Peacekeeping Series

The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC): Debriefing and Lessons

Publisher:
Kluwer Law International for UNITAR

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine, ed

Year:

1995

Publication:

The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC): Debriefing and Lessons

Excerpt:

Report of the 1994 Singapore Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

This is the first volume in a new series which will cover the proceedings of the annual debriefing conferences organised by IPS and UNITAR on issues related to peace-keeping. The report aims to reflect the conclusions and observations of the conference participants, and to draw overall lessons and recommendations from these findings, in the hope that they could be of use to future undertakings of the United Nations.

(269 pages, ISBN 90-411-0886-6)

The Role and Functions of Civilian Police in United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations: Debriefing and Lessons

Publisher:

London: Kluwer Law International for UNITA

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine, ed

Year:

1996

Publication:

The Role and Functions of Civilian Police in United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations: Debriefing and Lessons

Excerpt:

Report of the 1995 Singapore Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

This is the second book based on a conference series, held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) of Japan, on various aspects of UN peace-keeping operations.

This new book covers the December 1995 conference, which dealt with the role and functions of civilian police, and brought together nine of the eleven police commissioners involved in past and present UN peace-keeping operations, as well as heads of national police, policy makers, UN staff, lawyers and academics. The book is divided into two segments, the Executive Summary, a concise and frank synthesis of the debates, is divided into five parts as follows: Part I provides an overall introduction to the current problems and the general background within which civilian police components of UN peace-keeping operations are required to function; Part II presents an outline of the common problems and challenges faced by many police commissioners in the conduct of their mandates; Part III highlights some of the key attributes and functions of civilian police, notably in the areas of institution building, human rights monitoring and community policy; Part IV reviews existing training at national, regional and international levels; Part V offers general recommendations.

(240 pages, ISBN 90-411-0949-8)

Humanitarian Action and Peace-keeping Operations: Debriefing and Lessons

Publisher:

London: Kluwer Law International for UNITAR

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine, ed

Year:

1997

Publication:

Humanitarian Action and Peace-keeping Operations: Debriefing and Lessons

Excerpt:

Report of the 1997 Singapore Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) of Japan

This is the third work in a series of conferences held in Singapore on various aspects of United Nations peace-keeping operations, under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) of Japan. The 1997 Conference focused on humanitarian action and peace-keeping operations and brought together key practitioners and scholars from the Security Council, interested governments, the International Committee of teh Red Cross (ICRC), other humanitarian NGOs, academia and the military.

The number and complexity of UN peace-keeping operations have increased dramatically since the end of the cold warm, a result of profound geo-political changes in many areas of the world. These changes have mainly triggered a shift from inter-state to intra-state conflicts, bringing in their wake a myriad of operational, legal and political questions, such as the very relevance and applicability of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the state. Furthermore, parties to recent conflicts rarely follow any central authority and have little or no regard for international and humanitarian law. On the peace-keeping and humanitarian side, parties have also changed and multiplied. All these factors have rendered humanitarian action far more complex, and dangerous for those involved.

This book vividly reports the many frank debates that took place at the Conference on four recent difficult United Nations peace-keeping operations - in Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Liberia. It explores the relationship between humanitarian and military action, the issue of coordination with regional organizations and multinational forces, as well as the role and responsibility of United Nations Member States and, in particular, of the Security Council. Its findings will provide policy-makers, researchers and international affairs analysts with a sober assessment of past experiences, and it is hoped, with tools and lessons by which to guide future peace-keeping operations.

(314 pages, ISBN 90-411-0724-X)

Publisher:

London: Kluwer Law International for UNITAR

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine and Chang, Li Lin, ed.

Year:

2000

Publication:

The Nexus Between Peacekeeping And Peace-Building: Debriefing And Lessons

Excerpt:

Report of the 1999 Singapore Conference organised by the Institute of Policy Studies, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)

Over the last few years, and with the collapse of the bipolar world order, new and complex conflicts have emerged which in some cases, have ignited into larger and devastating regional wars. In the very midst of peacekeeping operations for such conflicts, experts claim, the requirements of peace-building should be considered a priority as well. It is for this reason therefore that the United Nations, even as it deploys military and civilian forces in the four corners of the globe, seeks already to set the foundations for sustainable peace. The task is daunting but the challenge is impossible to ignore.

Against such a background and even as events were unfolding in East Timor and Kosovo, the fourth in a series of prestigious conferences organised on lessons learnt from peacekeeping operations was held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). Throughout two intense days in Singapore, in November of 1999, an eminent group academics, government officials, representatives of international organisations and military scholars gathered behind closed doors to reflect upon what has been coined the nexus between peacekeeping and peace-building.

This volume contains all the papers commissioned for that event. It also includes a summary of the many animated debates that took place during the conference. The broad range of opinions and perspectives it contains provides insights into a difficult and important topic, and demonstrates how dangerous it would be for the international community to ignore it. Four past cases (Angola, Haiti, Mozambique, and Cambodia) and two ongoing operations (Kosovo and East Timor) were analysed. The findings should give policy-makers, researchers and international affairs analysts a candid review and critique of past experiences that is essential to the comprehension of current peacekeeping missions and the requirement of peace-building strategies.

