SE-184 50 ÅKERSBERGA Phone: +46(0)85 40 61 284; fax: +46(0)85 40 66 909 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.welcome.to/ymk United Nations Association of Sweden (UNA) Svenska FN-förbundet Box 15115, SE-104 65 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)84 62 25 40; fax: +46(0)86 41 88 76 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.sfn.se Women’s Association of the Centre Party Centerkvinnorna Box 22 039, SE-104 22 STOCKHOLM Phone: + 46(0)86 17 38 00 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.centerkvinnorna.se Women for Peace, Sweden Kvinnor för fred Box 100 98, SE-100 55 STOCKHOLM Phone and fax: +46(0)86 67 97 27 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.kvinnorforfred.com Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Sweden Internationella Kvinnoförbundet för Fred och Frihet, svenska sektionen Box 23239, SE-104 35 STOCKHOLM Phone: +46(0)87 02 98 10; fax: +46(0)87 02 19 73 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.ikff.se

171 WEA - Worker´s Educational Association ABF- Arbetarnas Bildningsförbund Box 522, SE-101 30 STOCHOLM Phone +46(0)86 13 50 00; fax: +46(0)82 15 276 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.abf.se Young Men´s Christian Association - Young Women´s Christian Association (YMCA-YWCA) KFUK-KFUM Box 2054, SE-103 12 STOCKHOLM. Phone: +46(0)86 77 30 00; fax: +46(0)86 77 30 10 E-mail: [email protected]; web address: www.kfuk-kfum.se

172 Notes

1 President of the Swedish Red Cross 2 European Director, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University 3 Professor of Islamology, University of Fribourg 4 Ambassador, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs 5 The death of Jonas Savimbi early in 2002 does not change the principled analysis of the Angola sanctions and the possibilities to develop “smart sanctions” / Editor´s note 6 Social worker and member of the Male network, Sweden 7 Political-Director for Development Cooperation, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs 8 Researcher, Department of Peace and Development Research, Gothenburg University 9 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 10 www2un2org/esa 11 Crisis Management Unit, EU Commission 12 The European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) 13 Saferworld 14 “Improving the coherence and effectiveness of EU action in the field of conflict prevention”, report presented by Solana and Patten at the EU summit, Nice 20002 15 Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden 16 Working group 1 organised by European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation with Paul van Tongeren and Guido de Graaf Bierbrauwer in charge2 17 Sida Evaluation Report (00/37) Assessment of Lessons Learned from Sida Support to Conflict Management and Peacebuilding can be found of the webaddress of Sida (http://www2sida2se/evaluation)

173 18 Working group 2 organised by Saferworld and International Alert with Kevin Clements in charge 19 For more – see appendix Preventing violent conflict – Opportunities for the Swedish and Belgian Presidencies of the European Union in 2001, a paper produced by Saferworld and International Alert for the European Platform on Conflict Prevention and Transformation 20 Working group 3 organised by European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation with Paul van Tongeren and Guido de Graaf Bierbrauwer in charge 21 This background document draws on material from an article published in the Conflict Prevention Newsletter, Volume 4, No2 1, March 20012 pages 19-212 22 Working Group 4 organised by Peace Team Forum with Margareta Ingelstam and Cynthia Sampson in charge 23 Preventing Violent Conflict – A Swedish Action Plan2 Ds 1999:242 24 An American initiative, a proposal for a “Global Nonviolent Peace Force”, has been endorsed by organisations, scholars and politicians from different parts of the world2 25 Examples of support: Government-NGO Relations in Preventing Violence, Transforming Conflict and Building Peace, a report from a Conference in Mariefred, Sweden, Sept21997; Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century; Swedish Assembly for the Future of the United Nations, held in Stockholm in May, 2000 26 The Peace Team Forum, PTF, in Sweden is a network of 50 organisations (March 2001), e2g2 Amnesty, Swedish development agencies, the Christian Council of Sweden, the Red Cross, Save the Children, the Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation, Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, the UN Association and WILPF)2 27 The paper, which was prepared by Saferworld and International Alert for the European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation, has been endorsed by over 30 organisations2 28 An example of a curriculum is Empowerment for Peace Service – A Curriculum for Education and Training in Violence Prevention, Nonviolent Conflict Transformation and Peace-building2 Prepared by a working group with representatives of the Peace Team Forum and published by the Christian Council of Sweden2

174 29 See the UN declaration for an International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World, supporting “that the practise of peace and non-violence is taught at all levels in their (member states) respective societies, including in educational institutions”2 30 Nonviolence without dash is used to signify the active meaning of the word2 Se A Force more Powerful, A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, by Peter Ackerman and Jack Duvall, a companion to a new PBS series depicting powerful examples from the history of nonviolence2 31 Coordination with the working group on Infrastructures is needed2 32 Ambassador, Head of Secretariat for Conflict Prevention, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs 33 Paper by Saferworld and International Alert for the European Platform on Conflict Prevention and Transformation 34 The leaders of the G8 countries stated that “the international community should act urgently and effectively to prevent and resolve armed conflict2 Many people have been sacrificed and injured, many economies have been impoverished, and much devastation has been viaddressd upon the environment2 In an ever more interdependent world such negative effects spread rapidly2 Therefore, a ‘Culture of Prevention’ should be promoted throughout the global community2 All members of the international community should seek to promote the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations”2 35 The Council agreed Conclusions on ‘Preventive Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa’ in December 1995; a Common Position ‘Concerning Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa’ and a Resolution on ‘Coherence of the EC’s Development Cooperation with its Other Policies’ in June 19972 The Development Council agreed Conclusions on an ‘EU Approach to Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention and Resolution’ in December 19982 The Commission agreed a Communication on “The EU and the Issue of Conflicts in Africa: Peacebuilding, Conflict Prevention and Resolution and Beyond’ in March 1996, and a Communication on ‘Engagement with ACP countries in Conflict’ this year2

175 36 Tobias Debiel/Martina Fischer, Crisis Prevention and Civilian Conflict Management by the European Union -Concepts, Capacities and Problems of Coherence2 Berghof Report No2 5 (September 2000, Berlin: Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management)2 37 A landmark document in this regard was the conclusions of the European Council of 4 December 1995 on Preventive Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa2 In December 1998, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to conflict prevention and widened its mandate beyond Africa in its conclusions on The Role of Development Co-operation in Strengthening Peace-building, Conflict Prevention and Resolution2 Several EC budget lines now include conflict-relevant areas2 The former DGVIII worked together with the Conflict Prevention Network to develop conflict analysis tools for desk officers dealing with conflict countries as well as a draft practical handbook2 38 For more information, see www2conflict-prevention2net

176 177