Summary: June 21, 2001: The role of the Security Council in the prevention of armed conflicts. Statement by Ambassador Pierre Schori, Permanent Representative of Sweden on behalf of the European Union (New York)
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European Countries associated with the European Union Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, and the associated countries Cyprus and Malta, as well as the EFTA country member of the EEA Iceland, align themselves with this statement.
Mr. President,
Conflict prevention lies at the heart of the mandate of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. In its presidential statement of July 2000, this Council underlined the overriding humanitarian and moral imperative as well as the economic advantages of preventing the outbreak and escalation of conflicts. Over the last couple of years, the Security Council has paid increasing attention to the significance of preventive activities and to the need to create a
culture of prevention. The report by the Secretary-General on the prevention of armed conflict, before us today, mirrors the commitment on the part of the Security Council, as well as the wider UN system and its member states, to strengthen our collective measures in this field.
The European Union commends the Secretary-General for his longstanding effort to move the United Nations from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention. We warmly welcome his recent report as part of that effort, appreciating its thorough review of progress achieved in developing the conflict prevention strategy of the United Nations as well as its many concrete recommendations for further improvements. One of the report's particular strengths lies in its comprehensive approach and its
emphasis on the importance of co-ordination and co-operation between the wide range of actors to ensure effective preventive strategies. As the Secretary-General points out, many UN actors as well as the Bretton Woods institutions, Member States, international and regional organisations, the civil society and the private sector have important roles to play.
Improving co-ordination is vital for effective prevention. The European Union recently adopted a programme for the prevention of violent conflicts, in which co-operation with the United Nations is a prominent feature. The programme declares that EU actions will be undertaken in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, in keeping with the primary role of the United Nations in conflict prevention. It recalls that the main responsibility for conflict prevention rests with the
parties concerned, and reiterates the importance of local and regional capacity-building. Also, it stipulates that the European Union will set out clear political priorities for preventive actions, improve its early warning, action and policy coherence, and enhance its instruments for long- and short-term prevention.
The EU programme, like the Secretary-General's report, moreover emphasises the need to build and sustain effective and mutually reinforcing partnerships for prevention, between the UN system, regional and sub-regional organisations and civil society. To this end, and in line with the modalities for such co-operation agreed on by the UN Regional Organisations High-Level meeting in July 1998, the European Union has recently adopted guidelines for an intensified interaction with the United Nations
in the areas of conflict prevention and crisis management. Specific themes for this co-operation include regional issues, civilian and military aspects of crisis management, and, in the particular field of conflict prevention, exchange of information, co-operation on fact-finding, co-ordination of diplomatic activity, and field co-ordination and training.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General's report contains close to thirty recommendations, aiming at mobilising the collective potential of the United Nations system with greater coherence and focus on conflict prevention. The recommendations are pertinent and wise, and several of them can be implemented without requiring additional resources. For example, the European Union supports the proposal for closer interaction between the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, and
considers that practical arrangements for this should not be hard to find.
Noting that the recommendations are addressed to a wide range of organs and actors, the European Union looks forward to elaborating its position when the proposals are dealt with in the various relevant fora. The deliberations in the General Assembly envisaged for mid-July will provide an opportunity to present at greater length and in more detail the comprehensive position of the European Union on the totality of the Secretary-General's recommendations. In that connection, we stand ready to
participate in the development of a practical roadmap to implement the specific recommendations contained in the report, as proposed by the Secretary-General.
However, the report also contains a number of interesting recommendations addressed specifically to this Council. The European Union notes with satisfaction statements made by Security Council members in today's debate, indicating their willingness to take action in follow-up to the Secretary-General's report. The European Union believes that these recommendations merit close attention, including the proposal that the Security Council consider some kind of innovative mechanism for discussions
on prevention cases on a continuing basis, with regard either to reports submitted by the Secretary-General or to early warning or other prevention cases brought to the Council's attention by Member States. In this connection, we recall the crucial role given to the Secretary-General in article 99 of the UN Charter, in bringing to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security. The intention of the
Secretary-General to initiate a practice of providing periodic regional and sub-regional reports the Security Council is important in that regard. As to contributions by Member States, the European Union notes with appreciation the innovative and valuable provision in the recent Security Council resolution on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/RES/1355), requesting both the Secretary-General and Member States to make proposals on how to address the interrelated crises in Burundi and the
DRC.
Other important recommendations addressed to the Security Council, among others, include to make more active use of preventive deployments before the onset of conflict, as appropriate, to support peace-building components within peace-keeping operations, to include a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration component in the mandates of UN peacekeeping and peace-building operations, to make full use of information and analyses emanating from the UN human rights mechanisms and bodies, to
invite the Office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator to brief the Council on situations where there is a substantial risk of a humanitarian emergency and to call for and support the implementation of preventive protection and assistance activities by UN agencies in such situations, and to give greater attention to gender perspectives in its conflict prevention and peace-building activities. These are all useful and practical proposals, with the potential of enhancing notably the capacity of
the Security Council in the field of prevention and mirroring the EU's own efforts to enhance its conflict prevention and crisis management capabilities. The European Union encourages the Security Council to consider carefully these recommendations, as well as possible complementary and additional measures.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General points to several important principles for replacing the prevailing culture of reaction with a culture of prevention. Among them, the European Union notes in particular that conflict prevention is one of the primary obligations of Member States set forth in the UN Charter. Other core principles include that prevention should be in conformity with international law, and that it will not be successful without local ownership and a firm commitment to its principles by
national actors. As the Secretary-General points out, early action taken nationally to alleviate conditions that could lead to armed conflict can help strengthen the sovereignty of States.
The European Union considers that conflict prevention calls for a co-operative approach to facilitate peaceful solutions to disputes, and that preventive strategies should be developed so that action can be initiated at the earliest possible stage of a conflict cycle. In that way, actions can be most effective and large scale operations ideally be avoided. The European Union looks forward to working with other Member States in developing such strategies. Conflict prevention efforts create an
environment that reinforces sustained and equitable development, and vice versa. As the Secretary-General points out, investing in conflict prevention offers the potential for multiple returns for national development over the long term.
The report also highlights the comprehensive nature of conflict prevention, involving operational and structural elements, and short- and long-term measures. An effective preventive strategy requires that deep-rooted socio-economic, cultural, environmental, institutional and structural causes are addressed. And it entails political, diplomatic, humanitarian, human rights, developmental, institutional and other measures. In this context, the European Union stresses the importance of adherence to
international law, not least the Conventions on Human Rights and International Refugee Law, and reiterates that applying the rule of law in relations between states and ensuring respect for human rights reduces the risk of violent conflict. Good governance, basic principles of democracy and transparency and the responsibility and commitment of political leaders are similarly important elements in the context of conflict prevention.
Mr. President,
In his report, the Secretary-General recalls that the United Nations has a moral responsibility to ensure that genocides such as that perpetrated in Rwanda are prevented from ever happening again. History has taught us - at times through horrendous lessons - of our shortcomings. But the present also reveals that preventing widespread human suffering remains a commanding challenge for individual states and our collective organ, the United Nations. We, the member states, must improve our common
understanding and approach, build and support sustained political will and commitment, and increase our readiness to take action, combining in creative and co-ordinated ways the tools at our disposal. The European Union recognizes the dimensions of the task, but remains convinced that progress can, and must, be made.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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