Events

Ottawa Conference: 'Darfur: Who's Responsible? Applying Responsibility to Protect to the Case of Darfur', November 22

Day 1: International University-Level Debate

Darfur: Who’s Responsible?

November 22, 2006, National Arts Centre

Distinguished guests included:

  • Geoffrey H. Pearson, O.C.: Peacekeeping and the Canadian Connection
  • Justin Trudeau: Moderation of Debate
  • Debaters from York University, Simon Fraser University, University of Colorado and University of New Brunswick

Overview of Discussion

This debate on the topic of “Darfur: Who’s Responsible?” aimed to increase national awareness and understanding of the obligations of the international community in the protracted crisis in Darfur, to engage youth in an academic debate on these issues and to honour the 50th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping. Views were presented from the perspectives of the rebels in Darfur, the Government of Sudan, the United Nations, and the African Union. More than 300 high school and university students attended the debate and engaged in a lively and interactive discussion on the issue with particular focus on Canada’s role.

There were four debaters in total. Each debater represented the views of a particular group.

Rebel Groups in Darfur:

The two main rebel groups in Darfur are the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), although divisions have occurred within these factions. Supported by Chad and Eritrea, elements of the rebel groups that did not sign the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in 2006 have regrouped as the National Redemption Front (NRF) and have launched a series of attacks since June 2006. The only rebel signatory of the DPA, the SLA faction of Minni Minawi (SLA/MM), has been accused by Amnesty International of human rights abuses. The main product of the DPA has been to accelerate the break-up of the insurgency into smaller blocs along loose ethnic lines.

United Nations:

In August 2006, UN Security Council Resolution 1706 extended the UN Mission in Sudan to include Darfur, seeking Sudan's consent to deploy 20,600 UN peacekeepers to Darfur to replace the AU’s African Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Sudan rejects the proposal, perceiving it as a threat to their sovereignty. In October 2006, Sudan accused UN Envoy Jan Pronk of hostility and expelled him. The international community is divided over whether to drop the UN proposal in favour of strengthening the AU-led mission. Canada provides logistical and technical assistance to the African Union, assists with the initial implementation of the recently signed Darfur Peace Agreement, and would like to set the conditions for a successful transition to a UN mission as soon as possible.

Government of Sudan:

The Government of Sudan, led by President Bashir, shares power with Southern Sudan in the Government of National Unity since the 2005 North-South peace agreement. The government denies connections to the Janjaweed militia, although AU peacekeepers insist they operate together. The government, despite repeated commitments, has not disarmed the Janjaweed. The government appears to be concerned that a strong UN force in Darfur would both undermine its control of the region and lead to the arrest of regime officials, resulting from International Criminal Court investigations.

African Union:

The African Union Mission was deployed to Sudan in 2004, although the 7,000 AU peacekeepers have had limited resources and have not been able to prevent increasing violence. In 2005, the international community significantly increased its support for AU efforts. By April 2005, pledges to AMIS were US$248 million, as well as airlift support and headquarters and intelligence training from NATO and EU. In 2006, the AU attempted to engage the different parties involved in peace talks to conclude the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA).

The debaters taking on these various roles were:

Eitan Laufer, Debater

Eithan is currently completing a degree in African Studies and Political Science at York University, focusing on UN development within Africa and the representation of Africa on the international stage. He is the president of York University Model United Nations and was the director of York Model United Nations Security Council Simulation in 2005. Eithan is also a 2006 Stevenson African Studies Scholar.

Amanda Wong, Debater

Amanda is currently completing a degree in Political Science at Simon Fraser University, with a concentration in International Development and minor in Geography. She has four years experience working with Model UN related groups and now sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian High School Model UN. Amanda was the previous Director for the European Union at the Richmond Model UN and the Secretary General for the first Simon Fraser Model UN.

Tristan Solome, Debater

Tristan is a Junior a the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, majoring in Global Politics and Economics. He is the Chair/President and Head Delegate of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Model United Nations. Tristan was awarded Best Delegate in his 2006 Canadian International Model United Nations (CANIMUN) committee, as well as, RMMUN 2006.

Angélique Wojcik

Angélique is currently completing a Master’s degree in English and a second year law student at the University of New Brunswick. She is a veteran of the Model UN circuit, participating multiple time in the Canadian International Model United Nations (CANIMUN) both as a delegate and a staff member and as the Secretary General of the 6th Annual John Peters Humphrey Model UN. Angélique was one of four Canadian representatives at the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) Model UN Conference in Beijing in 2004 and is currently chair of the University of New Brunswick International Law Society. She plans on pursuing a career in immigration and refugee law.

Media coverage of the events included:

  • TV interview with CBC Newsworld, Justin Trudeau, November 22, 2006.
  • Saatchi and Saatchi recorded the debate on video, will be available on UNA-Canada website by March 31, 2007.

Day 2: Public Panel and Dinner

Responsibility to Protect and the Case of Darfur

November 23, 2006, Westin Hotel, Ottawa

Distinguished guests included:

  • Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN in Sudan
  • Wendy Gilmour, Director, Peacekeeping and Peace Operations Group, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
  • Carolyn McAskie, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support

Overview of Discussion

On November 23rd, UNA-Canada presented an international event in Ottawa to mark the 50th anniversary of UN peacekeeping. This event brought together academics, policy-makers, and civil society. Two emergent themes on the topic of UN peacekeeping were discussed: (1) The application of Responsibility to Protect in Darfur as it relates to the evolution of peacekeeping; and (2) The spectrum from peacekeeping to peacebuilding.

