Events

Winnipeg: Human Security Approaches to UN Peacekeeping, January 23, 2007

On Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007, the UNA-Canada and the UNA-Canada Winnipeg branch held a forum in Winnipeg on Human Security Approaches to UN Peacekeeping at the University of Winnipeg. This event was funded by DFAIT and CIDA. This was the sixth public dialogue in a series organized to mark the 50th Anniversary of UN Peacekeeping.

The event consisted of two components. The afternoon session was 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 (17 people).

In the evening, a public event was open to civil society and general public (about 45 people attended) with 2 panel speakers, and extensive time for discussion among the public. This fulfilled the UNA-Canada mandate to facilitate dialogue among the Canadian public, as well as provide an education value through the panelists.

Panelists for Public Dialogue:

  • Ted Itani, CIDA Consultant, Red Cross experience, CIDA
  • Pierre Kyer, Civilian Member, RCMP, recently returned from 20 months in the Congo.

Overview of Discussion

The participants of the closed experts’ roundtable and the panelists of the public dialogue event discussed Human Security Approaches to UN Peacekeeping. Participants explored the concept of human security, both in theoretical and practical terms, and examined the role of the international community in promoting human security. Participants also discussed the application of human security in UN peacekeeping and looked at ways of improving human security in field operations.

Roundtable participants generally recognized that there has been an increased emphasis on human security, however important differences emerged from the discussion, particularly with respect to the definition and the theoretical implications of human security. A common concern among some participants was the “fuzziness” and lack of coherent understanding surrounding the definition of human security which, they suggested, has done little to aid in operationalizing the concept. In this regard, one participant stressed the importance of developing a coherent framework for understanding what is meant by human security and to ensure that we are operating within the same set of assumptions. Other participants, however, did not feel the need to dwell on the exact definition of the framework, and pointed instead to the need to focus on the implications of human security in practice. Overall, participants felt the need to further explore how human security and peacekeeping interact on the ground, as doing so will effectively help in the elaboration of more focused policy recommendations.

Sample of Recommendations

  • Promote policy-relevant research on human security issues as part of peacekeeping operations, but also as part of an integrated and sustainable peacebuilding policy.
  • Conduct research on the cost-benefit analysis of the politicization of aid, as a means of understanding its consequences in the field to help practitioners respond in future crises.
  • Conduct a study on the consequences in the field of a 3D approach.
  • Fund specific civil society and academic programs geared toward taking a human security focus in peacekeeping operations.
  • Promote and support efforts to educate the public on the role that Canadian peacekeepers (military, police and civilian) have played in human security issues.
  • Enhance prioritization between human security and capacity building by developing, a clear set of priorities for moving forward based on an assessment of the needs on the ground.