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Working Together

Preventing conflict generally requires the involvement of many actors across many different levels and, as such, effective collaboration can be very important. It doesn't always happen, of course, but if NGOs, the United Nations, regional institutions, and governments can develop shared understandings about the conflict—and coordinated policy responses—the resolution of a conflict is more likely. (See article in this issue on “Preventing Genocide: Lessons from the 20th Century.”)

© Refugees InternationalNGOs can play an important role by, among other things, providing information to help decision makers understand the impact of their policies in communities plagued by violence. UN Special Adviser on Genocide Prevention Juan Mendez has noted that non-state actors can be particularly helpful in the process of gathering information, especially when they are working in a state where the situation is deteriorating, but where state officials are unwilling to provide information.

Advocacy groups can also work together with international organizations to build support for international treaties, like helping to stop the proliferation of the small arms that fuel conflict, for example. Jodie Williams’ successful campaign to bring about an international treaty to ban landmines is one frequently cited example, and the Control Arms Campaign—sponsored by Oxfam International, Amnesty International, and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)—hope to replicate that success in coming years.

NGOs like Saferworld were among many whose intense lobbying led to the European Union’s adoption of a Code of Conduct on Arms Exports. Another example of civil society and government collaboration comes from the West African Network for Peacebuilding, which has entered into an agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to make it easier for grassroots organizations to provide early warning information on conflicts to four bureaus located in four ECOWAS zones.

Moving Forward

In a desire to see more effective partnerships between civil society groups and the United Nations on this topic, many NGOs have worked hard to ensure that they have a consultative role in a new UN Peacebuilding Commission, which came into existence in late 2005. This body is meant to marshal the resources of the UN system on post-conflict recovery and to better coordinate the activities of the many actors working in this field. (For more information, see the Amnesty International interview in this issue.)

A UN-civil society conference—“From Reaction to Prevention”—was also held at UN headquarters in July 2005. While some opined that the event didn’t provide enough concrete resolutions or clear ideas on how to move forward, it nonetheless brought over 900 people together from 118 countries to begin a dialogue about regional and global priorities. Participants unanimously agreed “on the need for governments and inter-governmental organizations to direct greater priority and resources to early prevention of armed conflict.”

The organizers of this event—The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict—have since committed to

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prioritizing “the development and funding of a four-year global work plan to broaden and deepen conflict prevention work in the near-term.” They also hope to increasingly focus on building public awareness of the importance of conflict prevention efforts.

And this is where advocacy work comes in. “If a loud and vocal constituency for conflict prevention holds leaders accountable and publicizes failures to act on early warning, then leaders will be much more disposed to place a high priority on preventive diplomacy,” says Davidson College’s Menkhaus. He adds that the rise in the number and influence of advocacy groups pressing for conflict prevention has already begun to make a difference. He goes on to say,

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however, that advocacy must be coupled with measures to convince governments that conflict prevention is not just a moral or humanitarian imperative, but a cornerstone of any state’s national interest.

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