Présentation de M. Souren Seraydarian Deputy SRG for Operations and Rule of Law United Nations Mission in Liberia
Excellencies
Distinguished guests and participants
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here and honoured to chair a roundtable of such distinguished participants. I would like to thank the government of France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for giving me the opportunity to facilitate today's discussions.
As we all know, borders in West Africa are notoriously
porous-weapons, loot, combatants, natural resources, refugees,
trafficked women and children all flow relatively unhindered in and
out of unstable countries where impunity reigns and the state has
little control. Problem such as these easily spread throughout a
region where borders cut through ethnic groups, cultures and economic
ties.
A conflict in any one country easily spilles over into neighbouring
countries and has a ripple effect throughout the sub-region. A
sub-regional approach is therefore not only desirable but absolutely
necessary.
Liberia has for quite some time been at the center of a regional vortex of instability reaching into the neighbouring countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire. The country has, over the past 14 years, missed many opportunities for peace offered by both ECOWAS and the UN, beginning with the deployment of ECOMOG in 1991 and UNOMIL in 1993. On 19 August 2003 after initially authorising the deployment of ECOMIL as a vanguard of force, the United Nations Security Council afforded Liberia yet another chance to begin adressing entrenched security, governance, and rule of law quandaries by establishing the United Nations Mission Liberia, a multidimensional peacekeeping operation.
I would like to begin our discussions of crisis management in West Africa by using Liberia as an example. I will briefly discuss UNMIL strategies for creating an enabling environment for peace and stability in Liberia and outline what I think are preconditions for a successful exit strategy of the mission. These include the establishment of security and stability, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, the extension of state authority throughout the territory of Liberia, the establishment of rule of Law and the conduct of credible elections.
Security
The first component in the peace effort - and this is also a precondition for UNMIL to carry out its mandate - is the establishment of physical security and stability throughout the country. UNMIL has now deployed peacekeeping troops in all areas of Liberia and has made substantial progress in disarming and demobilizing combatants from all three factions - the former government of Liberia and the rebel factions LURD and MODEL. This process has reduced considerably the harassment of the civilian population, which used to commonplace just a few months ago.
In guaranteeing security, reform initiatives such as the restructuring of the army are a priority and it is expected that a bilateral donor will take on this task. You may however consider whether Liberia needs an army in the traditional sense, or if some type of civil defence force is more useful and would constitute less of a threat to an elected government. This, of course, is a decision for the Liberians themselves to take within the framework of the available resources.
DDRR
One of the biggest challenges for the consolidation of peace in Liberia is without doubt the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration of former combatants. As I mentioned, the disarmament and demobilization is proceeding very well and as of today, a total of 32,496 Combatants have been disarmed.
The rehabilitation and reintegration phase of this programme will be
a lot more difficult. The United Nations, in collaboration with
donors, will provide schooling and vocational training to
ex-combatants but the vexing question is how do you reintegrate
former combatants if there is nothing to reintegrate into?
Communities are still shattered and the unemployment rate stands at
75%. If former fighters are not provided with a livelihood, they are
more likely to fall prey to rhetoric of spoilers, including warlords
who may promise them wealth in return for taking up arms again. It is
vital that Liberia's economy is revitalized in order to create
employment for the thousands of idle youth and former combatants. And
to encourage economic development.
Non-corrupt government institutions need to be present throughout
the country providing basic services and guaranteeing basic rights.
Rule of Law
This leads me to the next component in a successful exit strategy - the creation of functioning rule of law institutions. We used think that by establishing physical security and organising elections in post-conflict countries, we had solved the problem and could safely pull out. But we have learned the hard way - often by having to return and do the job all over again - that peace does not equal the absence of violence and war. In order for peace to be sustainable and democracy to take root, social and economic development, health combative diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and education are necessary. This requires basic institutions of government and the establishment of the rule of law.
As Liberia and other crisis countries has experienced, the disintegration of rule of law has to led to a situation where violence, arbitrary killings and human rights abuses go unpunished, which in turn has led to mob justice and general lawlessness. When people's lives and possessions can be randomly taken away, they become afraid invest in the future. And without investments - whether it is planting for the next season, sending the children to school, buying equipment for a business, or joining a civil society group - there can be no development.
Seen from the ground in Liberia, we need a police service which can prevent crime and bring lawbreakers to justice. We also need a judicial system with courts that can try accused criminals, and a corrections system which can house tried prisoners in a humane way. And it is vital that he whole rule of law structure is overseen by a democratic leadership and functions according to international legal norms and with the respect for human rights. Not until there is public trust in these institutions, will there be a foundation for peace and democracy.
