Comprehensive, Holistic Approaches Needed to End Violent, Intractable Conflicts, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Stockholm Forum on Security and Development

Following is UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s keynote statement at the 2016 Stockholm Forum on Security and Development: “Peace and Security and the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Conflict-affected Countries”, as prepared for delivery in Stockholm today:

First of all, thank you very much for inviting me to make some opening remarks from the United Nations perspective on the interrelated subjects of security and development, the theme of this important SIPRI Forum in Stockholm.  And let me assure you: it is good to be home.

The year of 2015 was one of broad and deep reflection for the United Nations.  Member States have been examining the peacebuilding architecture.  The Secretary-General asked a high-level panel to review United Nations peace operations.  A global study assessed progress on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.  Let me add that last December, the Security Council adopted the first ever similar resolution on youth, peace and security, resolution 2250 (2016).

A new framework for disaster risk reduction was agreed in Sendai.  The third Conference on Financing for Development adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.  Very importantly, in New York world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with 17 interlinked Sustainable Development Goals.  And, finally, in December, Governments concluded the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

All these agreements and review processes are to be seen as a whole and as mutually reinforcing.  A comprehensive framework, a global road map, is set for peace and human progress for years to come.  The landmarks of 2015 reflect that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development.  And, let me add, neither peace nor development can be lasting without respect for human rights and the rule of law.  That is why it is so important that Sustainable Development Goal 16 is dedicated to peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, access to justice for all and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.

A fundamental characteristic of the Sustainable Development Goals is that they are universal.  They apply to all countries, rich as well as poor.  In a way, we are all developing countries in a world which is so much in need of sustainable solutions and awareness of common responsibility.  It is clear that, in today’s turmoil and turbulence, achieving the Goals will to a large degree depend on progress in conflict-affected and fragile countries.  We must not only leave no one behind, we must first of all reach those furthest behind.  If we cannot do this, I do not believe we can achieve our global objectives for 2030.  A former Prime Minister of Sweden once said that the best quality test of a society, a nation, is to see how the most vulnerable, the poorest, are treated.

Another starting point for our global analysis is that our world has become much more complex and much more interdependent since the United Nations was founded.  Another observation is that, while the number of armed conflicts has decreased in recent years, the level of violence has intensified.  Casualties and the human toll have increased considerably.

Several factors drive violent conflict.  I think of such factors as political exclusion, of exploitation of ethnic and religious identities, and of glaring inequalities among groups and nations.  To this should be added human rights abuses, corruption, poor management, absence of the rule of law, unequal access to natural resources, lack of jobs and weak institutions.  Also, for every year, climate change is becoming a threat multiplier by adding more pressure on natural resources, affecting people’s livelihoods or causing population movements after violent storms and devastating drought and floods.  And we see the climate change in the form of sea level rise, land degradation and ecosystem decline.

All over the world, we see that peace and security, development, human rights and the rule of law are intertwined.  Therefore they must be addressed together.  That is the main message of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of the global processes launched in 2015.  To end violent and intractable conflicts in today’s world, we need comprehensive, holistic approaches.  Political and security actors, humanitarian, human rights and development actors must work in parallel around the common challenges.  We all need to work more closely as national, regional and international actors.  We should break down barriers between silos and work less vertically and more horizontally in order to make a difference on the ground.

We must also focus much more on prevention.  Saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war is a guiding principle of the preamble of the United Nations Charter.  Prevention is a Charter obligation.  Chapter I, Article 1 stipulates that we are to, and I quote: “take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace”.  With the Secretary-General’s Human Rights Up Front initiative, we are reaffirming the centrality of protecting human rights in order to prevent instability.  All have a responsibility to sense the vibrations in the ground — the early warning signals — and act early to forestall unrest and conflict.  This goes not least for the United Nations Security Council.

This focus on risk reduction and prevention rather than fire-fighting and late reactions also applies to climate change, economic and financial crises and natural disasters.  It is remarkably easy to make the case for prevention.  It saves lives and resources, and should be a moral responsibility.  But as nations and as the international community we are still too reactive and insufficiently proactive.  What are the obstacles to making prevention operational?

First, there are clashing interpretations of sovereignty.  Preventive action is by many seen as interference in internal affairs if proposed from the outside.

Second, we do not have the necessary resources.  This is illustrated by the trouble we have in funding prevention, mediation and peacebuilding of the United Nations.

And third, prevention is hard to measure, even to notice or reward.  Did you ever see a headline, “The disaster did not occur”?  Nonetheless, looking to the future it is invaluable and needs a much greater role and investment.  Let me simply say that violent conflict is development in reverse.  The average cost of civil war is equivalent to more than 30 years of gross domestic product growth.  It is even worse in the nightmare of Syria.

In today’s complex and globalized world, we must take a comprehensive approach to prevention, and address all drivers of conflict, whether they are political, economic or social.  In the 2030 Agenda, peace and justice are explicitly recognized as development objectives along with respect for human rights, civil and political, as well as economic and social rights.  The 2030 Agenda requires a different mindset among all actors, international as well as national.

We all need to rally behind common strategies that pursue the creation of peaceful and inclusive societies which advance development and human rights.  The New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, which is being renewed here this morning, provides a vital set of principles to guide international partners, NGOs [non-governmental organizations], humanitarian actors and the United Nations as we support countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda.  This should be done with an emphasis on prevention and with a view to effective post-conflict peacebuilding.

For lasting peace we need a deeper understanding of conflict dynamics.  Analysing risk and fragility helps us highlight the drivers of conflict and the elements which should underpin all actions.  Countries like the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste have carried out fragility assessments through a peacebuilding and State-building lens. This has helped them prioritize the objectives that strengthen their governance and build their resilience.  Somalia is a clear example of how the New Deal is providing a framework for building peace and institutions.  This is being done through a compact between donors and a Government system focused on peacebuilding and State-building goals.

In closing, we know that the 2030 Agenda states, “We must redouble our efforts to resolve or prevent conflict and to support post-conflict countries.”  The life of a conflict is much longer than the media, and often the Security Council, believe.  We must extend it to both the pre- and post-stages if we are to effectively meet today’s conflict risks.  Only in this way can we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and live up to the purposes of the United Nations Charter to reach a world of peace, opportunity and dignity for all.

Thank you.