Global Policy Forum

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

The next time a U.N. peacekeeping force heads out on a mission in one of the world's trouble spots, it will likely find itself working in tandem with non- governmental organizations to help restore normalcy in war-ravaged regions. Although far from official policy, this thinking is gaining currency among ranking military officers from Asian countries that have participated in international peacekeeping efforts.

During a recent week-long seminar held here, the region's military brass agreed that NGOs could make significant contributions toward U.N. peacekeeping efforts.

For instance, during the discussion, one group of military officers put NGOs high on its list of strategic partners when asked to outline plans for a peacekeeping operation in a fictional country. The seminar, organized by the peacekeeping section of the British government's foreign office and led by a military officer from Britain's Joint Services Command and Staff College, had military representatives from more than six Asian countries. The success of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in East Timor, for instance, was held up as a good example of strong cooperation between peacekeepers and NGOs. The U.N. peacekeepers began arriving in September 1999 to restore order in the half-island territory, which voted to break away from Indonesian rule and is now headed toward independence. They are expected to remain until 2004. Local NGOs in East Timor have been pivotal when U.N. troops need to communicate with the people in the war-ravaged communities, says Col. Surasit Thanadtang, who served in East Timor from July 2000 until August 2001 as a member of the Thai contingent in the U.N. operations.

"The U.N. command would consult NGOs regularly to get a sense of what was happening on the ground and they were approached when we had to disseminate information to the East Timorese," says Col. Surasit. "Most valuable was their independence." There were also attempts by the U.N. commanders to incorporate the work between the U.N. peacekeepers and NGOs as part of "the normal process, institutionalizing it, than being done on an ad hoc level," adds the Thai officer.

NGOs working in East Timor, who have gained from this spirit of accommodation, welcome this attitude. "It was a surprise initially, since peacekeeping forces have had a negative image of NGOs, ignoring our contribution, but the change is welcome," says Kamol Kamoltrakul, program director at the Bangkok-based regional human rights and development lobby Forum Asia.

According to Kamol, the consequent reality has contributed to a "win-win situation" in East Timor's process toward normalcy. "Our work, which is largely people-centered, is easier, now that our NGO activists get U.N. cooperation," he says. A case in point is the effort to help East Timor secure a democratic culture. "It is an area where the NGOs have a lot of credibility," adds Kamol, "since they are not armed and not perceived as taking sides, and when they work with people on democracy and human rights issues there is greater acceptance."

The groundwork for this pattern of active cooperation between international peacekeepers and NGOs was laid in Sierra Leone and Kosovo. In the case of Sierra Leone, for instance, the United Nations appointed a special representative to help facilitate the work of NGOs in that war-torn African nation.

"Sierra Leone provided a clear sign that the United Nations was keen on better cooperation with NGOs," says Lieutenant Colonel Paul Holt, a member of Britain's Joint Services Command and Staff College. "The objective was to engage the humanitarian and relief agencies within the U.N. mechanism unlike before." As a result, humanitarian NGOs took the lead in restoring basic health, food and education needs in Sierra Leone. "They also stepped in with programs to help former rebels reintegrate into society," says Jo McPhail, of the peacekeeping section at Britain's foreign office.

The developments in Sierra Leone and Kosovo marked a distinct shift in attitudes toward international peacekeeping operations, says Alex Renton, spokesman for the East Asia division of the British relief agency Oxfam. "The rigid barrier that existed before had given way," he adds.

"It made practical sense for non-combatant forces and the NGOs to work together without the social and political animosity that existed before," he explains. Even the British army, he adds, now sees merit in such efforts. "In the last two or three months, the British army circulated an official document about how soldiers should work with NGOs."

What has also contributed to the growing importance of NGOs in post-conflict situations is the nature of the battles being waged across the globe since the Cold War ended. In the main, they have been conflicts within national borders of countries, where government armies are fighting ethnic and other local rebellions.

During the past 10 years, for instance, nearly one-third of the world's 193 nations have been mired in conflict, the majority of them being within state boundaries, like the conflicts in former Yugoslavia, in Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Chechnya in the Russian Federation. "We have witnessed are vast explosion of conflicts since the Cold War ended," says Holt, the British military officer. "What we are dealing with are failed states."

Often, these conflicts have resulted in the massive destruction of basic public services and utilities, he adds. To restore them, he points out, peacekeeping forces are better off turning to seasoned NGOs for assistance on people's genuine needs. Adds Holt: "The NGOs matter since it is not only about peacekeeping but peace-building."

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