On a more theoretical level you can see this process as the gradual renewal of the social contract between the individual and society, which Rousseau famously wrote about. And this also includes a culture of lawfulness where codes of conduct are put into place throughout society, and more importantly, where children are taught democratic values in school.
While building rule of law institutions, there must also be a focus on transitional justice. I firmly believe that for a country like Liberia - emerging from a conflict that has included widespread human rights abuses, violations of humanitarian norms and generalized impunity - it is crucial to unearth the past through an adequate investigation and truth recovery. Without this process, traumas and grievances will remain and become obstacles in building the foundations of rule of law. Liberia must here find a balance between the truth and reconciliation foreseen in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on the one hand, and bringing to justice those who commited war crimes or crimes against international humanitarian law on the other.
UNMIL is working with the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) to expand state authority throughout the country and to establish accountable rule of law institutions. In this effort, UNMIL's rule of law components - police, judiciary, human rights and corrections - are working very closely together to ensure a holistic approach to police restructuring, judiciary and correctional reform and the promotion, monitoring and protection of human rights.
Elections
The final prerequisite for a successful exit strategy I would like to discuss, is the conduct of credible elections. In accordance with the comprehensive peace agreement signed by the Liberian parties in Accra, Liberia will hold elections in October of next year. UNMIL is working closely with UN agencies, ECOWAS, the international contact group on Liberia and other international organizations to strengthen the capacity of the National Elections Commission to carry out the enormous task of developing a new electoral law, plan the demarcation of the new constituencies and conduct voter education and registration. This is especially hard in a country where there are no birth certificates or other proof of citizenship or age.
While elections have a great importance in the peace process, I would like to caution here that elections do not equal democracy. As we have seen before, not only in Liberia but also in places like Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Haiti, holding elections without the necessary peace-building activities I have outlined, can lead to the old corrupt and autocratic leadership being reinstalled. The conduct of elections can therefore not by themselves provide an exit strategy for UNMIL or any other peacekeeping operation.
Regional cooperation
Finally, I would like to say a few words on regional cooperation. With peacekeeping missions now in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Cote d`Ivoire, the United Nations - and that means member states, both individually and collectively - has a unique opportunity to fully develop a regional approach.
Representatives of the regional UN missions meet regularly to coordinate their efforts to combat sub-regional problems such as the movement of fighter and small arms and the use of mercenaries. Further military cooperation between missions, such as the division border-patrolling responsibilities and the sharing of information and resources is under development. The extend of this type of cooperation depends however on the commitment of troop contributing countries.
Regional harmonization for programs in disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration of combatants is badly needed to prevent further cross-border movements of combatants and the peacekeeping missions in the region are working with governments to coordinate strategies.
However, without determined efforts by the countries in the region, this work will come to naught. Possessing the greatest knowledge and understanding of the area, regional and sub-regional organizations have a crucial role, both in peacekeeping and peace-building. I am therefore delighted to see that attempts are being made to revitalize the Mano River Union.
More prominently, ECOWAS has shown great commitment and timely action in sending peacekeeping troops to Liberia. The organization also played a vital role in negotiating the peace agreement. ECOWAS however needs logistical support to carry out large peacekeeping tasks and enhanced capacity to support its monitoring role in the implantation of the peace agreement. Capacity building of ECOWAS is absolutely essential for it to continue and expand its great efforts.
In addition to the issues I have discussed, there are many other regional needs that must be addressed. These included infrastructure development such as building cross border roads and improving interstate communications, further integrating the economy by expanding trade networks and removing the numerous hampering roadblocks throughout the region and combating regional crime such as the smuggling of arms and natural resources and the trafficking of women and children.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to say that even through the challenges to sustainable peace and security in west Africa are daunting, the current international commitment to the region is greater than it has been for a long time. And at least in the case of Liberia, this may be a last opportunity for its people to build a lasting peace. It is highly unlikely that the international community will return yet another time. We must therefore all work hard to assist Liberia and the sub-region as a whole to get onto a path towards sustainable peace and long term development.
The way out of crisis in West Africa includes a sub-regional approach, the establishment of peace and security through DDRR, funding of the security and judicial sectors, a social and economic development strategy supported by resources, functioning institutions, and finally good governance.
It is my hope that we can use this forum to come with practical ideas and solutions in these areas.
Thank you.