(262 pages, ISBN 90-411-1389-4)

Publisher:

London: Kluwer Law International for UNITAR

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine and Chang, Li Lin, ed

Year:

2001

Publication:

The Reform Process of United Nations Peace Operations: Debriefing And Lessons

Excerpt:

Report of the 2001 Singapore Conference organised by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies of Singapore (IPS) and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)

In March 2000, the United Nations Secretary-General convened an international panel to conduct a major study on United Nations Peace Operations. Chaired by former Algerian Foreign Minister and currently Under-Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi, the Panel was tasked to conduct a wide ranging study and analysis over lessons learnt from past operations such as those in Rwanda and Somalia, as well as current missions in Kosovo, East Timor and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Panel looked at how peacekeeping missions could achieve greater efficiency and success in attaining the key objectives of maintaining peace and promoting reconciliation and reconstruction. It also reviewed the context within which peacekeeping missions took place, the resources and limitations of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) specifically, and the modality, efficacy and extent of assistance rendered by the 'international community' within the framework of peacekeeping and peace-building in general.

The fifth conference in a series of conferences organised on lessons learnt from peacekeeping operations was held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). Throughout two intense days in Singapore, in April of 2001, an eminent group of academics, government officials, representatives of international organisations, representatives from ongoing UN Missions, and military scholars gathered behind closed doors to reflect upon the recommendations of the Brahimi Report and the obstacles to reform of peacekeeping.

This volume contains all the papers commissioned for that event. It also includes the Co-Chairs Report and Recommendations. The Report is a summary of the many animated debates that took place during the conference. Recommendations of the Co-Chairs have been drawn from the broad range of opinions and insights from the conference. The findings and reactions of the participants to the Brahimi Report should give policy-makers, researchers and international affairs analysts a candid review and critique of past experiences that is essential to the comprehension of the failures of current peacekeeping and requirements for the future success.

Against such a background and even as events were unfolding in East Timor and Kosovo, the fourth in a series of prestigious conferences organised on lessons learnt from peacekeeping operations was held under the auspices of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Singapore and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). Throughout two intense days in Singapore, in November of 1999, an eminent group academics, government officials, representatives of international organisations and military scholars gathered behind closed doors to reflect upon what has been coined the nexus between peacekeeping and peace-building.

This volume contains all the papers commissioned for that event. It also includes a summary of the many animated debates that took place during the conference. The broad range of opinions and perspectives it contains provides insights into a difficult and important topic, and demonstrates how dangerous it would be for the international community to ignore it. Four past cases (Angola, Haiti, Mozambique, and Cambodia) and two ongoing operations (Kosovo and East Timor) were analysed. The findings should give policy-makers, researchers and international affairs analysts a candid review and critique of past experiences that is essential to the comprehension of current peacekeeping missions and the requirement of peace-building strategies.

(313 pages, ISBN 90-411-1700-8)

Publisher:

London: Martinus Nijhoff for UNITAR

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine and Chang, Li Lin, ed.

Year:

2003

Publication:

The United Nations Transitional Administration In East Timor (UNTAET): Debriefing and Lessons

Excerpt:

Report of the 2002 Toyko Conference organised by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Institute of Policy Studies of Singapore (IPS) and the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)

 The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) which had effectively ‘ruled’ that territory for two-and-a-half years handed over the country’s administration to the government of the newly-independent Democratic Republic of East Timor on May 20, 2002. Praised as one of the most comprehensive and successful nation building operations of the United Nations, UNTAET had the challenging task of facilitating the creation of a new country from virtually non-existent institutional foundations, following a traumatic period of violence and civil war.

A group of eminent scholars and practitioners, many deeply and personally involved with UNTAET, came together in a closed-door gathering in Tokyo in September 2002, to review the achievements and shortcomings of UNTAET, and to understand the lessons of hope that it may carry for other nations emerging from war and destruction. The conference reflected on the intense debates held at the United Nations Security Council in New York and at key capitals around the world leading to the creation of UNTAET. It is also dealt with the manner in which the mission unfolded, operated, and the level of reconstruction achieved when East Timor was handed over to its people. This volume forms a lively and indispensable reading to experts or laypersons interested in current affairs in general and in post-war nation building in particular.

(306 pages, ISBN 90-411-2069-6)

Publisher:

Leiden/Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publisher for UNITAR

Author/s:

Azimi, Nassrine and Chang, Li Lin, ed

Year:

2005

Publication:

United Nations as Peacekeeper and Nation-Builder: Continuity and Change - What Lies Ahead?

Excerpt:

Report of the 2005 Hiroshima Conference organised by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Institute of Policy Studies of Singapore (IPS) 

In the wake of the Iraq War, what lies ahead for the United Nations as peacekeeper and nation-builder? What lessons were learnt in Afghanistan and Iraq, what reforms could they entail, how do UN efforts fare as compared with those of the United States, and what will be, in the next decade, the most pressing challenges confronting the Organization? Will the United Nations, in its current form and within the new global power structure, be able to remain relevant, retain its ideals and still respond meaningfully to mounting international tensions?

These were some of the questions tackled, during an often passionate and lively two day closed-door meeting held in symbolical Hiroshima in March 2005, by a group of eminent scholars and practitioners, many directly and personally involved with multilateral or unilateral peace operations. In addition to the larger issues of peacekeeping and peace-building and the recommendations for historical reform suggested by the ‘UN High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change’ in December 2004, the group debated some of the most complex recent interventions, including Afghanistan, East Timor and Iraq.

This volume, which contains all the presentations and discussions of the UNITAR/IPS Conference on “United Nations as a Peacekeeper and Nation-Builder: Continuity and Change - What Lies Ahead?” will be a valuable addition to the collections of experts or laypersons interested in the future role of the United Nations in general and in peacekeeping and post-conflict state-building in particular.

(250 pages, ISBN 90-04-14826-4 (Hard Cover), ISBN 90-04-14843-4 (Paperback))