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Humanitarian experts discussed the international community’s response to the increased frequency and severity of attacks on healthcare infrastructure, transport, personnel, and patients in situations of armed conflict, at an IPI panel April 14, 2016. The discussion was especially timely, as the UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution on healthcare in armed conflict.

The resolution is sponsored by Egypt, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and Uruguay. Rallying such a diverse group of states around the topic was no easy feat, said Román Oyarzun Marchesi, Permanent Representative of Spain to the UN. “Those of you that are familiar with the Council dynamics will probably agree with me if I call it a small miracle,” he said. “So far we have made it work combining imagination, enthusiasm, and flexibility.”

Encouraged by the Security Council’s work on the subject, Jason Cone, Executive Director, Médecins Sans Frontières, USA, said he hoped that member states will seize this moment to make “public reaffirmations that health facilities must never be a target.” He concluded this call to action to UN members saying, “We cannot accept any criminalization of the medical act.”

He went on to illustrate the spike in violence against even healthcare workers, traditionally understood to be neutral and not legitimate targets. “During the month of October 2015 alone, an MSF trauma center in Kunduz, Afghanistan was bombed, killing 42 staff and patients,” he said. “Twelve hospitals in Syria, including six supported by MSF, were attacked. And an MSF health center in Haydan, Yemen was destroyed.”

“These incidents have a direct and indirect consequence on MSF’s operational capacities and choices, and most importantly our ability to access and treat patients,” he said, lamenting the “unacceptable” choice to cease providing health services as a result of attacks, thereby increasing a conflict’s death toll by depriving many of life-saving medical care.

Stéphane Ojeda, Deputy Permanent Observer to the UN, International Committee of the Red Cross, provided some historical context about the protection of the medical mission—the oldest aspect of the laws of war.

“The protection of the wounded and sick has been at the heart of international humanitarian law (IHL) from the start,” he said. This was the first protected category of the Geneva Conventions, he said, which constituted the norm of treating all sick and wounded, without discrimination or interference, as a keystone of civilized warfare.

Logically, it is impossible to protect the combatant without first protecting medical personnel, he said. “The IHL protection of the wounded and sick would be meaningless without its corollary protection of those taking care of the wounded and sick.”

Ojeda proposed we improve respect for existing international humanitarian law. “We do not need new rules,” he said. “What we need is a better implementation of the existing ones.”

Cone shared concerns about basic protections of international law being overruled by domestic legislation, often written with counter-terrorism as its impetus. “We observe states pushing national counter-terrorism laws or domestic laws, which contradict and often overrule IHL provisions on the protection of the medical mission; we need to see public reaffirmations that health facilities must never be a target.”

He called for improved transparency and accountability in the aftermath of attacks on healthcare facilities. At present, there is often little more than an internal review by the military of the perpetrator, he said. “Whenever an attack occurs, an impartial and independent mechanism should establish the facts,” he said. “States should commit to upholding these standards of fact-finding measures.”

Nata Menabde, Executive Director of the New York Office, World Health Organization (WHO), brought the perspective of the UN to the panel. She explained that a policy prescription must recognize there are both direct and indirect attacks on the healthcare infrastructure, transport, personnel, and patients.

Warfare tactics include obstructing access to health care services for ethnic or political minorities, and intimidating patients from seeking care. “These patients are shot in their beds, medical facilities are looted,” she explained. “That is again, sometimes a part of warfare tactics, not happening by chance, but a tactic.”

Patients are not the only ones intentionally targeted. She also highlighted the punishment of healthcare personnel for the performance of medical duties, such as attacks during the Ebola outbreak, and on polio vaccinators in Nigeria and Pakistan.

Drawing on the examples of current concerns in the field brought to light by her fellow panelists, she said the UN would aim to respond by improving data collection to enable the emergence of evidence-driven solutions. “WHO is committed to improve the standardization of data collection of attacks on healthcare in emergencies, and particularly to better understand consequences of those attacks longer term.”

The event was co-organized with the Permanent Missions of Egypt, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and Uruguay to the UN.

Els Debuf, IPI Senior Adviser for Humanitarian Affairs, moderated the conversation.

ARI 31/2016 - 14/4/2016
Khadija Mohsen-Finan
El secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, Ban Ki-moon, ha despertado las iras de Marruecos al hablar de la ocupación del Sáhara Occidental y recordar la incertidumbre que se cierne sobre el estatuto de este territorio después de más de 40 años.

