The United Nations and the Prevention of Violent Conflict

"For the United Nations, there is no higher goal, no deeper commitment and no greater ambition than preventing armed conflict.”

-United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan

After the Cold War, the UN published An Agenda for Peace, which quickly became a milestone in the UN's peacebuilding work. In it, the Secretary-General argued for coordination of efforts along a spectrum: early warning of conflicts; preventative diplomacy; peacekeeping, peacemaking, and, as a last resort, enforcement action when preventative efforts failed; peacekeeping when agreements are reached; and post-conflict peacebuilding to reconstruct viable and peaceful societies. The Secretary General called for more efforts at all levels to integrate and coordinate approaches within the UN system and called for activities presently being pursued in isolation and without any overriding sense of common purpose be better linked together – even synchronized. Since the publication of An Agenda for Peace in 1992, the Secretary General has issued numerous prevention statements and reports, worked to strengthen early warning capacity, designated the Department of Political Affairs as the focal point for prevention efforts, and created a Trust Fund for Preventive Action. In 1999, the Secretary General released the Prevention of War and Disaster, calling for more effective prevention strategies.

Since the turn of the century, the UN has increased its focus on prevention. In 2000, it commissioned a high level panel on UN Peace Operations. The panel, composed of individuals experienced in various aspects of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace-building, assessed the shortcomings of the peace operations system and made recommendations for change. The Security Council also passed a resolution recognizing the important role that women play in conflict prevention. The following year, the Secretary General released a new report entitled Prevention of Armed Conflict, which reviewed the progress achieved in developing the conflict prevention capacity of the UN, and a resolution was passed by the Security Council recognizing the crucial role that conflict prevention plays. In 2003, after years of deliberation, the General Assembly passed Resolution 57/337 on the prevention of armed conflict, reflecting Member States commitment to seriously engage the issue. Departments of the UN, such as UN Development Program engage prevention in its activities, and many departments are beginning to view and plan their work through a “prevention lens”.

Highlights in UN Prevention Initiatives
1992:	An Agenda for Peace
1999:	Prevention of War and Disaster, a report of the UN Secretary General.
2000:	Panel on UN Peace Operations, "Brahimi" Report
	Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
2001:	Prevention of Armed Conflict, by the UN Secretary General
	Security Council Resolution 1366 affirming prevention's role in international peace and security.
2003:	Resolution 57/337on the Prevention of Armed Conflict adopted by the General Assembly.
2004:	A Special Rapporteur for the Prevention of Genocide, a new position, is announced Secretary General Kofi Annan.

PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION: Based on an initial recommendation by the Secretary General, the idea of establishing a UN Peacebuilding Commission (PC) was one of the few genuinely popular outcomes of the September 2005 Hi Level Plenary of world leaders. The idea of creating a standing advisory commission to "bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and advise on and propose comprehensive strategies for peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery" (Outcomes Document) has received strong support from both governments and civil society organizations. Details are being negotiated at the present time with a goal of launching the Commission along with a Peacebuilding Support Office within the Secretary General's office in the Secretariat by December 31, 2005. While the initial mandate of the PC is largely focused on "post-conflict" situations, there is potential for the Commission to eventually address the conflict spectrum in a holistic way - including preventive strategies in the early stages of conflict becoming violent. For current information on the PC, visit the UN site or the WFM site or the UNReform site.

Momentum for prevention is growing within the UN, as reflecting in a greater proliferation of reports and meetings relating to the prevention of armed conflict. Member States of the UN General Assembly are ready to engage the issue, and civil society movements are building.

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