This week, UN Security Council renews Haiti mission. Youth dialogue initiative aims to enhance peace in Nigeria. Over 1,000 Israelis gather to call for ceasefire and hostage deal.
UN Security Council renews Haiti mission
On Monday, the UN Security Council renewed the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti for another year, emphasizing the urgent need for increased action against rampant gang violence. Initially authorized last October, the mission, led by Kenya, currently deploys around 410 police officers, with plans to expand to approximately 2,500 personnel. The Council’s unanimous resolution called for expedited deployment and additional voluntary contributions from member nations to support the mission.
Haiti’s transitional President Edgard Leblanc Fils recently described the nation’s security situation as “unprecedented,” noting the pervasive fear among citizens, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where gang violence has worsened. Over half of Haiti’s population faces acute hunger due to the ongoing crisis. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield reaffirmed international support, calling for a collaborative approach to restoring stability and paving the way for future prosperity.
Haitian Ambassador Antonio Rodrigue welcomed the mission’s extension but insisted on transforming it into a full UN peacekeeping operation to effectively address security challenges. Meanwhile, Kenya’s Ambassador highlighted the need for quick reinforcement and substantial resources to achieve the mission’s objectives and support Haiti’s recovery efforts.
This development comes after Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary last week urged the UN to extend its mission to Haiti.
Youth dialogue initiative aims to enhance peace in Nigeria
Mercy Corps hosted a two-day youth dialogue in Nigeria’s Katsina State on Wednesday to foster awareness and promote Youth Peace and Security (YPS), Voice of Nigeria reported. This initiative, in collaboration with the state government, Centre for Democracy Development, International Organisation for Migration, and funded by the European Union, aimed to address pressing security issues affecting the region.
During the dialogue, Alhaji Lawal Aliyu, the state’s Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, discussed the importance of involving youth in discussions about security, noting that security challenges cannot be resolved solely through force. He urged participants, who were mostly from frontline areas, to contribute solutions to the ongoing security crisis.
Philip Ikita, Mercy Corps’ Senior Programme Manager, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the crucial role of youth in promoting peace. He acknowledged that many conflicts, including banditry, are perpetuated by young people and asserted that they must play an active role in conflict resolution.
Over 1,000 Israelis gather to call for ceasefire and hostage deal
Over 1,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to demand a ceasefire and hostage deal. The ralliers demanded that the government work towards a deal that would bring Israeli hostages home from Gaza.
The number of rallies surpassed Israel’s maximum limit of 1,000 people in public gatherings, which the country has enforced since Israel killed Lebanese Hezbollah leader Narallah in an airstrike last week. Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, the region has been experiencing conflict. Israel has recently been focusing its efforts on weakening the Iran-basked militant group Hezbollah, including with its pager explosions last month. In the past few weeks, over 1,200 have been killed across Lebanon, as well as eight Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, the one-year anniversary of October 7 is approaching. Despite the death and destruction, Israelis critical of their government are calling for their government to focus more on freeing the hostages than on fighting with Hezbollah.
As Ghana approaches its general elections scheduled for December 7, 2024, calls for a peaceful electoral process have intensified. Political leaders have expressed concerns following isolated incidents of violence linked to the elections in various regions.
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will face former President John Dramani Mahama, who is seeking a return to office under National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the polls. Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is a Muslim from Tamale, the capital city of the Northern Region, while John Mahama is a Christian from Damongo, the capital of Savannah Region. Current president Nana Akufo-Addo will step down in January 2025 after completing his constitutionally mandated eight-year term.
Although Ghana is known to be a stable, democratic country with a history of successful political transitions, and has held eight free and fair elections since 1992, recent reports of politically linked violence have prompted major political parties to sign a peace pact in preparation for the December elections. Concerns over violence materialized on September 6 when supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Salaga, East Gonja Municipality, Savannah Region, clashed over the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment, resulting in four injuries. Ghanaian peace leaders are calling on stakeholders, youth, and the media, to promote peace amidst the violence.
Sébastien Brack, the Kofi Annan Foundation’s representative, stated during his presentation at the Code of Conduct inaugural meeting that “[a]t a time when democracy is in retreat, especially in West Africa, it is all the more important that Ghana remain a beacon of democracy.”
He went on to state that, “Although he was a global statesman, Kofi Annan was proud to be Ghanian because Ghana is famous for its peace and democracy. Every election is a test of that reputation, but also an opportunity to reaffirm Ghanaians’ commitment to a system that has served them well.”
The National Peace Council Ghana, responsible for promoting peace in the country, has been actively engaging stakeholders to stress the importance of peaceful elections. The Council’s efforts include peace sensitization, training programs for youth, community outreach, media campaigns, cultural events, workshops, seminars, and policy advocacy against vigilantism. George Amoh, the council’s executive secretary, emphasized the Council’s role in conflict prevention and management, especially involving the use of peace pacts. While not legally enforceable, they are “persuasive rather than punitive”, as they carry moral weight and encourage commitment to non-violence, he said.