Beinahe zwei Jahrzehnte nach Ausrufung des Ziels einer »drogenfreien Welt« blüht der globale illegale Drogenhandel. Dabei sind Routen und Märkte einem steten Wandel unterworfen, der Länder und Regionen vor immer neue Herausforderungen stellt. Gerade westafrikanische Staaten sind längst nicht mehr nur als Gebiete für den Transit von Kokain oder Heroin betroffen. Trotzdem haben sie bei den Vorbereitungen zur UN-Sondergeneralversammlung zum Weltdrogenproblem (UNGASS) Ende April 2016 kaum eine Rolle gespielt. Der Prozess hat aber neuen Schwung in die drogenpolitische Debatte der Region gebracht. Das bietet Ansatzpunkte für neue Partnerschaften, insbesondere mit Europa. Denn verschiedene westafrikanische Staaten und Organisationen haben sich der vergleichsweise progressiven drogenpolitischen Position der EU angenähert. Für einen wirklichen Wandel bedarf es aber nicht nur einer Abkehr nationaler Regierungen von den repressiven Ansätzen, die in Westafrika nach wie vor dominieren, sondern auch eines Umdenkens bei europäischen Programmen im Sicherheitsbereich.

Die Märzrevolution 1848, die Reichsverfassung von 1871, die Deutsche Revolution von 1918 und die Entstehung und das Scheitern der Weimarer Republik makierten nur einige Etappen des Parlamentarismus in der nachnapolionischen Zeit. Diesen schwierigen Prozess thematisierte die Grundakademie in Kloster Banz vom 28. bis 31. März 2016.

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On April 12-13, IPI, together with George Mason University, hosted a meeting in Vienna to discuss the costs of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict and see what practical steps could be taken to enjoy the benefits of peace. As one participant asked, “Has enough time passed since the 2008 conflict to restore people to people contacts?” Another welcomed the opportunity “to meet and talk, instead of shooting.”

The meeting, which took place in the Palais Niederösterreich, brought together an eclectic group of Georgian and South Ossetian participants including local officials, political scientists, journalists, ombudsmen, students, economists, sociologists, archeologists, and representatives of civil society. They were joined by international experts from the Russian Federation, the United States, International Crisis Group, and Conciliation Resources, as well the European Union Monitoring Mission, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Representatives of donors from Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States also took part.

Discussions centered on a publication, launched at the meeting, entitled Cost of Conflict: Core Dimensions of the Georgian-South Ossetian Context, published by George Mason University. The report presents diverse views on the social, institutional, and economic costs of the conflict. These themes were raised in an open, frank, and constructive dialogue among the participants.

A particular focus was placed on the human costs of the conflict. This was illustrated by reading out interviews that had been made, particularly in rural communities, from people who had lived through the conflict and were struggling to cope in its aftermath.

The meeting also looked at the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in the context of broader geo-political tensions, including between Russia and Georgia, Russia and the West, Turkey and Russia, as well as the recent outbreak of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the meeting, an archaeologist from Georgia presented results from a project designed to make digital archive materials of archaeological and ethnographic expeditions to North and South Ossetia accessible to South Ossetian colleagues. The maps, drawings, paintings, and photos show the way of life of the peoples of the Caucasus over a period of more than a century. To applause from the participants, he handed a copy of the collection to a representative from South Ossetia.

In addition to assessing the costs of conflict, the participants tried to identify small, meaningful steps to improve the lives of people in the affected region. A positive example cited by many participants was the recent exchange of Abkhaz, Ossetian and Georgian prisoners.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps in Vienna were briefed on the main conclusions of the meeting at a wrap-up session.

The meeting was held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution.

Auf Initiative der togoischen Regierung und unter dem Titel „Frühling der deutsch-togoischen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit“ fand in der togoischen Hauptstadt Lomé vom 4. bis 6. April 2016 wie bereits im vergangenen Jahr eine Veranstaltungsserie zur Kooperation zwischen Deutschland und Togo statt.

Andreas Kuhnt

Extrait de Carl Schmitt. Concepts et usages, CNRS Biblis, 2014.

Carl Schmitt est un auteur et un penseur considérable. Longtemps sulfureux en raison d'un passé et d'engagements inquiétants, presque mis à l'index, puis confidentiel à partir de l'intérêt de quelques chercheurs éclairés, et non des moindres, il est désormais l'objet d'études et de commentaires multiples. Il rejoint ainsi un panthéon doctrinal, intemporel, dans lequel bien et mal sont mis à l'écart au profit de la disputatio intellectuelle. Sans être réhabilité, et il n'a pas à l'être, il peut faire l'objet de discussions qui dépassent sa biographie au profit de ses analyses et ses thèses. Il ne convient pas de les disqualifier, mais de les discuter. On n'entrera pas ici dans un examen minutieux des textes nombreux et divers, mais aussi évolutifs, de ce ratiocineur inspiré. On sait qu'il a adouci certains de ceux qui étaient les plus engagés, que leurs traductions ont pu également les voir évoluer.

Date de publication: Mardi 12 Avril 2016Couverture: Type de publication: OuvrageRésumé long: L’année 2016 le confirme : les primaires s’imposent de plus en plus dans le paysage politique français. Sont-elles l’opportunité de surmonter la crise de représentativité de notre pays ? Nous présentons dix propositions afin d’en faire un outil de redynamisation pour notre démocratie.

