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12-year old Adam Jade Kadia called on his peers, fellow students, and youth, as the leaders of future generations, to work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during the launch of his new book 17 SDGs held at IPI-MENA in collaboration with the Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Company (GPIC), Supreme Council for Women (SCW) and Representatives of the Shura Council (Senate) of the Kingdom of Bahrain on January 24th.

IPI-MENA Director Nejib Friji opened the book launch that coincided with the International Day of Education, and strongly reaffirmed the key role of education in IPI’s strategy to promote the Culture and Education for Peace.

“Students, children, and youth are the custodians of peace and culture,” he stressed, highlighting the fundamental need to nurture them and build on their existing knowledge and practices.

He called on educators, nurtures, and parents to support children and youth, emphasizing the importance of building a peace culture from within communities and homes, and educational institutional efforts.

“I urge the educational institutions to streamline the Culture of Peace throughout different curricula, from primary and secondary to postgraduate endeavors,” he stated.

Reiterating the importance of youth in a culture of peace, Adam Kadia stressed, “we are the future generations, and if we do nothing, the world will not change.”

Underlining the importance of each Sustainable Development Goal, Adam explained the inspiration behind his book entitled 17 SDGs as wanting to share the message of peace, respect, tolerance and understanding with his peers.

“These Sustainable Development Goals are like a roadmap, we can use these goals to get to the place we want be,” he stated, adding that they apply to all members of the international community.

Calling on local, regional, and international organizations in the Middle East to undertake more youth-related programs, Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President of the Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Company (GPIC), highlighted the refreshing creativity and innovation young children can bring in sustaining peace and development.

He stressed the key role private and public sectors can play by providing a rich and positive environment that will unlock the untapped potential of youth to explore fields of talent for the service of peace and sustainable development.

Dr. Fatima Al Kooheji, Chairperson of the Shura Council’s Women and Child Affairs Committee, underlined the importance of national legislation in providing opportunities to encourage the youth and the responsibility governments have in supporting future generations through education.

Concluding the book launch, Supreme Council for Women Representative Sheikha Dina bint Rashid Al Khalifa, Director General for Policies and Development, stressed the ability of children to think outside the box and how that can build on the efforts and contributions of past generations in addressing the interconnected complexities of the SDGs.

“The main question we will all walk away from is what we can do, how can every one of us in our own lives work towards implementing the SDGs, and how can we inspire others, how can we make a difference in our communities and societies,” she stated.

Following the launch, a debate took place where all the children, representing nine different schools, interacted actively, mainly on their roles to advocate and implement the SDGs.

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IPI MENA and the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) noted the necessity of women’s participation to achieve sustainable development and social peace in Manama on January 13th. In a meeting with representatives of SCW and John Hopkins University Graduates, IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji stressed the importance of the achievements of Bahraini women and called for additional efforts to realize the aspirations of Bahraini women and the objectives of the Supreme Council for Women to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dalya Al Alawi, IPI MENA Program Assistant, emphasized IPI’s research on women’s inclusivity, stating that women’s participation and involvement across all levels of constitution and policy-making is a clear indicator of effective, durable and lasting peace.

Highlighting women’s progress in the region through their expanding participation across political, economic and social sectors of society, she stressed the receptiveness and willingness demonstrated by governments in the region towards upholding women’s rights, such as through initiatives like Bahrain’s National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women, and the active dynamism demonstrated by Bahraini women. She underlined the rapidly increasing percentage of female graduates and the subsequent growth of women working in the public sector as a prime example.

The question and answer session took place between IPI; SCW Representatives Ranya Ahmed Aljurf, Director of Gender Balance Center and Amina Al-Haddad, Head of Equal Opportunities from the Legislature and Civil Society Department; and John Hopkins University Graduates Ben Nussbaumer, Devan Kerley, Ao Yin, and Dania Abdalla. Participants discussed the importance of gender equality as a factor for regional integration, the key role religious education can play in mainstreaming women’s participation, and the role women played during the Arab Spring.

“There is no regional integration without social integration,” stated Nejib Friji, stressing that integration is the work of society at the grassroots level and cannot take place without the involvement of 50% of society.

He reiterated the necessity of incorporating women throughout all sectors of society, and compared countries that invested in women with those that did not, and how they fared better during the instability.

Pointing to Tunisia and Yemen as prime examples, he compared the crucial role Tunisian women played in steering the country away from the brink of collapse to Yemen’s lack of investment in women and the tragic result of the civil war. “Where women were not involved, it was a disaster,” he stated.

Nejib Frji concluded the meeting by reiterating IPI’s strong commitment and readiness to cooperate and engage in further exchanges with the Supreme Council of Women, civil society, and Parliament on women issues and empowerment.

