Security Council (SC) - Topics
Topic A
Blue Helmets
Since 1948, so-called Blue helmets have been deployed all over the world – they have become a symbol for the United Nations’ strive for international peace and security. Like the UN itself, these peacekeeping missions face constant criticism coming from all different sides. On the one side blue helmets couldn’t prevent some of the worst crimes against humanity committed in Srebrenica and Rwanda. On the other side, UN-peacekeepers have been involved in repeated cases of sexual abuses, weapons trade and human trafficking.
The Security Council has acknowledged the need to reform the peacekeeping missions, but so far, little has been achieved on the ground. In contrary, recent allegations against MONUC claim to have discovered systematic weapons trade between UN-peacekeepers and the very rebels they are there to disarm – allegations like these deeply shatter the trust of victims in the UN.
Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace.". Peacekeepers monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements they may have signed. Such assistance comes in many forms, including confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. Accordingly UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Helmets because of their light blue helmets) can include soldiers, civilian police officers, and other civilian personnel.
Since the establishment of the first Peacekeeping-mission in the Middle East, 63 missions have taken place, with 13 missions still on the ground. The term "peacekeeping" is not found in the United Nations Charter and defies simple definition. Dag Hammarskjöld, the second UN Secretary-General, referred to it as belonging to "Chapter Six and a Half" of the Charter, placing it between traditional methods of resolving disputes peacefully, such as negotiation and mediation under Chapter VI, and more forceful action as authorized under Chapter VII.
While the majority of the missions have been success, the failures weigh heavy on the record of peacekeeping. The massacres in Srebrenica and Rwanda as well as the tragic events in Somalia have demonstrated the limits of peacekeeping missions, especially when the mandate is detached from the reality on the ground. Many voices call for a Rapid Reaction Force to address this issue.
The second problem is the behavior of the peacekeepers. A UN study on the impact of armed conflict on children comes to the conclusion, that “the arrival of peacekeeping troops has been associated wit ha rapid rise in child prostitution”.
The UN has not remained inactive in the face of these problems. The Brahimi Report which came out in 2000 gave a number of recommendations to address these flaws and make the missions more efficient. The 2008 capstone doctrine entitled “UN Peacekeeping Operations: Principles and Guidelines” is a try to implement these recommendations.
Topic B
Situation in Congo
The situation in Congo is one which in keeping with the vast majority of African conflicts, cannot be separated from its colonial legacy, which lasted officially until the 30th June 1960 as the Belgian Congo.
The colonial era saw the country fall under direct political influence of the coloniser, lacking all forms of democratic institutions, whilst the education system was dominated by the Roman Catholic Church.
Despite achieving its independence in 1960, converting the Belgian Congo into the “Republic of the Congo” later to be changed into the “Democratic Republic of the Congo” the country has been engulfed in conflict, involving further changes of name, military installations of governments and major violations of human rights. The vast majority of these conflicts remain unresolved today.
In October 1971 the then-President and Dictator Mobutu changed the countries name into Zaire, under a dictatorial regime, however the First Congo War, resulting in the overthrow of the Mobutu government in 1997, reverted the country once again to the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, fighting was to swiftly break out again and the Second Congo War, lasting between 1998 and 2003, reaped devastating consequences across the country, with the vast majority of conflict issues surrounding this outbreak of fighting still at the very surface of major political problems facing the country today.
In addition the Congo is not only struggling to deal with its own internal problems but also that of its surrounding countries. In 1996 the DRC was invaded by Rwanda and Uganda claiming the need to protect their own territories from dissident armed groups. With the second major outbreak of fighting in 1998, Rwanda and Uganda created militia groups or proxy armies leading to an internal civil war between the DRC Government, the RCD-G of Rwanda and the MLC of Uganda. Despite this war having been finished over 5 years ago, the fighting still remains in various parts of the country and neither the Lunada nor the Pretoria Agreements seems to have formed any form of lasting peace agreement between the parties involved. Distinct armed groups are still involved in regular shooting matches and a large number of the urban population are still forced to remain in their houses after nightfall for their own security.
Own of the most severe problems the UN mission faces to the Congo, frequently made reference to by the former Secretary General Kofi Anan, is the lack of funding to the area. In 2004 despite the Congo’s record as the world’s deadliest recorded conflict since World War Two, the world’s humanitarian aid was a total of $188 million, amounting to approximately $3.23 per person. Furthermore, according to the previous UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland, the Congo is suffering the world’s worst current humanitarian crisis, outstripping the Sudan’s Darfur region in terms of the death toll and, as he told the Geneva Convention, “it is beyond belief that the world is not paying more attention.”
Without any certain doubt the key players in the development of the region have been the United Nations mission to the DRC, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union, together with the leadership of key African leaders. The transition and any further form of consolidation to the region is a quintessentially African process, however one in which the international community needs to give its utmost commitment and support.
