Summary: Working Group on Peace and Disarmament

The role of civil society in supporting peace processes and disarmament negotiations

This is a session summary. The executive summary for this working group is available here.

Time:		18 July 2002, 16:00 – 17:30
Location:		ICCG 4
Moderator(s):		• Mr. Colin Archer, International Peace Bureau (IPB)
Presenters/ Participants:		• Ms. Bineta Diop, Femmes Afrique Solidarité • H.E. Vladimir Petrovsky, United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG)
Reporters:		Mr. Kapil Jain (International Peace Bureau), Ms. Olivia Martin (Hague Appeal)
Resource Person:		Mr. Jan Phillipe Roos
Language:		English
Key words:		Strategic stability, human security, disarmament, negotiation, humanitarian threshold, UN charter, international law, African, grassroots, unification, peace

In this session, Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky, the former Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva, gave a comprehensive primer on the state of strategic security, and how this concept must evolve in the post 9-11 world. He talked about taking full advantage of the current disarmament laws in the UN charter and supplementing them with legal deterrents instead of the traditional military means. He also referred to the role of civil society in promoting a peaceful world and mobilizing political will. Ms. Bineta Diop from Femmes Afrique Solidarité talked about the role of African women in enabling peace processes by highlighting a few case study examples. She advocated the unification of grassroots women's organizations and rallying around a common platform combined with working to get women's voices heard at the negotiation table as a key part of the peace negotiation process.

Mr. Petrovsky opened by explaining that during the Cold War, we had a concept of strategic stability, which stemmed from bilateral nuclear power, offensive and defensive weapons, and information advantage, the natural end to which would have been destruction. He suggested that we must now focus on the larger concept of strategic security, which involves state and non-state actors, including non-governmental organizations and the UN, and encompasses the broader security of individuals from violence, hunger, and disease (UNR 44-21).

Mr. Petrovsky talked about using international law, UN supervision where necessary, and multilateral negotiations to promote disarmament. He also referred to the necessity of distinguishing between the leadership of a nation and its people in order to minimize punitive effects on vulnerable civilian populations.

Mr. Petrovsky concluded by warning that the work of the Conference on Disarmament is slowing down and that civil Society and international NGOs in particular have the power to mobilize the political will to convene a Special Conference on Disarmament. He said that NGOs play an important role in supporting the formation of policy by providing policy-makers with valuable information.

The second speaker, Ms. Bineta Diop from Femmes Afrique Solidarité talked about the role of African women in enabling peace processes. As African women still face cultural and institutional barriers to having their voices heard, rallying at conferences such as the World Civil Society Forum and establishing a grassroots presence are important, she explained. Women are generally the biggest victims of war, said Ms. Diop, citing UNR 13-25. As such, women play a fundamental role in rehabilitation, reconstruction, prevention and resolution.

Ms. Diop cited the examples of women mobilizing against the embargo in Burundi; forming a group to represent women at the all-male Djibouti negotiations over Somalia; playing a pivotal role in the campaign to ban landmines; and working toward the moratorium on small arms in West Africa. All are good examples of empowered women making a difference. In conclusion, Ms. Diop said that the support of civil society, the UN, media and government are essential as women devise strategies to use in peace negotiations.

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