Number of UN troops and police authorized by the Security Council in Haiti (Click for full graphic)

The process of reconfiguring, closing, and handing over responsibilities to a UN country team or host-state institutions is a crucial—and challenging—part of the life cycle of a UN peacekeeping mission. Transitions have been a central feature of UN peacekeeping in Haiti, in particular, which has gone through numerous transitions since the 1990s. This paper focuses on the two most recent peacekeeping transitions in Haiti: one from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), or from a multidimensional peacekeeping operation involving a substantial military component to a small peace operation focused on police and rule of law; and the ongoing transition toward the closure of MINUJUSTH and preparations for the eventual handover to other actors.

For both missions, the paper focuses on three issues: (1) transition planning, including the political dynamics that influenced decision making, gaps between plans and the reality on the ground, and the limited role of the host state, UN country team, civil society, and donors; (2) management, logistical, and administrative challenges; and (3) issues related to business continuity and changes in substantive areas of work. It concludes by offering lessons learned from the past and current transitions that can inform the next drawdown and exit of peacekeepers from Haiti.

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International humanitarian actors face challenges to providing medical care in armed conflict. What does the legal framework for medical care in armed conflict look like? And what are the challenges it faces?

On December 21, 2018, International Peace Institute (IPI) Policy Analyst Alice Debarre briefed the United Nations Security Council Open Arria Meeting on “Protecting Medical Care in Armed Conflict—from Policy to Practice.” Ms. Debarre outlined some of the key international humanitarian law norms relating to medical care in armed conflict, and explained the significance of Security Council resolution 2286, which reaffirmed the relevance of international humanitarian law. She then provided thoughts on how these challenges in provision of services can be overcome.

One of the foundational principles of international humanitarian law, codified in the First Geneva Convention of 1864, is that all wounded and sick—including combatants—are entitled to medical care, she explained.  From this principle, a series of obligations have been delineated in subsequent treaties. Key among these are that parties to armed conflict must protect the wounded and sick from ill treatment and that killing or causing suffering or injury to those wounded and sick is strictly prohibited. Another obligation is that parties to armed conflict are required to protect and respect medical personnel, transport and facilities, and that the wounded and sick must be treated without distinction on any basis other than their medical condition. Also, medical personnel cannot be punished for providing such impartial care.

In the years preceding the May 2016 adoption of Resolution 2286, the world was shocked by a spike in brutal violence against healthcare personnel and facilities in countries affected by armed conflict. The adoption of the resolution was evidence that the council heeded the urgent call from medical and humanitarian organizations on the ground to address this concern.

The adoption of resolution 2286 also represented a strong political commitment to protect the sanctity of healthcare delivery in armed conflict. It created momentum for positive efforts to tackle this issue. As requested by the resolution, the Secretary-General published a list of ambitious and concrete recommendations for its implementation in August 2016. Last year, France led the signing of a political declaration on the protection of humanitarian and health workers. Some countries—notably Sweden—engaged in internal reviews of their laws and military doctrine. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a surveillance system of attacks on healthcare.

“Resolution 2286 is also a strong tool because of its broad scope. We often talk about ‘attacks on healthcare,’ and people have in mind the bombing of hospitals, or violence against medical personnel. But resolution 2286 also addresses challenges such as the obstruction of medical care, the criminalization of healthcare workers or the removal of healthcare supplies from a convoy,” said Ms. Debarre. “They all constitute attacks on healthcare – and all need to be prevented.”

On the ground, there is an unabated flow of attacks on healthcare. Three key types of challenges in armed conflict contexts are:

• Outright attacks on medical facilities, transport and personnel. These attacks are often violations of international humanitarian law, they are insufficiently investigated, and those responsible are rarely held accountable – legally or politically.
• Legal, administrative and other barriers that health workers and patients face. Overbroad counterterrorism laws and policies, for example, have adversely impacted the provision of medical care. Health actors may also face complex and burdensome bureaucratic procedures to be able to operate, or to access certain areas.
• Politicization of healthcare. Parties to conflict have instrumentalized health services by denying access to or imposing conditions on healthcare providers as a political or military strategy.

Ms. Debarre then recommended ways to overcome these challenges. First, she said, we can insure we make more systematic use of existing international and other mechanisms to investigate attacks against healthcare—not just for the purpose of ensuring accountability, but also in some cases to understand what happened, and whether systems can be put in place to prevent future attacks.

Second, we can also include clear exemptions for the provision of medical care in counterterrorism measures, to protect health workers’ ability to do their job and provide impartial care. Finally, she concluded, it is important we better understand what it means to be a health worker in the country contexts in which the issues we are talking about play out, and to hear what changes these health workers think are necessary.

“We have a robust, longstanding normative framework and clear principles,” she said. We have knowledgeable actors willing to guide and support in their implementation, some coming all the way from Afghanistan and South Sudan. We need states to take concrete action to uphold the fundamental norm that those who are wounded and sick have access to the medical care they need.”

Other participants were Ambassador Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden, who gave introductory remarks, and Farhad Jawid, Country Director, Marie Stopes International, Afghanistan; and  Dr. Evan Atar Adaha, Medical Director, Bunj hospital, in South Sudan, both of whom shared experiences from medical practitioners in the field.

