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Role of Norway as global peacemaker 

New Delhi, December 02, 2005

An International conference on ''Norwegian and Indian Peacemaking: Comparative Experiences'' was organised by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Delhi Policy Group recently in New Delhi. It was attended among others by Ambassador Shankar Bajpai, Chairman Delhi Policy Group and the Norwegian Ambassador to India Jon Westborg. While Mr Bajpai spoke about India’s peacemaking attempts at home and abroad, Ambassador Westborg elaborated on Norway’s role as facilitator of conflicts across the globe.

The regions that were focused upon in the conference held on November 24, were West Asia, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Africa and Latin America. The themes of the seminar were broadly divided into the role of the facilitator, lessons from peace making, and towards a model for peacemaking in the 21st century. 

The first of the four sessions was chaired by Ambassador Bajpai, Chinmaya Gharekhan, Special Envoy to West Asia followed by Prof. Ameena Mohsin, Dhaka University, Prof. N.S. Pun of Nepal and Dr. Radha Kumar, Delhi Policy Group & Director, Mandela Centre, Jamia Millia University. 

A key speaker during the conference was Jon Hansen-Bauer, Norwegian Foreign Ministry, who said it is possible to engage in political discussions to solve the specific grievances locally. ''This is something one can learn from India,'' he said and emphasized the need for more coordination and sharing of views with various countries. The other speakers were Ajay Shukla, Navdeep Suri, Joint Secretary (West Asia), Ministry of External Affairs, India, Endre Stiansen of Sudan, Norwegian Ambassador to Morocco Arne Aasheim and Prof. Om Prakash Mishra, Member Indian National Security Advisory Board.

Lt. General Satish Nambiar, Director USI, said while India has experience in peace keeping and building in India, it has not played an adequate role outside the country. He stressed on institutional democracy which should go further in building inclusiveness because nothing can sustain without local ownership. Vijay Nambiar, Deputy to the National Security Advisor of India was also present on the occasion. The conference was attended by delegates from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Nepal apart from academicians, diplomats and officials from the Ministry of External Affairs India. 

Norway has been - and is still - involved in a number of peace processes and negotiations across the globe. As a facilitator, Norway’s role is to assist the parties in their efforts to reach a political solution, not to impose a solution on them. The nature of Norway's engagement varies and efforts change according to the different stages of the process. A significant part of Norway's efforts focuses on promoting understanding between the parties. The country devotes much of its time acting as a channel of communication and helping the parties to find common ground between their respective positions. Another important part of the efforts is to ensure broad support for the process in the international community.

During the past ten years, Norway has been involved in various ways and to different degrees in peace and reconciliation processes in Asia (Sri Lanka, the Philippines & Aceh), in Africa (Ethiopia/Eritrea & Sudan), in Latin America (Guatemala, Colombia & Haiti), in the Middle East (the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians), and in Europe (Cyprus). Indonesia, Serbia and Somalia could also be added to the list. Norway’s role ranges from official facilitator of negotiations (Sri Lanka and the Philippines), to sponsor of a back channel for secret negotiations (the Middle East), to actor in an international coalition promoting such processes (e.g. as head of the Security Council’s consideration of Ethiopia/Eritrea and Somalia, as member of groups of friends in Colombia and Guatemala, as member of the troika supporting the peace process in Sudan, and as an actor in the Balkans), to supporter of the activities of other actors (Aceh), to provider of humanitarian assistance (e.g. Burma).

The Norwegian work for peace and reconciliation is characterized by the following:

• Willingness to make long-term contributions. Norway has a consistent and predictable policy on development assistance and peace efforts based on solidarity and a long-term perspective. There is broad political consensus on foreign policy, which ensures consistency regardless of changing governments. Norway has also a demonstrated the will to talk to all parties in a conflict.

   

• Flexible and ample resources. Norway makes both financial and human resources available for peace and reconciliation processes. These resources are also flexible, which enables Norway to become engaged quickly. Coupled with a substantial engagement in development assistance, we do not just support the negotiation process as such, but have also monitored peace agreements and are using development co-operation actively to implement peace agreements and prevent the re-emergence of conflict.

   

• Close co-operation with Norwegian and international NGOs. In many cases, Norwegian NGOs have been our point of entry into peace and reconciliation processes. The extensive network that Norwegian NGOs have built through decades of humanitarian work has given access to areas where the official Norway has little or no presence. Norway also co-operates closely with several international NGOs.

   

• Amicable relations with central actors in the international arena. Norway has close relations with the USA and good relations with other major actors such as the EU, Japan, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa. Our position as a major contributor to the UN and our extensive development co-operation give us credibility in the international community. Norway has no colonial past. Our commitment to peacemaking is also perceived to be sincere because we do not have ulterior political or economic motives. Norway is aware that all conflicts are unique and require a tailored approach. 

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