Geneva, 8 July 1999
ECE/GEN/99/15
FROM DIPLOMACY
OF POWER TO POWER OF DIPLOMACY
The
European Regional Hearing for the United Nations
Millennium
Assembly Takes up Peace and Disarmament
This morning's session of the
regional Hearings for the preparation of the United Nations
Millennium Assembly, due to take place next year in New York,
focussed on peace and disarmament.
The meeting was chaired by His
Excellency Mr. Guido de Marco, President of Malta. Mr. Vladimir
Petrovsky, Secretary-General, Conference on Disarmament acted as
moderator. Ms. Mari Fitzduff, Director, Institute for Conflict
Resolution and Ethnicity, United Kingdom; Ms. Maj Britt Theorin,
Chairperson, International Council of Parliamentarians for Global
Action, New York; Ms. Eugenia Piza-Lopez, International Alert,
London; Mr. Vladimir Lukin, Chairman, International Affairs
Committee, State Duma, Moscow; and Mr. Adam Daniel Rotfeld,
Director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,
Stockholm, acted as panellists.
The fact that the concept of
conflict and of disarmament has acquired new dimensions since the
end of the cold war was recognized. From an equilibrium of
terror, the world has gone to the eruption of a great number of
local conflicts. It was stressed that the number of these
conflicts might even increase in the coming years because of the
increasing "fragmentation" of the world. While globalization and
regionalization are key words in the fields of communication,
trade and more generally economics, it seems that as far as
States are concerned, the opposite trend is taking place. While
49 States were members of the United Nations after World War
II they are now 187 and some forecast that by year 2050 there
might be a much greater number of States around the world. The
process of fragmentation might generate additional local
conflicts and thereafter lead to an increase in the number of
conflicts among States.
To prevent these conflicts
participants suggested several types of actions. First, more
flexible constitutions which would allow for local minorities to
be recognized. In this context the United Nations could play an
advisory role. Second, an early warning system monitored by the
United Nations to prevent the explosion of these conflicts should
be implemented and used, as in many cases warning may have been
raised in the past without resulting in any political move.
Thirdly, more resources should be allocated in the United Nations
to this early warning system, which would at the end of the day
pay off if armed conflicts are avoided. Education should also be
at the heart of conflict prevention. The creation of a University
for Peace-making under the auspices of the United Nations was
proposed.
It was also mentioned that no
military enforcement actions should be undertaken without the
prior consent of the United Nations. In turn, aspects of conflict
prevention could be decentralized to regional organizations. The
creation of a standing United Nations Force for humanitarian
interventions was also advocated.
While all participants
considered disarmament as an important element for maintaining
peace throughout the world, some considered that the nature of
the new types of conflicts and the nature of new weapons would
require a new approach to this issue.
This afternoon's session will be devoted to conclusions. The
meeting will resume at 3.30 p.m.
For further information,
please contact:
Information Unit
United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE)
Palais des Nations, Room
356
CH - 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 44 44
Fax: +41 22 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org/press/press_h.htm