UNOCI Peacekeeping Contributions (Click for full graphic).

In April 2016, after four years of progressive downsizing, the Security Council decided to close the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) within a year. This decision reflected a consensus that it was time for UNOCI to leave and hand over to the UN country team with no follow-on mission. However, the transition was abrupt, without sustained dialogue, capacity transfer, or financial fluidity, leaving the UN country team unprepared to take on the mission’s responsibilities.

This policy paper examines the political dynamics in Côte d’Ivoire and in the Security Council that led to the decision to withdraw UNOCI, as well as the stages of the withdrawal and handover. It also analyzes the gaps and shortcomings that left the country team ill-prepared to take over, highlighting two main challenges. First, the Security Council viewed the transition as a political process. Its objective of withdrawing the mission superseded all others, leading it to underestimate, if not overlook, the continued peacebuilding needs of the country. Second, the transition was accompanied by waning donor interest, undercutting programming by the country team in priority areas like reconciliation, security sector reform, human rights, and land tenure.

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During an event in Tunis on December 13, 2018, IPI-MENA Director Nejib Friji warned against perils to world heritage and called on the international community to provide all conditions of protection and preservation.

In a statement delivered at the opening plenary session of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization’s (ALECSO) Fourth Meeting of the Liaison Officers of the Architectural and Urban Heritage Observatory in the Arab States, Mr. Friji reiterated the importance of the protection and conservation of world heritage as crucial criteria to achieve sustainable development and social peace.

Likening cultural and world heritage to a running thread that ties and weaves civilizations together, Mr. Friji highlighted the contribution of world heritage to the development of relations between countries and regions. “It thus becomes a work of cooperation and coordination, paving the environment for peaceful relations of stability and development beyond the borders and members of one community.”

Referring to the major damage incurred by radical religious groups to sites such as the old city of Mosul in Iraq or Sana’a in Yemen, he stated that “the destruction of cultural and world heritage strikes at the very foundation of a society, deliberately erasing common roots and destroying social fabric, creating a breeding ground for conflict, instability and social unrest.”

The IPI-MENA Director emphasized how the ruination of “oral traditions, museums, artifacts, temples, and statues” is detrimental to regional stability and social peace. He stated, “the destruction of cultural heritage ultimately amounts to a violation of human rights, and subsequently humanitarian law—both of which are core requirements to achieve sustainable development and peace.”

At a time when extremist groups are distorting religion and using the message of Islam as a political tool to erase cultural heritage, Mr. Friji drew attention to the significant role of religious leaders in the Islamic world. He mentioned the example of the religious representatives who convened at IPI-MENA office in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain in 2016, who called for religious leaders to unite in their condemnation of the destruction of world heritage by religious extremist groups.

Underlying the importance of involving youth, Mr. Friji stressed that “the value of our cultural heritage must become part of a national curriculum from primary schools up to universities”, and that education is a powerful tool that must be incorporated to instill a sense of common responsibility and duty within citizens.

In order to achieve sustainable development and peace, “a holistic approach that engages all relevant stakeholders: civil society, nations at the grassroots level, governments, regions, and the multilateral system” is required.

He concluded his statement during the opening plenary session by calling on all relevant stakeholders and key players locally, regionally, and internationally “to uphold, maintain and protect world heritage, to respect past generations, educate present ones, but most of all, to pass down to future generations their cultural history.” He emphasized that the collective responsibility of prevention is a mechanism to safeguard long-lasting peace.

The meeting focusing on the creation of the Observatory of Urban Architectural Heritage in Arab Countries, it was chaired by Hayat Guermazi, Director of the Cultural Department of ALESCO, and featured participants Mounir Bouchenaki, Adviser to UNESCO Director General, Consultant on the protection and conservation of world heritage, Karim Hendili, Coordinator at the World Heritage Center, UNESCO, Bilel Chebbi, ISESCO Representative and IPI MENA-Director Nejib Friji.

Mr. Friji highly commended the creation of an Observatory for Urban Architectural Heritage, highlighting the platform it creates that can allow the development of international legal frameworks that will protect civilians and the state of conflict, as well as the archeological and cultural sites.

Describing the way forward, he concluded that these recommendations “may be used to form the basis for a package of laws that may be brought up by ministers to international forums to become elements of binding international laws.”

Actual and authorized number of uniformed UN personnel in Liberia, September 2003-March 2018 (Click for full graphic)

From 2003 to 2018, the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was ever-present throughout the country. The peacekeeping mission’s work, and its transition out of the country, are considered positive examples of how the UN can support countries through conflict and post-conflict phases. Nevertheless, UNMIL’s transition offers many lessons that member states, UN officials, and international partners can learn in order to strengthen future UN peacekeeping transitions.

