THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND NGOS IN THE PREVENTION OF ARMED CONFLICT IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (LAC).
A Regional Research and Consultation Program,
Jointly developed by the
European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP)
And the
Regional Coordination for Economic and Social Research (CRIES)
A Regional Research and Consultation Program,
Jointly developed by the
Korte Elisabethstraat 6 Apdo. 82 (1410)
PO Box 14069 Buenos Aires
3508 SC Utrecht Argentina
The Netherlands
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
2. JUSTIFICATION AND BACKGROUND FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (LAC)
Armed conflicts in Latin America and the Caribbean
Civil society organizations and networks in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Regional civil society and the issues of peace and security in the new international environment
3. INITIATING ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER PARTNERS
The European Center for Conflict Prevention (ECCP)
The Regional Coordination of Economic and Social Research (CRIES)
The Forum for Citizen Diplomacy (FCD)
4. THE PROGRAM
Objectives, goals and structure
Added value
5. PLANNING JULY 2003 - JUNE 2005
Phase I. Preliminary (July 2003 – December 2003)
Main goals
Networking
Consultation process
Research process
Awareness and dissemination process
Focal points
Activities
Phase II. Development of the program (January 2004 – June 2005)
General objective
Specific objectives
Main goals
Focal points
Activities
Format and specificities
6. ANNEXES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The profound changes of the past decade have left us in no doubt: traditional power politics and diplomacy are not, on their own, capable of delivering sustainable peace. The nature of conflict has shifted. We see fewer inter-state wars and more civil wars. We observe the growing importance of non-state actors in both fomenting and preventing conflict. Within this framework, conflict prevention (as the identification and prevention of the emergence, escalation, re-escalation or spread of violent conflict) and peacebuilding, the young discipline that has set out to master this treacherous field, has been learning fast; particularly in regard to the role of civil society and NGOs in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
The Secretary General’s appeal for NGOs to hold an international conference in 2005 to discuss the role of civil society networks and organizations in the prevention of armed conflict (recommendation 27) comes as a golden opportunity for the conflict-prevention and peacebuilding community to consolidate its rapid development.
In this regard, the European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP) initiated a global process for the launch of a research and consultation program on “The Role of Civil Society and NGOs in the Prevention of Armed Conflict”, conceived as a worldwide undertaking, with every region invited to assemble and contribute its own insight into the experience of recent conflict. At the same time, the program is designed to raise the profile of conflict prevention and peacebuilding at all levels, all over the world. The final Conference at UN Headquarters in New York will thus mark the end of a long and inclusive debate and usher in a new phase of partnership between NGOs, civil society, governments, regional organizations and the United Nations.
Comparatively, the region of Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the less prone regions to develop inter-state conflict. However, recent prospective research shows a trend and an eventual increase in the next few years of intra-state and transnational conflicts in the region. These need to be urgently addressed by civil society organizations and networks. At the same time, for the last two decades regional civil society organizations and networks show a sustainable growth and development in addressing relevant LAC issues and developing dialogue and joint action with both governments and intergovernmental organizations. However, most of these organizations and networks tend to ignore or marginalize the issues of peace and security and conflict prevention in their agendas, both because of a perception that those issues are more specifically related to government spheres of action or because they prioritize economic development, democratic governance, justice and human rights as the main relevant issues.
Within this framework, the regional programme “The Role of Civil Society and NGOs in the Prevention of Armed Conflict”in Latin America and the Caribbean aims, to address issues related to peacebuilding and conflict prevention, through a wide regional processes of networking, consultation, and research and through an associated awareness campaign which could contribute to the development of a culture of peace. This work will be founded upon and intricately linked to the strong involvement and participation of civil society organisations and networks, and in coordination with similar initiatives from other regions.
In this regard, the LAC programme is articulated on the basis of a series of sub regional (Central America and Mexico; the Caribbean; the Andean region and the Southern Cone) workshops and conferences to be held in 2003 and 2004 and two regional conferences in 2004. These will allow a process of networking among civil society organizations and networks, as well as with governments, intergovernmental organizations and other relevant actors. The development of a regional Action Plan and proactive platform aims to: a) increase awareness on peacebuilding and conflict prevention among the societies of the region; b) coordinate its recommendations and agendas with other regions worldwide; and c) produce and present an Action Plan with recommendations to the UN in 2005. Through regional consultation, networking and increased participation, this process will emphasize the importance of the role of civil society organisations and networks in addressing and dealing with conflict prevention actions and peacebuilding initiatives, both on the regional and global levels.
Parallel to this consultation and networking program will be a research process aimed at producing a collective publication: “Searching for Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean”, and a series of other publications. These will contain regional contributions which will reflect the current state of the art of the field, the specific problematic cases and the lessons learned in peacebuilding and conflict prevention in LAC, in order to build a body of knowledge on these issues and to contribute to an awareness raising campaign. Simultaneously, this campaign will integrate the insights from both the consultation and networking process as well as the research project to the development of a communications strategy oriented towards increasing public awareness on conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the region.
The focus of the programme is aimed at strengthening civil society while addressing and focusing attention on conflict prevention and building a culture of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The regional initiator for this programme is the Regional Coordination of Economic and Social Research (CRIES), a twenty-year old LAC network with long-standing experience and a solid reputation in participative research with civil society organisations and networks as well as dialogue and joint action with inter-governmental and governmental organisations. CRIES is a founding member and initiator of the Greater Caribbean Civil Society Forum and the Forum on Citizen Diplomacy in LAC, which will participate in this process. CRIES had established a partnership with the ECCP to develop this programme and link it to a global process of producing and promoting an Action Plan with recommendations for the UN. To ensure civil society involvement and support for this program and the program’s monitoring, a Regional Steering Committee and an Advisory Board will be established on the basis of grass roots, local, national and regional nominations, in coordination with the International Steering Committee.
1. INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
The profound changes of the past decade have left us in no doubt: traditional power politics and diplomacy are not, on their own, capable of delivering sustainable peace.Yet because modern warfare is so destructive of lives and resources, and so unpredictable in its effects, merely reacting to events is no longer an option. The search is on for new forms of intervention.
Meanwhile, the nature of conflict has shifted. We see fewer inter-state wars and more civil wars. We observe the growing importance of non-state actors in both fomenting and preventing conflict. Even within societies rent by internal divisions, there are always people working for peace on the ground. NGOs, women’s organizations, religious leaders, the business community, media and other civil society actors, are all natural allies of the nations and agencies working for peace on the international stage. But mobilizing and coordinating such an alliance is not easy. Get it right, and your coalition may be powerful enough to indeed prevent conflict. Get it wrong, and the situation may get worse.
Conflict Prevention[1] and peacebuilding, the young discipline that has set out to master this treacherous field, has been learning fast. Researchers are discovering how complex and specific each conflict is. NGO’s at local, national and international level are finding out what they can and cannot do to promote peace within divided communities. They are increasingly aware of the need to liaise with governments, which in turn are beginning to welcome cooperation with non-state actors. ‘We, the people’, in whose name the United Nations was originally set up, are finally taking our place at the table.
Many actors spanning from UN agencies, to government and non-governmental organizations have realized the need for networking across traditional boundaries on issues of conflict prevention and peacebuilding e.g. the UNDP concluded in 2000 that “substantive partnership with civil society organizations (CSOs) is of greater strategic importance than ever.” In recognition of the crucial development role of CSOs, the UNDP developed a partnership agenda.
On governmental level the participants of “Partners in Prevention: the regional EU conference on conflict prevention” in Helsingborg in August 2002 concluded in the Helsingborg Agenda that “our common ambition is to enhance cooperation with NGOs, civil society, the business community and research institutions in the implementation of the conflict prevention agenda” (paragraph 13).
Furthermore in the Carnegie Commission on preventing Deadly Conflict’s final report the conclusion is drawn that “the prevention of deadly conflict is, over the long term, too hard –intellectually, technically, and politically –to be the responsibility of any single institution or government, no matter how powerful. Strengths must be pooled, burdens shared, and labor divided among actors. This is a practical necessity”.
However, the attack on the WTC on September 11, 2001, following the US led war on terrorism, and the linked wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, could cause a set-back in this positive development and therefore calls for a strong, united counter-voice: an alternative to the military paradigm demanding non-violent resolution of conflicts.
In June 2001 the Secretary General of the United Nations published the report on ‘Prevention of Armed Conflict’ (A/55/985 – S/2001/574). Chapter V, on ‘Interaction between the United Nations and other international actors in the prevention of armed conflict’, section B, ‘Non-governmental organizations and civil society’ deals with non-governmental organizations and civil society.
In the report it is repeated that ‘Article 71 of the Charter of the United Nations recognizes the contributions that non-governmental organizations can provide to the goals of the United Nations.’ Furthermore the report lists a number of roles NGOs can play: ‘NGOs can contribute to the maintenance of peace and security by offering non-violent avenues for addressing the root causes of conflict at an early stage. Moreover, NGOs can be an important means of conducting track II diplomacy when Governments and international organizations are unable to do so. […] International NGOs also provide studies of early warning and response opportunities, and can act as advocates in raising the international consciousness of particular situations and in helping to shape public opinion’.
These passages, recognizing the role of civil society and NGOs in the prevention of armed conflict, are a great moral support to the work of the relatively young field of conflict prevention. It is, however, often 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 overcome this gap, several publications on lessons learned in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding have been issued recently based on years of experience in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. These valuable publications show that the field is more or less moving from a pioneer stage into a reflective stage of increased professionalism. For the field in general, it is of utmost importance to develop an analytical frame and to look for common features in the diverse approaches and sectors. It is our aim to stimulate exchange of information and discussion in the conflict-prevention and peacebuilding field, but also raise political and public interest for these issues. It is therefore a challenging task to focus even more on the role of different actors and sectors, such as Governments, intergovernmental organizations, regional organizations, the corporate sector, and civil society, and on their specific, complementary roles. It is however even more important to take one step further, and look at how these different actors and sectors could co-operate in the future in a more efficient, integrative and coherent way.
The Secretary General’s appeal for NGOs to hold an international conference to discuss their role in the prevention of armed conflict (recommendation 27) comes as a golden opportunity for the conflict-prevention and peacebuilding community to consolidate its rapid development. Best Practice and Lessons Learned from recent conflicts all over the world have yet to be brought together into a disciplined body of knowledge. The strengths and limitations of the approach have yet to be properly evaluated. The problems of integration and coherence intrinsic to new forms of diplomacy have yet to be fully worked out. And just as important, the enormous potential of this form of human commitment has yet to be widely grasped.
In presenting this plan for an integrated two-year program leading to an international conference, the European Centre for Conflict Prevention is keenly aware that Northern ideas are only one strand in the thread of world experience. The program is therefore conceived as a worldwide undertaking, with every region invited to assemble and contribute its own insight into the experience of recent conflict. At the same time, the program is designed to raise the profile of conflict prevention and peacebuilding at all levels all over the world. The final Conference at UN Headquarters in New York will thus mark the end of a long and inclusive debate and usher in a new phase of partnership between NGOs, civil society, governments and the United Nations.