Building a Culture of Peace and Preventing Conflict in the Greater Caribbean
Introduction
As we survey the global landscape and witness situations of war, civil unrest and ethnic strife, escalating economic opportunities and environmental degradation, it is clear that addressing the issues of peace and conflict are more important than ever.
In light of global and hemispheric dynamics and challenges, I believe it is also timely and relevant to re-examine and further define the roles that regional, multilateral, and inter-governmental organizations can and should play in building and maintaining peace and security.
It is with this notion in mind that I commend the organizers and especially the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) for convening this important conference and for inviting the OAS to participate in this critical discussion on providing more effective regional assistance for conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace building.
The Association of Caribbean States is, in my view, a relevant institution, which can support fundamental developmental processes in the member states and I look forward strengthening the collaboration between the OAS and the ACS, not only in the area of the conflict resolution, but also in the other responsibilities and mandates of the ACS.
In my view, building a culture of peace –to make a culture of life possible- requires more than searching for immediate solutions to existing problems or conflicts. It requires an understanding of the nexus between peace, security and development. It requires us to search for the underlying causes of conflicts. In short: what is driving the division among people and why ? It requires also political will and commitment at the highest levels –both executive and legislative- in every country.
Without ignoring the existence of inter-state conflicts related to territorial and maritime disputes and the need to resolve those, I intend to focus in today’s presentation on the intra-state conflicts.
Over the past decade, international and regional organizations have found themselves increasingly concerned with intra-state socio-political conflicts. Most often such conflicts have serious regional and international security implications.
Situations of conflict are often too complex for one-dimensional responses, and too large and cross-cutting for any country to seek to address them alone or in isolation.
Strengthening multilateral cooperation is the most obvious method for responding to the current threats affecting democratic stability and regional security in the Western Hemisphere. Many believe that multilateralism is undergoing a crisis, a view I do not share. I admit that much more can and needs to be done, but much has been achieved over the past years in a multilateral context, which never would have been without cooperation between states. For the new OAS leadership the OAS is the main vehicle for the debate on matters of concern to the member states and the debate provides for an opportunity to take collective action and build consensus. I sincerely believe that no country in the Western Hemisphere would want to loose or weaken this opportunity.
As threats become more complex and interrelated, there is a need to make our cooperation more effective thereby enabling us all to respond more swiftly to evolving global and regional threats.
At the same time, we recognize that specific threats which can be unique in their formulation, scope and objectives require threat-specific responses. Consequently, realistic assessments of actual threats are necessary. Over-reaction to perceived or imaginary threats could potentially generate new types of instability and create adverse effects for the international system.
No doubt, member states, organizations as well as the civil society organizations, such as those represented here today, have an important role to play and must be willing to take the lead in strengthening democratic governance and promoting the peaceful resolution of complex problems that face the different countries and sub-regions of our hemisphere.
Regional Security
Social and economic tensions, poverty, continuing inequality and social injustice, ethnic rivalries, and the impact of intra-regional migration, among other areas, have exposed underlying fault lines in many countries of the Greater Caribbean and the Hemisphere at large.
In the Americas we observe that in many countries the underlying basic values of a democratic political culture have been eroded by the incapacity of state institutions to deliver the basic services and fulfill social needs of significant portions of the population. Civic discontent resulting in damaging and massive unrest and instability, within a democratic framework, has forced constitutionally elected leaders to leave office prematurely. Over the past years more that seven democratically elected Heads of State have been forced to demit office as a result of democratic non-parliamentary pressures. This trend requires in-depth study and analysis and provides indeed a new challenge in the inter-American system.
As a consequence democratic governability in a number of states in the region is being challenged. Other problems, like the international illegal drug trafficking, the alarming rise in organized gangs and criminality, and illegal trafficking in arms add to these challenges and force governments to focus on short-term actions, instead of strategic development objectives.
This is why it comes as no surprise that, over the past few years, the concept of security had to be expanded in our hemisphere. While it still encompasses traditional threats, following the Bridgetown Declaration, adopted at the 2001 OAS General Assembly in Barbados, the security paradigm has been appropriately expanded to incorporate non-traditional threats such as poverty, illicit drug trafficking, communicable diseases, transnational organized crime, acts of terrorism, human trafficking, destruction of the environment and natural disasters.
The newly defined hemispheric security agenda identifies these challenges as “transnational threats” to peace and security and although their effects are felt, first and foremost, at the national level, countries of the region are increasingly aware of the serious “spillover effects” across borders.
One such real threat to our citizens and our democracies is the growth and activities of transnational criminal youth gangs.
Recent statistics show that in Jamaica, for example, there has been an alarming increase in gang activity from 35 operating gangs in 1994 to over 80 today.