This paper examines the process of Liberia’s transition from a peacekeeping mission to a UN country team configuration, focusing on the period from July 2016 to July 2018. It identifies the political and operational dynamics that drove the transition, examines the policy processes and context within which the transition was executed, and assesses the ability of the UN’s post-mission configuration to sustain peace in Liberia.

The paper underscores that member states and the UN Secretariat should change their approach to transitions from racing against deadlines to instead viewing them as processes that begin well before a peacekeeping mission closes and continue for several years after the mission ends. By viewing transitions as long-term, multi-stakeholder activities, member states have the opportunity to ensure that future transitions adopt integrated approaches with adequate political, operational, and financial support.

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IPI-MENA received 12-year old Adam Jade Kadia, who presented the first edition of his second book entitled 17 SDGs to IPI-MENA Director Nejib Friji.

Mr. Kadia stated that the reason behind authoring his new book on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to urge youth and the global community to cooperate, as “everybody is in it together, we do not have multiple earths, we only have this one.”

He emphasized that the SDGs are tools to help “make the world a better place for us, the future generations.”

Elaborating on the original narrative of the book, Adam highlighted core principles touched upon by his characters in the book, such as gender equity and education. He cited Malala Yousafazi as an inspiration and example.

In 2016, Mr. Kadia presented his first book, Hakeem, the Adventurer at IPI-MENA to an audience comprising of his peers and students across schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain. His latest book cemented his devotion to peace and sustainable development. 17 SDGS will top bookshelves in early 2019.

On Thursday, December 13th, IPI together with Carnegie Corporation of New York are cohosting policy forum event to discuss the need for a participatory approach to measuring peace.

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm EST / 10:15am PST

We know that local communities—those most directly impacted and living the realities of violent conflict—are the experts on the problems they face, and that they know best what solutions are needed to make peace possible for their communities. They are the ones who notice the small changes that make up peace, and they should be the ones who define what peace means in their context, what signs in daily life determine whether the community is at peace, and what changes are needed to achieve this. The inclusion of local perspectives in building and sustaining peace is a central tenant of the UN’s approach to Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace. In order to operationalize this line of thinking there is a need for greater understanding among international peacebuilding practitioners and policymakers of the work of local peacebuilders in building and sustaining peace.

The event will focus on the Everyday Peace Indicators (EPI) project and the upcoming book, drawing from the EPI project, by Pamina Firchow—Reclaiming Everyday Peace: Local Voices in Measurement and Evaluation after War. The findings of this work suggest that current international peacebuilding efforts are not very effective at achieving peace by local standards because disproportionate attention is paid to reconstruction, governance and development assistance while little attention is paid to community ties and healing. As an alternative, the EPI project advocates for an approach which seeks to assist communities, practitioners and policymakers to question the assumptions that lie behind the existing peacebuilding measurement system that may promote an over-dependence on external interveners, and allows us to better understanding changes in difficult-to-measure concepts like reconciliation and peace.

Opening remarks:
Dr. Stephen Del Rosso, Program Director, International Peace & Security, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Speakers:
Prof. Pamina Firchow, Assistant Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
Prof. Séverine Autesserre, Professor of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia University
Mr. Graeme Simpson, Director, Interpeace USA
Ms. Michelle Breslauer, Program Director, Americas, Institute for Economics & Peace

Moderator:
Ms. Lesley Connolly, Senior Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute

On Tuesday, December 11th, IPI together with the Permanent Mission of Sweden are cohosting the policy forum event, “Delivery amid Complexity: Examining the Dynamics and Tradeoffs for Delivering on UN Mandates in High-Risk Contexts.”

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm EST / 10:15am PST

The reach and impact of the United Nations’ development, humanitarian, human rights, and peace and security work depends on its over 500 field presences across more than 130 countries. Whether providing life-saving assistance in Syria, conducting peacekeeping patrols in South Sudan, or enabling a government presence in Somalia, the UN’s field presences require multiple enabling functions to facilitate its substantive work. Providing these enabling functions—including risk management, physical security, staff welfare, logistics and transportation, medical response, communications, coordination and HQ backstopping, and access to civilian populations —is an underappreciated, under-explained and often daunting task in particular in crisis and conflict affected settings. Delivering in crisis- and conflict-affected settings always involve difficult choices between risky options and tradeoffs. Yet, awareness and understanding of these tradeoffs and their associated operational and financial costs need to be improved.

This policy forum will provide an overview of the dynamics and tradeoffs that the UN confronts when delivering on mandates in complex environments. Discussion will examine the functions that are common across various mandates, why they are needed, and the costs and trade-offs they entail. It will consider these issues at the policy level and illustrate them through concrete examples drawn from panelists’ experiences with UN field operations.