In: "Understanding When Change Happens" by M. Pianta, P. Utting & A. Ellersiek (Eds.). London:...

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“We can’t address today’s challenges with yesterday’s mindset,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, while calling for continued member state support for peace operations at an IPI co-organized conference on the 2015 UN peace & security reviews.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General reminded that change did not come overnight and that the sustained support and ownership of all recommendations by member states was required to move from rhetoric to the coordinated action needed to deal with the logistical, financial, and most importantly, strategic challenges UN peace operations are facing today. He urged for greater investments in order to improve responses and increase the UN’s efficiency.

Mogens Lykketoft, President of the UN General Assembly, also gave opening remarks at the conference, held at the United Nations headquarters April 11. Representatives of more than 60 UN member states were in attendance, along with UN personnel and members of civil society. The discussion was convened in support of the May 10–11 General Assembly High-Level Thematic Debate on Peace and Security.

The intent of the conference, “UN Peace Operations Review: Taking Stock, Leveraging Opportunities, and Charting the Way Forward,” was to take stock of the status of implementation of the recommendations put forward by June 2015 report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) to date, keeping in mind that this year marks the final year for the current Secretary-General’s term. It gave member states and other relevant stakeholders a forum to reflect on the present proceedings of the relevant UN mechanisms, including the C34 and the Peacebuilding Commission, and identify areas for further intensive efforts to be made in the remainder of the year 2016, aiming to build and sustain the political momentum to champion the strengthening of peace operations during and beyond 2016.

As highlighted by the conclusions in the IPI meeting brief that was published the following day, the discussion highlighted that the completion of the three major reviews, namely the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO), the review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, and the review of the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, had brought forward many recommendations and gathered much attention. However, translating ideas into action still requires the championship by member states on a number of areas, particularly on issues related to gender, enhanced field support, and regional partnerships. Further, this collective commitment should focus on the concepts of sustaining peace and of prevention, and base itself of both formal and informal discussions, in particular with local and regional entities and actors.

Panelists and participants also stressed the need to embrace the suggested changes in a holistic manner, and to tackle long-lasting issues impeding the flexibility of the world organization – including in the area of funding and that of the sequencing of mandates. Finally, the need to sustain commitment during the transition to the next secretary-general and to build on the momentum of the three reviews, were deemed critical to operationalize the changes foreseen.

The event was co-organized with the Permanent Missions of Ethiopia, Norway, and the Republic of Korea to the UN.

Download the IPI Meeting Brief
Download the conference agenda

Berlin sieht sich als Hüter der europäischen Ordnung

Eine Lösung im Syrien-Konflikt wird nicht nur dadurch erschwert, dass Präsident Bashar al-Asad nicht bereit ist, seinen Platz zu räumen und damit den Weg für einen Kompromiss freizumachen. Ins Gewicht fällt auch, dass auf Seiten der Aufständischen seit 2012 Islamisten unterschiedlicher Ausrichtung dominieren, die auf einen militärischen Sieg setzen. Die internationale Gemeinschaft ist sich einig, dass der »Islamische Staat im Irak und Syrien« (ISIS) kein Verhandlungspartner sein kann, ebenso wenig die al-Qaida nahestehende Nusra-Front. Bleibt die Frage nach den Ahrar ash-Sham, neben ISIS die größte aufständische Gruppierung. Gegen ihre Beteiligung an Verhandlungen spricht ihre militant-salafistische Orientierung, die sie zum engsten Mitstreiter der Nusra-Front macht. Zwar versuchen die Ahrar seit 2015, sich den USA und ihren Verbündeten als Partner zu präsentieren. Sie lassen jedoch nicht erkennen, dass sie ihre Allianz mit den Jihadisten aufgeben wollen.

Angesichts der Instabilität im Nahen Osten betonten Israels Premierminister Benjamin Netanjahu und Kanzlerin Angela Merkel bei den gemeinsamen Regierungskonsultationen im Februar 2016, dass es nicht die Zeit für große Fortschritte im israelisch-palästinensischen Friedensprozess sei. Doch fördert das Festhalten an der Zweistaatenregelung als bloßes Mantra, bei dem konkrete Umsetzungsschritte unterbleiben, die Verfestigung der Einstaatenrealität unter israelischer Dominanz. Dies macht eine Konfliktregelung letztlich unmöglich. In den Bevölkerungen nimmt die Zustimmung zu einer Zweistaatenregelung ab. Als Alternativen haben Einstaaten- oder Konföderationsmodelle derzeit zwar noch geringere Realisierungschancen. Deutsche und europäische Politik sollte dennoch kreative und konstruktive Aspekte solcher Modelle ausloten, die es erlauben, nationalen Identitäten sowie individuellen und kollektiven Rechten kooperativ Geltung zu verschaffen. Priorität muss allerdings sein, bei den Konfliktparteien durch eine Veränderung der Kosten-Nutzen-Kalküle den politischen Willen zu generieren, überhaupt eine Konfliktregelung herbeizuführen.