In Central and North America, gangs have grown from neighborhood thugs into criminal enterprises. I do not need to remind you of the recent horrible killings in prisons in Guatemala by the “pandilla’s”, while other countries in the Central American region are seriously impacted by the presence and activities of these gangs.
We must recognize that gang violence is invariably linked to a series of factors that span from extreme poverty, deportation, limited educational opportunities to the worsening domestic social and economic conditions.
Aside from the terrible human cost, this violence threatens political stability, inhibits social development, and discourages foreign investment in the affected regions, which are often in critical need of development. It is critical that policy-makers, governments and civil society urgently begin addressing the roots of this phenomenon in order to contain the spread of this activity even further.
Additionally, several countries in the Greater Caribbean, such as Colombia, are experiencing acute internal political conflict. The OAS is supporting the peace process in that country by leading the demobilization and reintegration efforts of the ex-paramilitary.
In Haiti, a country plagued by myriad social, economic and political challenges, the OAS has been steadfast in its commitment to work with key stakeholders in moving the country forward, over time.
Between 1994 and 2004, Haiti was host to ten international peace operations -at the average of one per year- including two multi-national forces, two missions led by the Organization of American States, and six UN peace operations, of which four have been peacekeeping operations, one police support mission, and one civilian mission. Yet, despite this intensive and prolonged international effort in a small country of seven million people, lasting peace remains elusive in Haiti.
Notwithstanding, the OAS continues to be committed to helping Haiti establish a stable and democratic government. Currently our Organization, along with the Haitian Interim Government and the UN are working harder than ever to strengthen Haiti’s democratic system by setting in place an electoral voter registration system that will not only result in a free and fair election process, but will lay the foundation for a permanent national civil and electoral registry—the first ever in the history of Haiti.
In my view, the elections are only one step towards stability, but the real challenge will be democratic governability after the elections. We need to promote in Haiti an environment of national dialogue, consensus, reconciliation and compromise, so as to support the acceptance of the outcome of the elections by all. We cannot allow democratic governability to be threatened by the unwillingness by politicians and political parties of the outcome of the elections. Haitians have the key to their own future and should be in the forefront of these efforts to a renewed start of building a society that is stable and has the opportunity to grow and prosper. The international community has reaffirmed its support to Haiti recently at the meeting of the Haiti Core Group in New York led by Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The Role of the OAS in Conflict Resolution
As the hemisphere’s oldest regional political body, the Organization of American States has played a central role in the resolution of conflict both between and within member states. In recent years however, the OAS has been focusing intensively on refining its approach to these challenges in a variety of ways.
In 2004, the organizational structure of the OAS changed significantly. Of particular importance was the creation of the Office for the Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts (OPRC) within the Department of Democratic and Political Affairs.
This new office inherited the diverse experiences of the organization in post-conflict reconstruction, peace-building and democracy strengthening developed over a period of 12 years. What we have learned from these experiences is crucial for our future actions.
We need to develop new paradigms for a more advanced form of collaborative and participatory democracy that fosters the peaceful resolution of disputes, dialogue between political actors, consensus building, and cross-sector collaboration in public policy development.
We believe that we can help countries strengthen democratic governance by developing national capacities to engage in constructive dialogue and help countries find ways to institutionalize conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms within their existing structures.
This is one of the most strategic forms of support that the OAS can offer the Hemisphere.
OAS experience in democratic strengthening has enabled the Organization to act as a facilitator, sometimes as a negotiator, in many key political crises in the region. Previous OAS programs and missions have had significant political impact in situations ranging from volatile political violence to low intensity conflicts.
As the leading regional organization, the OAS will continue its assistance in facilitating the resolution of conflicts, in conformity with the approach followed in Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, among others. For this the OAS has developed several instruments and has received far reaching mandates, such as those expressed in the Charter of the OAS, which aims at peace, justice, development and justice, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, among others. It can work toward laying the foundation for sub regional institutions to embrace these new paradigms in democracy-building and effectively promote a culture of peace through the prevention of violence.
In my view it is crucial for regional bodies like the OAS to continue to engage in such diplomatic efforts and function as an honest broker in resolving and managing political conflict.
Despite limited resources, the OAS has been adept at developing cooperative partnerships with other sub-regional actors in order to effectively address the current challenges. In our view strategic partnerships work, as they provide the opportunity to pool resources, expertise and impact.
In the Greater Caribbean, the OAS can work with the ACS, CARICOM and other sub-regional entities on developing a partnership approach for setting a common political agenda on issues such as migration, sustainable development, natural disaster mitigation, development and human security - all issues that are not only prevalent but of great importance to the countries that comprise the Greater Caribbean.