Speakers:
Mr. Marc Jacquand, Advisor, UN Executive Office of the Secretary General
Ms. Nannette Ahmed, Director and Team Leader of the Central Africa Integrated Operational Team, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Aurelien Buffler, Chief of the Policy Advice and Planning Section, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Moderator:
Mr. Jake Sherman, Director, Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute

Closing Remarks:
H.E. Ms. Irina Schoulgin Nyoni, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations

On December 4th, IPI, One Earth Future, UN Office for Partnerships, UN Peacebuilding Support Office, UN Global Compact, and the Permanent Mission of Republic of Korea launched a workshop series designed to catalyze engagement across public and private sectors and build new kinds of partnerships. While the private sector knows how to engage with topics such as economic growth and climate change, there is less understanding on how it can contribute to sustaining peace and the 2030 Agenda and how it can work together with the UN, member states and civil society.

The workshop was also focused on countries that need to scale up investments, particularly those that the private sector regard as too high-risk to engage.

The aim of creating this space was to address the main issue that has hindered effective cross-sectoral collaboration: an understanding gap between UN communities, civil society organizations, and private sector actors. Each of these communities interact with issues of peace and conflict in a different way, and without shared understanding about different starting points, attempts at partnerships may flounder. This workshop encouraged small-group discussion with country representatives, private sector actors, and civil society at the same table to develop shared understanding of each other and how collective work could be effective.

Table themes included: Fisheries/Food Security; Migration; Blended Finance; Measuring Peace; and Mobile and Digital Technology.

Some key points made by participants included:

• Business need to align their activities with the SDGs, not only because it is a noble cause, but because it makes financial sense;
• In order to make a “business case for peace” there is a need for a system thinking approach that addresses not only short-term needs but looks at the entire value chain;
• Knowledge-sharing and data are essential to create the needed frameworks for investors to engage in conflict and post conflict settings;
• Government buy-in is an indispensable requirement for businesses to invest in new projects that will have win-win outcomes;
• The private sector tends to overestimate risk and there is a need to do more evidence-based research to highlight that the benefits outweigh the risks; and
• The role of the UN is essential as a body that provides norms and standards as well as has a convening power that can build trust and credibility between different actors.

The private and public sectors have different definitions of peace and the workshop promoted a greater understanding of how to work collaboratively to address the SDGS and sustaining peace and how to develop “win-win” language for partnerships between the private sector and peace promoters.

The pilot session lasted approximately three hours and included about 60 participants drawn from member states, businesses, civil society organizations, and UN entities involved in sustainable development and peacebuilding. The discussions were conducted under the Chatham House Rule of non-attribution.

A meeting note will follow.

Related Coverage:
“OEF Announces Innovation in Partnerships Workshop,” Press Release, December 4, 2018

Armed conflict is a global health issue. Long-lasting and protracted conflicts in particular have consequences not only for the war-wounded but also for the health of entire communities. Over the years, global health actors and humanitarian health actors have developed health policies, guidelines, frameworks, and structures to improve delivery of health services in emergencies or humanitarian crises. Despite these advancements, however, the international health response in conflict-affected settings still faces gaps and challenges. Some policies and frameworks need to be rethought or redesigned, while others need to be better implemented.

This paper explores challenges to healthcare provision in conflict-affected settings. These challenges are broadly broken down into three categories: constraints related to the health system and damaged health infrastructure, difficulty for health workers to access populations in need, and restrictions to healthcare provision intentionally or accidentally placed by donors or states engaged on humanitarian and health issues (e.g., through the securitization of healthcare).

Tackling these challenges will have a direct impact on the lives of people in conflict-affected settings. However, doing so requires a radical shift in mindsets and the incentives that guide the actions of international health actors. Even so, more incremental changes can also be beneficial. To that end, this report puts forth the following recommendations:

1. Improve coordination between and among humanitarian, development, and global health actors;
2. Respond to context-specific needs;
3. Hold health actors accountable to affected populations for their performance, and;
4. Make responses sustainable.

This work is based on a combination of desk research, interviews with more than seventy key informants, and an expert meeting bringing together key stakeholders and experts on global and humanitarian health.

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Almost 20 years since the first Protection of Civilians (POC) mandate was established for a United Nations peacekeeping operation, POC has become an essential element of peace operations. However, gaps in means and resources, command-and-control issues, inadequate training and expertise of UN personnel, and caveats imposed by troop-contributing countries have all hampered the actual delivery of POC mandates. Over the years, internal and external reports and investigations have highlighted performance shortfalls and the need for better accountability for the implementation of POC on the ground.

On Monday December 3rd, 2018, the International Peace Institute (IPI) organized a roundtable workshop on the “Accountability System for the Protection of Civilians: A Shared Responsibility” as part of IPI’s Protection of Civilians project, supported by the Netherlands. The first session of the workshop focused on accountability and performance of the UN Secretariat and peace operations, while the second session focused on the accountability of member states in pursuing the protection of civilians, looking at the responsibility of the UN Security Council, Troop and Police Contributing Countries (T/PCCs) and host states.

This workshop gathered more than 40 participants, including researchers, UN officials, member states representatives and civil society organizations representatives.