Mr. Jan Pronk discussed the situation in Darfur. He discussed the root causes for the conflict in Sudan, including the political neglect of people, marginalization, tribal conflict/tribal dimension, racial discrimination, environmental problems, scarce resources and historical and political dimensions. He discussed how these complex causes are always intertwined. He discussed the difficulties and responsibility of the Government of Sudan. He gave a lengthy history of the conflict in Darfur, and discussed UN Security Council reluctance to put the issue on the agenda.

Mr. Pronk discussed his experience with the UN Mission in Sudan. In the early part of the mission troops were able to keep people in the camps protected, where it was also possible to give them humanitarian assistance. Politically, however, and in terms of security, the mission has not been able to do much more. According to Pronk, the UN force should be robust, have a broad mandate, be strong and should be in theater after a peace agreement has been achieved to ensure people can go back to their homes.

He discussed challenges of the African Union force in Darfur, and how it has worsened in 2006. He also discussed the peace talks in Abuja and the resulting agreement in May 2006 for the parties in Darfur. According to Mr. Pronk, this agreement was not a good one, and three major false assumptions were made by the international community with regards to the peace agreement:

  1. The international community assumed that the people of Darfur would accept the peace agreement. However, this has proven to not be true. He believes more than 40% of the people of Darfur will never accept it as it is.
  2. The international community assumed that the government would accept a transition to a UN force. The reality is, according to him, that the government will NEVER accept such a force. Chapter 6 will not be accepted; Chapter 7 is not possible.
  3. It is assumed that trouble in Darfur will not derail the North-South agreement.

Looking to the Future: In 2012, Southern Sudan will vote for or against separation. The North will not accept separation, which could mean a return to war. He believes that the focus has been on a transition—a transition that will not occur. His recommendations of what were needed are:

  • All parties on board.
  • A truce in North Darfur.
  • A new/improved peace agreement.
  • Institutions that will guarantee agreement.
  • A new environment/atmosphere within the international community.

Wendy Gilmour of Foreign Affairs discussed Canada and Darfur. Canada provides logistical and technical assistance to the African Union, assists with the initial implementation of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement, and is contributing to setting the conditions for a successful transition to a UN mission as soon as possible. She also discussed the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine. Throughout the humanitarian crises of the 1990s, the international community failed to agree on rules on how to intervene. In Sept. 2000, the independent International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty was established by Canada to address that challenge. The report in 2001, The Responsibility to Protect, addresses these legal, moral, operational and political questions. In 2005, world leaders agreed that states have a primary responsibility to protect their own populations, and that the international community has a responsibility to act when these governments fail to protect the most vulnerable populations.

That evening, Carolyn McAskie discussed the topic: “From Peacekeeping to Peacebuilding”. Peacebuilding refers to activities that seek “to establish the foundations of peace and provide the tools for building on those foundations” in order to avoid a relapse into conflict. An intergovernmental Peacebuilding Commission was established in June 2003 by the UN to better anticipate and respond to peacebuilding challenges. The Commission will help fill the void between war and peace by creating institutional and systematic links between peacekeeping operations and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts.

She iterated that reconstruction and development in post-conflict environments must be given same level of priority as that of negotiation and peacekeeping. She believes that the international community walks away once peacekeeping mission is over. She asked: why are peacekeeping missions paid for, while aid is voluntarily funded? Louise Arbour argues that the reason for this dichotomy is that economic, social, and cultural rights are not recognized as human rights.

In her view, Canada should be a doer, as well as an enabler. Civil society is often the best mechanism for delivering aid. What is required are:

  • Peace training.
  • Support for security sector reform.
  • Work with countries to address underlying causes
  • Commit to long-term.
  • Put money on table.

She stated that it must be recognized that post-conflict peacebuilding will cost as much as peacekeeping if it is to succeed. The testing ground is the countries where crisis is in danger of falling back into violence. These are countries that may have received millions in peacekeeping money, but have been forgotten in terms of peacebuilding.

Both events were followed by a series of questions from the audience, mainly related to the “Responsibility to Protect”. In addition to the above-mentioned activities, UNA-Canada arranged a meeting for Mr. Pronk with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Sudan Task Force, as well as a high-level political meeting with Minister McKay’s parliamentary assistant.

Media coverage of the events included:

Linked Roundtable

Ottawa: Responsibility to Protect and Canadian Civil Society, March 12, 2007

On Monday, March 12th, 2007, the UNA-Canada Peacekeeping Project held a closed roundtable in Ottawa on Responsibility to Protect and Canadian Civil Society at the CANADEM Conference Room. This event was funded by DFAIT and CIDA. This was the tenth roundtable dialogue in a series organized to mark the 50th Anniversary of UN Peacekeeping.

The event consisted of a morning closed to policy-makers, academics, experts, etc who formed a high-level consultation team on the topic to come up with concrete findings and recommendations (15 people).

Discussants for Roundtable:

  • Nicole Deller, Program Advisor, World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy
  • Don Hubert, Human Security Policy Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Int’l Trade