We recognize that a stable society is a prerequisite for sustained growth and economic development. Building peace and managing conflict peacefully, are, therefore critical for national development and regional progress.
Ultimately, the true test of hemispheric cooperation in building a culture of peace within the hemisphere and the sub-regions, lies in how member states can work together to promote and strengthen democratic governance where countries face extreme political breakdown within established democratic environments.
Recommendations
Allow me to highlight a few recommendations which I consider critical to the strengthening the Inter-American system in the area of preventive diplomacy and early conflict prevention.
I believe that a regular and systematic exchange of information and experiences between the sub-regional and regional organizations is critical to understand the existing conflicts in their full context, as well as to take note of the response mechanism put in place and their functioning in resolving these crises. Maybe consideration should be given to a hemispheric virtual network where this information can be posted.
Would it not be ideal to have a system in place that can inform us about the imminence of conflicts in our Hemisphere, so that a timely, proactive and focused response can mitigate the negative impact of these developments?
Fully aware of the political sensitivity of matters of this nature, I would think that information exchange, monitoring of socio-economic trends and strategic analysis of key factors can provide the multilateral system with an indication where assistance will be required.
To be effective in anticipating crisis, the OAS and others need accurate and timely socio-political analyses of important events developing in the different member states. We are currently considering which existing mechanisms we can use that can more aptly provide reliable information, promote technical cooperation, and help member states develop policies that alleviate social concerns, as well as sensitize local populations to the value and work of the OAS.
I believe firmly in a structural approach to creating an environment in societies where conflicts can be minimized and in this regard education is of critical importance. To make a culture of democracy and peace possible, we need to educate, on an on-going basis, the people at large about democratic values and the role of democratic institutions. I feel that we should include this in the curriculum of our young student. We need to teach our children how to deal with competitions, that it is okay to loose and that the winner should be respected and that there will be another opportunity to compete, we need to teach these fundamental social skills early so that its becomes a “second nature”.
In this mandatory subject in schools we should also promote a better understanding and communication between civilizations, promoting respect and acceptance of norms and values of other cultures. Many of the conflicts at individual level or at group level emanate from not knowing and therefore not respecting the cultural values of others, often indigenous people, migrants or ethnic minorities.
In my view there is a role for all actors in society in creating this conducive environment for peaceful co-existence. In particular those organizations and institutions operating at the grass root level can be very effective in communicating these objectives and achieving the understanding at a micro level. Government and private sector need to facilitate this process, as it is in their interest to create a society which is stable and attractive to investment and production.
I am convinced that this meeting, sponsored by the ACS, UNESCO, UNDP and all the other partner organizations involved will provide the space for dialogue and action on this important subject. I call on the leaders of the organizations here to search for ways to help the Inter-American community of nations advance a more proactive and effective approach to conflict prevention in the Hemisphere.
Let me end by sharing with you this personal reflection.
We live in a world that has seen dramatic and rapid changes in the way we live and communicate, due to technological innovations. And daily we are serviced with new tools how to make our lives easier. At the same time we must realize that almost all generations over the past two hundred years have lived in a global climate of fear, conflict and war.
We could ask ourselves “Where is the higher moral that supposedly accompanies higher levels of civilization? What has gone wrong with the noble objectives of advocating peace and solidarity, respect and understanding? These are basic questions we need to raise and try to analyze, with the aim to find lasting ways of securing peace.
The famous Indian singer Mohammed Rafi, who sang over 25,000 songs in the different languages of India, both Hindu and Muslim-oriented –bridging two major world civilizations and religions-, sang once in English:
“Although we hail from different lands,
We share one earth, and sky and sun,
Remember Friends, the World is One!”
And he continued…
“We want no hate and we want no strife
Since we were born for love and life”.
How fundamental and simple is the truth in these words and yet we continue to fight and enter into wars that cost lives, use scarce capital to kill instead to sustain life, and create profound social, psychological and material damage.
We have to realize that ultimately we have no choice: we all have to live in the same place, whether that is our neighborhood, our town, our cities, our countries or the world as a whole, and we have to share the same resources, so in the end peaceful coexistence will be the best option for all.
We have indeed a huge responsibility to create change, to build peace. Confidence in the democratic system must be restored by the civic and political leadership of each and every country in the hemisphere, with the support of organizations like the OAS, CARICOM, the ACS, UNESCO, UNDP and others.
The OAS stands ready to work with you to build a culture of peace and prosperity for the peoples and nations of the Americas.
And it is in this spirit of cooperation and solidarity that I wish you all a most fruitful conference and I look forward to the results of your debate.
I thank you for your attention.