The accountability and performance of the UN Secretariat and peace operations

Despite the progress made since 1999, UN peacekeepers continue to face many challenges in the implementation of POC mandates and to be criticized for failing to protect civilians. Such failures have negatively affected the credibility of the UN, especially in a context of increased scrutiny of the performance of UN peacekeeping operations. Although inquiries and investigations have been conducted following these incidents, they often have been left confidential, and a general lack of transparency has made it difficult to ensure accountability for POC.

The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO, though now known as DPO, or the Department of Peace Operations) has developed important initiatives to enhance performance and accountability in peace operations. In May 2018, DPKO and the Department of Field Support (DFS) adopted an addendum to the 2015 Policy on POC to specifically address “accountability for implementation of POC mandates.” The document defines and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of mission personnel in the implementation of POC, in order to improve the integration of POC in existing performance management tools, such as individual workplans and compacts for heads of missions. The Comprehensive Performance Assessment System was also mentioned as an important tool being established to gather real time data on the mission’s overall performance and impact, to inform corrective actions.

While efforts within the Secretariat to improve accountability for POC were welcomed, participants recognized that more steps will need to be taken to further strengthen accountability. Policy changes should be complemented by legal changes, and more robust measures and clear sanctions should be established by UN leaders to hold personnel accountable and ensure that there are consequences to underperformance. Participants specifically recommended improvement in communication flows between field missions, UN headquarters, the Security Council and TCCs, to ensure that under-performance and challenges faced on the ground are known and that proper levers are used to address them. In particular, reporting more frequently on cases of units refusing to follow orders, including by engaging with permanent missions in New York, could help improving accountability for POC responses.

The lack of equipment and resources, insufficient training and preparedness, inadequate mindsets and risk awareness, gaps in command and control, as well as the absence of a political process, have all contributed to serious shortcomings in different peace operations such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or the Central African Republic. However, participants mentioned a recent quantitative study conducted by Office of Internal Oversight Services which established that the readiness of UN personnel to respond to POC threats does not necessarily depend on their equipment or their proximity to POC incidents. While there is a recognized organizational responsibility for UN missions to protect civilians, and POC structures and processes have been established, specific roles and responsibilities are not always understood, and a culture of accountability for all is needed to boost performance.

Participants stressed that POC is a whole-of-mission and multidimensional task, and highlighted the shared responsibility for the delivery of POC by peacekeeping missions. Accountability for POC should not only apply to the military component, but also to the civilian and police components. Furthermore, accountability should be established beyond the senior mission leadership, and include all working levels of peace operations.

As participants discussed the definition of accountability, some highlighted that accountability implied the role of a third actor whom peace operations would be accountable to. UN missions can be considered accountable to UN headquarters and the Secretariat, the Security Council, TCCs, or local populations themselves. The question of confidence and transparency towards beneficiaries was therefore raised in discussions. Local populations must trust that peacekeepers will do their utmost to protect them, and community engagement was described as an entry point to enhance confidence-building and accountability towards local communities.

The accountability of member states in pursuing POC: UN Security Council, T/PCCs, host states

Participants also stressed that POC requires a whole-of-organization approach involving other key actors such as the UN Security Council, T/PCCs and host states. They recommended that the Security Council adopt clearer mandates and wording in its resolutions, and remain engaged on country-specific situations beyond the adoption of mandates.

More inclusive approaches and triangular cooperation were also highlighted as key. Elected members of the Security Council could, for example, be consulted earlier on mission mandate renewals to allow enough time for consultations at capital level, and be associated in the drafting of resolutions. Participants also highlighted the importance of continuous consultations between the Security Council and T/PCCs on the definition of mandates, tasks and rules of engagement, especially in contexts of volatile and changing environments. The creation of an informal group of TCCs at mission level in New York was described as an important step to improve consultations of TCCs. As such, participants called for active participation of TCCs in consultative meetings hosted by penholders, and in all debates informing the renewal process of mandates.

Participants also encouraged a more frank and honest depiction of the situation in the field by the Secretariat, in order to be able to hold the Council accountable to its decisions. A suggestion was put forward to implement mid-mandate assessments of peace operations to reassess the needs of missions. Furthermore, reports from the Secretary General could include more comprehensive information on political and financial support needed to ensure good performance. The informal expert group on the protection of civilians was also mentioned as a tool which could allow for better communication among stakeholders.

Participants also called for increased informal and frank exchanges between the Council and senior mission  leadership (including Special Representatives of the Secretary-General (SRSGs), force commanders and police commissioners). Arria formula meetings or informal briefings to regularly engage with human rights components, protection advisors or force commanders were specifically encouraged. This will help inform Council decisions in terms of funding and capacities, and also constitutes an additional way to strengthen the Council’s accountability. Inadequate or poor budgeting has led to under resourcing which in turn leads to under performance.

On the accountability of T/PCCs, while noting the limits for POC within the capabilities and areas of deployment of peacekeepers, participants highlighted issues related to command and control and the use of force. To address these challenges, participants suggested taking stock of examples from the performance of T/PCCs in different mission contexts.

