Constructive Engagement with Civil Society Lessons from the Peacebuilding field CCOE Community of Interest Anton Quist, PAX Jenny Aulin, GPPAC Lisa Schirch, Alliance for Peacebuilding/GPPAC

Why are we here? Need for more elaborate CIMIC guidelines on engagement with civil society Share civil society experiences in locally owned and multi-stakeholder engagement on security issues Share civil society perspectives on challenges linked to engaging with security sector

Organization Formerly IKV Pax Christi Political peace organization (not humanitarian/development) 70 FTE / 15 contexts Facilitate peace and security through research, programmes, advocacy

CivMil work: PoC Field exercises (Common Effort) Presentations and lectures Course work (UNMISS) Policy meetings, doctrine development and reports on integrated approaches In the ‘field’ (South Sudan, Srebrenica)

CIMIC definition? “The aim and purpose of CIMIC is the interaction between military and civil actors within a comprehensive environment to support the military commander’s plan” (CCOE, CIMIC field handbook 3.0)

Key challenges Peace can only be realized by political solutions Cooperation often is too instrumental Integrated approaches need integrated planning and cooperation National vs human security

Recommendations Examples from working with SPLA (South Sudan) Invest in knowing and understanding each other Start early enough and at the right level Be transparent about possibilities, added value, goals and motivations

Our ideal CIMIC The aim and purpose of CIMIC is the interaction between military and civil actors within a comprehensive environment to support the Protection of Civilians and create circumstances for peace.

GPPAC: a global network of civil society organisations working for a shift from reaction to prevention of violent conflict:  15 regional networks, 1 Global Secretariat, thematic working groups & projects  Informing policy - Improving practice – Convening & facilitating collaboration

A multi-stakeholder approach “the prevention of deadly conflict is, over the long term, too hard – intellectually, technically, and politically- to be the responsibility of any single institution or government, no matter how powerful. Strengths must be pooled, burdens shared, and labor divided among actors.” (Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict 1997)

International organizations Local and international security forces Private contractors Local civil society groups Multi- mandate NGOs Humanitarian organizations Civilian Population Host Government Shared Operational Environment

Types of NGOs Humanitarian NGOs – Conduct humanitarian assistance focused on relieving human suffering with an independent, impartial and neutral stance Multi-Mandate NGOs – Development (diverse sectors including health, education, water, micro-credit, governance, etc) – Human Rights – Environment – Peacebuilding Local and International NGOs and CSOs… Local CSOs are part of the local civil society within a country but in some cases have foreign donors International NGOs or “INGOs” tend to have their headquarters outside of the country but may have local partners Most NGOs strive to be community-based and accountable to local people

Increased need for coordination Increase in Civil Society Efforts in Peacebuilding and Countering Extremism Increase in Security Sector outreach to civilians for counterinsurgency, stabilization, QIPs Increase in attacks against NGOs, CSOs, and civilians Increase in Security Force Assistance and SSR requirement for community engagement 4 Interrelated Trends

Trend 1: Increase in Civil Society Organizations in Conflict Prevention & Peacebuilding Local – regional - global

Liberian women were central to democratization

Peacebuilding Pyramid Top Level Leadership: Policymakers Track I Diplomacy Mid-Level Leadership: Religious, Business, Media, Academic Leadership Track II Diplomacy Community Level Leadership Grassroots Peacebuilding Peacebuilding requires both horizontal and vertical efforts.

Trend 2: Increase in Security Sector reaching out to civilians via hearts & minds activities for Counterinsurgency, Stabilization, Counterterrorism, etc

StabilizationPeacebuilding Primary GoalEmphasis on achieving foreign-defined national interests Emphasis on achieving locally-defined human security Primary ActorEmphasis on foreign capacity and leadership with transition to locals Emphasis on local capacity and local leadership Civil-Military Coordination Emphasis on comprehensive approach or “whole of government” capacity – coordination of government civilians and military Emphasis on “whole of society” capacity – coordination of an independent civil society with government civilians and military Time FrameEmphasis on short-term projects Emphasis on long-term goals

Afghanistan Afghan NGOs used conflict resolution and mediation to assist with DDR - reintegration for insurgents in Afghanistan. These local NGOs shared their insights with ISAF about how to reduce support for the Taliban.

Philippines Balay Mindanao, a Filipino civil society organization runs training course for the Philippine military on conflict management and peacebuilding.

DRC Search for Common Ground, a peacebuilding NGO, trains military officers in the DRC in human rights and facilitates a military committee to monitor and track human rights violations by soldiers through the justice system.

Iraqi Civil Society Peacebuilding Network “Why don’t international forces ask us for advice on what to do here?” “We can’t walk into a PRT to talk to them. We’d be killed as soon as we walk out of there…. We are soft targets.”

Trend 3: NGOs and CSOs are increasingly deliberately targeted in political attacks

Coordination with Types of Civilians

Trend 4: Increased recognition of the need for better Community Engagement in Security Sector Reform and Security Assistance Training

Civil Society is Key to Stabilization & Peacebuilding Citizen- Oriented State Private Business Sector Active Civil Society Good governance, human rights, development, security

Without Civil Society… Elite-Captured State Private Business Sector Instability, Corruption, Lack of Human Rights

Some States use Security Forces to Repress Civil Society… State State-run Security Forces Private Business Sector Instability, Corruption, Lack of Human Rights Pacification and Repression of Civil Society

National Security Dialogues are essential to SSR Public perception that security forces are predators Predators Security forces, government and civil society dialogue on nature of security threats and how to work together to improve human security National Security Dialogue Public perception that security forces are protectors Protectors

Increased need for coordination Increase in Civil Society Efforts in Peacebuilding and Countering Extremism Increase in Security Sector outreach to civilians for counterinsurgency, stabilization, QIPs Increase in attacks against NGOs, CSOs, and civilians Increase in Security Force Assistance and SSR requirement for community engagement 4 Interrelated Trends

Coordination in Complex Environments Only coordination mechanisms and guidance for Humanitarian Civil Military Coordination No guidance or coordination mechanisms for Civil Military Relations between security sector and multi-mandate NGOs and local civil society organizations

International organizations Local and international security forces Private contractors Local civil society groups Multi- mandate NGOs Humanitarian organizations Civilian Population Host Government Structural Integration in Comprehensive Approach Armed Opposition Groups

International organizations Local and international security forces Private contractors Local civil society groups Multi- mandate NGOs Humanitarian organizations Civilian Population Host Government Shared Operational Environment Armed Opposition Groups

Two Paradigms of Security National Security Human Security

Approaches to Coordination Comprehensive Approach via Structural Integration with military chain of command to achieve military goal Humanitarian Civil Military Coordination via communication mechanisms with civilian chain of command to achieve civilian humanitarian goal Whole of Society Infrastructures for Peace via facilitated communication mechanisms with loose infrastructure to achieve human security

Recommendations & Feedback:  More elaborate CIMIC guidelines on engagement with civil society  Involve diverse civil society in CIMIC initiatives and training, taking into account their diverse characteristics and positions  Aim for locally owned security strategies and multi-stakeholder engagement  Communication and coordination rather than integration: > Invest in knowing and understanding each other > Start early enough and at the right level > Be transparent about possibilities, added value, goals, motivations