Why we should prevent and reduce conflict

A Kenya Defence Forces vehicle in Eldoret on January 26, 2016. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • We must be willing to use the full spectrum of resources at our disposal.
  • To do this we must understand not just the conflict in the country, but the dynamic in the region, and work together, as partners in peace.

As a former soldier and police officer, I have seen the ways that conflict and strife can tear people down, and experienced first-hand how people focused on a common good can work together to build healthy societies.

As Canada’s Minister of National Defence, I had the privilege of spending a week visiting Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to learn more about how Canada can collaborate with these nations and contribute to conflict prevention and peace support operations.

After our government was elected last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would be a responsible partner in the world. He made it a priority to renew Canada’s commitment to United Nations peace operations.

Canada is a diverse country with a rich history of peacekeeping, which has taught us that we must understand what is happening on the ground in order to contribute to efforts that will result in positive outcomes. Today, the nature of conflict has changed, and so must the ways in which we conduct peace operations.

Around the world, the nature of conflict is changing, so what we do to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflict must change as well. Wars used to be between states, now they are often internal. How do you keep the peace when there is no peace to keep? Nations face threats from violent extremists that require a comprehensive response that encompasses military, political, humanitarian, and development efforts. As they seek education and jobs, young people are facing challenges that our generation could not imagine.

The old approach and solutions will not work any more. We need to think innovatively about how we move forward. To do this, we need to see the situation for ourselves. We need to speak directly to those who know best. We need to respect the knowledge and experience that they have, and learn from it. We need to understand the root causes of conflict. In other words, we need the ground truth. This tour helped us ascertain that.

GREAT DEAL

We learned a great deal this week. We had fruitful, informative discussions with our government counterparts. We listened to and asked questions of our colleagues at the African Union and United Nations. We had an opportunity to learn from and thank individuals who are working to build up civil society, police officers who protect women and children from abuse, teachers and volunteers, who educate the young, and doctors and nurses, who heal the sick.

I was honoured that General Roméo Dallaire accompanied me to Africa. He has done tireless work on child soldiers through the Dallaire Initiative. By addressing the war crime of recruitment and use of child soldiers, we can prevent conflict while protecting children. Indeed, Gen Dallaire’s work is just one example of Canada’s long history of support to East Africa’s security and development.

In education, health, agriculture, and support to women and girls, the Canadian Government and a large number of institutions have been working for decades with their East African partners to improve quality of life for the people of the region.

I left convinced that we must strengthen and expand that tradition of partnership. What I heard from organisations that have a long presence and commitment here, such as the Aga Khan Development Network, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Unicef, is that we must partner with both government and civil society to create the conditions for East Africa’s long-term peace, prosperity, and pluralism.

Furthermore, we must avoid working in silos in order to effect real change on the ground. We must address the root causes of conflict in order to find long-term solutions that sustain peace. What we saw, the discussions we had, and what we learned will help inform how our government can best contribute to future peace support operations.

I was a soldier for 26 years. I did one tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and three in Afghanistan. In many contexts, I saw how challenging circumstances were undermining military efforts to combat violent extremism.

While I fought to make the world a safer, more peaceful place, I also learned that the ultimate goal must be to prevent and reduce conflict. We must aim to avert crises before they reach a point that requires military intervention.

We must be willing to use the full spectrum of resources at our disposal — not just military force, but also trade and development. To do this we must understand not just the conflict in the country, but the dynamic in the region, and work together, as partners in peace.

 

Harjit Sajjan is Canada’s Minister of National Defence.