While noting the difficulty in measuring military performance, participants encouraged initiatives from the Secretariat to identify areas of improvement through force commanders’ evaluations and engage with underperforming units in a collaborative way to support corrective actions. Meetings with high performing T/PCCs to share lessons learned and best practices were also encouraged. Another element raised to improve accountability for T/PCCs was to strengthen leverage through financial incentives in cases of underperformance. Participants also noted the challenge of finding TCCs available or willing to replace underperforming units in volatile security contexts.

Questions were further raised in the workshop regarding the accountability of the host state, bearer of the primary responsibility to protect civilians, and the need to find entry-points and leverage opportunities when the host state fails to fulfill this responsibility. The role of member states, through bilateral engagement with the host state, was highlighted as essential. This engagement can also be done through regional organizations.

Participants welcomed the endorsement by 150 member states of the Declaration of Shared Commitments on Peacekeeping Operations, part of the Secretary General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative, which supports effective performance and accountability by all peacekeeping components.

The discussions were chaired by Namie Di Razza, Research fellow and head of IPI’s Protection of Civilians project, and Jake Sherman, Director of the Center for Peace Operations. This workshop was part of IPI’s POC Project and follows an informal briefing on accountability co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN, the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN, and IPI in October 2018. The discussion will inform IPI’s upcoming research paper on the accountability system for POC.

Internally displaced persons and the Sustainable Development Goals (Click for full graphic)

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, an international framework that authoritatively restates the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs). This presents an opportunity to put the plight of IDPs back on the radar of the international community. At the same time, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development presents an opportunity to ensure that the plight of IDPs is addressed in both the short and long term.

This issue brief explores the links between internal displacement and the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights ongoing efforts to address the longer-term needs of IDPs. It also looks at the specific cases of Nigeria and Iraq, which are among the few countries that have made this link by seeking to address the needs of IDPs through development-oriented initiatives.

The paper concludes with several recommendations for states, the UN, and other humanitarian and development actors to ensure that they are adequately addressing the long-term needs of IDPs:

• Member states should turn their commitment to “leave no one behind” into policy and programming by including IDPs’ concerns in their development planning.
• Humanitarian and development actors should systematically remind national governments of their obligations vis-à-vis IDPs.
• The UN and other humanitarian and development actors should strive for closer coordination and cooperation when addressing the needs of IDPs.
• All stakeholders should ensure that data informing IDP-inclusive development policies is reliable and takes into account the voices of those affected.

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On Friday, November 30th, IPI together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are cohosting a policy forum event on The Roots of Restraint in War: Engaging with Armed Forces and Armed Groups.

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm EST / 10:15am PST

Contemporary conflicts have seen the multiplication and fracturing of armed groups, as well as a tendency for conflicts to be fought in coalitions, of states and of states and armed groups. In these conflicts, lack of respect of international humanitarian law continue on an all-too-regular basis, often committed by all sides to the conflict, exacerbating the impact of the armed conflict on civilian populations.

This policy forum will include the presentation of the findings of the ICRC’s landmark study “The Roots of Restraint in War” and a discussion on the ways in which the international community can better understand and engage with armed forces and armed groups to encourage compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law.

Opening Remarks:
Mr. Robert Mardini, Permanent Observer to the UN and Head of Delegation in New York, ICRC

Speakers:
Dr. Fiona Terry, Author of ICRC’s Roots of Restraint in War Report
H.E. Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations
Mr. Sergiusz Sidorowicz, Policy and Planning Officer, Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Section, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations
Ms. Sophie Solomon, Access Adviser, Policy Advice and Planning Section, UNOCHA

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen answered wide-ranging questions on CNN Abu Dhabi about politics and conflict resolution in the Middle East.

On the Arab-Israeli peace process, Mr. Rød-Larsen said, “The process is completely stalled” and is at a crossroads, where the two-state solution, long agreed as the way forward, has collapsed, “and there is a much broader canvas opening up.” He went on to say there are now three possible outcomes being discussed: status quo, two-state, or one-state, calling the one-state solution “not very realistic.” He also said if a snap election in Israel did come to be, there are strong arguments in favor of the United States putting out their peace plan and forcing Israel to take a stand on it, or come up with alternatives. He said the US peace plan, “is very close to being finished” but “has been shared with very, very few people.”

While Mr. Rød-Larsen expressed pessimism about the Arab-Israeli peace process, he said some recent events in the region are cause for optimism. “Very recently, the President of Iraq met with the Emir of Kuwait in Kuwait City. This was a country—Iraq, under Saddam Hussain—that invaded Kuwait and killed the brother of the Emir in front of the palace. And look what these two leaders are showing—compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation. And the Emir of Kuwait is now leading the reconstruction of the work in Iraq.”

Mr. Rød-Larsen also said the fault lines in the Middle East are now being redrawn away from Arab-Israeli and toward Iran-Saudi Arabia. During the 20-minute conversation, Mr. Rød-Larsen discussed Yemen and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, among other topics. 

