peace and security (~) euforic current issues, food for thought, background information
introducing this dossier
There is a growing recognition of the strong links between development and security - that there can be no sustainable development without stability and security.
According to Benita Ferrero-Waldner (European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy), 'the clearest and most useful definition' of human security is 'the comprehensive security of people, not the security of states, encompassing both freedom from fear and freedom from want.'
Today there is also greater recognition in the international community and within the EU that security sector reform is an important part of conflict prevention, peace building and democratisation and contributes to sustainable development. Security system reform goes beyond the notion of effectiveness of individual services (including the military, the police, the justice institutions, etc.) and focuses on the overall functioning of the security system as part of a governance reform policy and strategy of the public sector. It should be seen as a holistic process, strengthening security for all citizens as well as addressing governance deficits.
In his blog, ODI Director Simon Maxwell asks how this issue should be seen in the context of European development cooperation policies, in particular in relation to combating poverty in developing countries.
eu peacekeeping missions
After the withdrawal of international peacekeeping forces from Africa in the 1990s, the continent is today’s main location for UN peacekeeping missions. The UN is the only organisation which is capable to undertake system-wide multi-sector peace building operations which sets it apart from NATO or the African Union. Nevertheless the EU is the only other multilateral body with the potential to execute such complex missions and the only one that can include a new dimension, namely trade.
A pattern which is evolving is that the AU deploys stabilisation forces also in unfriendly environments while the UN jumps in after peace agreements are concluded. The European Union increasingly accepts its responsibility to participate in such missions.
However the African Union is lacking the financial resources to deploy such missions and it is suffering from a capacity gap, which makes it difficult to successfully implement them. The European Union supports capacity building measures to diminish this gap.
Since 2004 the European Union’s African Peace Facility is supporting AU peacekeeping missions. The majority of the funding comes from the European Development Fund, but given the growing demand for financial support of African-led peacebuilding missions, the fund is notoriously under-financed and relies on extra support by the EU member states.
To read more about the African peacekeeping missions see the paper of the South African International Security Institute (ISS) as well as an ECDPM mid-term evaluation of the African Peace Facility. For more information about the EU's involvement in peace and security in Africa visit the Commission website.
In May 2006, the European Commission published a concept for EC support to security sector reform. From the perspective of the EU as a global player, this paper elaborates an holistic approach to the issue, underlining that it is part and parcel of various policies such as external assistance and the Neighbourhood policy. Read on . . .