As an example of Mr. Rød-Larsen’s personal and deep ties to the region, CNN host Becky Anderson reminded him that “he may be the only person in the world who has babysat for both Yasser Arafat and Bibi Netanyahu.”  

IPI Senior Policy Analyst, Lesley Connolly, discussed the importance of ensuring international actors are always working to support local actors in efforts to build and sustain peace in an interview conducted at the 2018 Geneva Peace Week, held in Geneva from November 5-9, 2018.

Ms. Connolly notes that those who are most directly impacted and living with the realities of violent conflict are the experts on the problem they face, and that they know best what solutions are needed to make peace possible for their communities. In order to truly sustain peace, local peacebuilders should be at the center, and in the lead, of all efforts in this regard. Ms. Connolly emphasized that unfortunately, local peacebuilding does not yet receive the recognition, support, or resources needed to achieve its full potential. Thus, as international actors, we need to use forums such as this one in Geneva to create awareness of the work of local peacebuilders are involved in, create the space to learn from these peacebuilders and create a better understand of the challenges they face, she said.

She concluded, by connecting the local to the global, together we are working to ensure that these messages meet the ears of the right people to ensure that all efforts are truly locally owned, regionally anchored and internationally supported.

On Monday, November 19th, IPI together with the International Drug Policy Consortium, and the Social Science Research Council are cohosting a policy forum event entitled “Beyond 2019: The Future of Drug Policies, and the Lessons Learned.”

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm EST / 10:15am PST

In 2009, UN member states set 2019 as the target date “to eliminate or reduce significantly and measurably” the illicit cultivation, production, trafficking, and use of internationally controlled substances. In March 2019, the international community will hold a ministerial segment in Vienna to take stock of progress made and delineate the global drug strategy for the next decade. With the end date of the 2009 UN Political Declaration and Plan of Action towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem fast approaching, and three years after the General Assembly’s special session on the world drug problem, the timing is ripe to take a step back and examine the progress made, the challenges faced, and consider ways forward.

The panel will assess the progress, or lack thereof, against the objectives set in the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action. It will also examine whether global drug control has contributed to, or undermined, the UN’s broader priorities to protect human rights, advance peace and security, and promote development—in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Considering the widely divergent drug policies being implemented worldwide (from the legalization of cannabis for recreational use to the use of the death penalty for drug offenses), what should be the overarching goals and objectives of drug policies beyond 2019? What needs to change to better address the so-called “world drug problem”?

Opening remarks:
H.E. Mr. Dominique Favre, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations

Speakers:
H.E. Ms. Helen Clark, Global Commissioner, Global Commission on Drug Policy
Ms. Ann Fordham, Executive Director, IDPC
Mr. Craig Mokhiber, Director, New York Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms. Simone Monasebian, Director, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, New York Office

Moderator:
Ms. Jimena Leiva Roesch, Research Fellow, IPI

On Friday, November 9th, IPI is hosting a Global Leaders Series event featuring HRH Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, who will provide his views on Saudi Arabia’s vision and the way forward in these challenging times.

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm EST / 10:15am PST

His Royal Highness was appointed as an Advisor at the Royal Court in 1973. In 1977, HRH was appointed Director General (with a rank of Minister) of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID), Saudi Arabia’s main foreign intelligence service and served as the head of the GID until August 2001. In October 2002, His Royal Highness was appointed as the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. HRH served in that position until July 2005, when he was appointed as Ambassador to the United States. He retired in February 2007. A Founder and Trustee of the King Faisal Foundation, His Royal Highness is also the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

The event will be moderated by Warren Hoge, Senior Adviser for External Relations of IPI.

On Thursday, November 8th, IPI together with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN are cohosting a lunchtime policy forum event entitled “Nonviolent Action vs. Violent Extremism: The Strategic and Appealing Choice for Addressing Grievances.”

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm EST / 10:15am PST

In 2016, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism to the General Assembly. This plan lays out a policy framework and seven priority areas for to address the common drivers of violent extremism, including the lack of socioeconomic opportunity, marginalization, poor governance, and the violation of human rights. These grievances, coupled with a hunger for meaning and inclusion, can often lead individuals—particularly young people—toward violent extremism.

Opening remarks:
H.E. Ms. Mari Skåre, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN

Speakers:
Dr. Maria Stephan, Director, Program on Nonviolent Action, USIP
Ms. Noëlla Richard, Youth Policy Specialist, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, United Nations Development Programme
Mr. Michael Niconchuk, Senior Researcher, Beyond Conflict Innovation Lab for Neuroscience and Social Conflict
Dr. Nilofar Sakhi, Lecturer, Global Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Afghanistan Peace Process, George Mason University

Moderator:
Mr. Jake Sherman, Director, Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations, IPI

Closing remarks:
Ms. Leanne Erdberg, Director, Countering Violent Extremism, USIP