Amoh told Peace News, “They show a commitment to peace and discourage violence by leaders, thereby fostering a peaceful environment….[This] discourages party followers from using the violent ways because their leaders commit to using non violence mechanisms in addressing conflicts.”
In July 2024, 11 peace pacts were registered in Ghana amongst political parties in anticipation of the upcoming election, he said. Amoh further added that they are waiting for the major presidential elections peace pact which they hope all the major parties will once again commit to signing.
Amoh urged the youth to use non-violent methods to address conflicts, highlighting their future’s dependence on today’s actions. “The future belongs to the youth,” he said. “If you destroy today, you destroy the future. We must protect today to secure a better tomorrow.”
Executive Secretary National Peace Council, Ghana George Amoh.
He further appealed to youth to use nonviolent ways to address conflicts because conflicts will arise due to differences in background or languages. However, the youth should commit to using nonviolent alternatives when such conflicts arise, he said.
Amoh explained, “That is the easiest way to protect the future of the youth, and I want all the youth to come on board to ensure we do not give in to any politician who wants to use us for their own ends. We do not have to do that. If they do, let us ask them to bring their own children first before we follow them if they fail to do so. We have reason to say no to their luring attitude toward violence.”
Dr. Charles Ohene-Amoh, Executive Secretary of the Central Regional Peace Council, echoed these sentiments. He emphasized the significance of peace sensitization and the role of peace pacts in resolving conflicts and maintaining democracy. He pointed to the successful 2012 Peace Pact, known as the “Kumasi Declaration,” as a positive example of such agreements: “If the pact was not signed the country could have witnessed violent conflict during the elections,” he told Peace News.
In the Savannah Region, Kennedy Atiibo, Regional Officer for the Savannah Peace Council, highlighted recent training for media practitioners on conflict-sensitive reporting in the Savannah region in the north of the country. This initiative aims to ensure that media coverage does not incite conflict in the lead-up to the elections. The Savannah region in the north was one of the regions created in year 2019.
Atiibo’s final message to Ghanaians is to uphold the country’s peaceful reputation. “We have a history to protect,” he told Peace News. “Let’s approach this election calmly and resolve differences through non-violent means.”
He said Ghanaians should remain calm and go about it as a normal election, saying “Where there are differences that need to be resolved then let’s choose the non-violent approach because that is very important as far as the elections are concern.”
Kennedy expressed confidence that the election will go on successfully across the country.
Similarly, Melody Azinim, Peace and Governance Analyst at the UNDP- Ghana, also said youth are a critical component for peace building since they are the most common actors in various forms of conflicts, crimes, and violence, especially during campaigns and elections.
Azinim spoke at a peace campaign organized for the youth in the Sakyere Afram plains district at Drobonso recently. She stressed the need for an institution to educate youth in order to prevent them from falling prey to politicians who want to use them for their selfish goals.
ECOWAS Holds Dialogue Meeting with Political Actors, Stakeholders
The Department of Political, Peace, and Security of the Economic Community Commission of West African States (ECOWAS), in collaboration with the National Peace Council of Ghana, held an interactive training workshop with political actors and stakeholders in Ghana from 4th to 11th September 2024.
The aim is to create an opportunity for stakeholders to learn about and value the ECOWAS Constitutional Convergence Principles (as provided for in the Additional Protocol 2001 on Democracy and Good Governance) and other frameworks for transparent and peaceful conduct of elections.
The workshop also aims to provide a platform for a structured and multisectoral dialogue between representatives of political parties, security agencies, the Election Commission (EC), and civil society organisations (OCC) on issues relating to the organization and conduct of the December 7, 2024 general elections.
The initiative provided participants with the opportunity to acquire practical techniques and skills for dialogue and mediation, essential tools for managing disputes and electoral conflicts, through group discussions, role simulations, and plenary debates.
Commissioner for Political, Peace and Security Affairs, Ambassador (Dr.) Abdel-Fatau Musah, represented by Mr. Ebenezer Asiedu, Chief of Democracy and Good Governance, in his remarks at the workshop as quoted reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting dialogue as a fundamental tool for managing expectations of the parties interested in electoral processes
The Representative of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Florence Mensah, highlighted the readiness of the Electoral Committee to conduct free, fair, peaceful and inclusive elections.
Participants at the workshop included representatives of the National Peace Council, the Electoral Commission, political parties, security agencies, the Christian Council, the Office of the National Chief Imam, the National House of Chiefs, civil society organizations including youth and women’s groups, and the media, who play key roles in preventing and mitigating election-related disputes.
Finally, as Ghanaians look forward to the general elections, the call for peace and violence-free campaigns is intensifying not only within the country, but across the west African region, with the hope that the political actors imbibe a culture of violence-free polls for the stability of the country.
Experts discussed a recently finished draft for a new United Nations Charter, which seeks to address some challenges the UN faces in a changing world.
Nearly 80 years have passed since the United Nations Charter was written in 1945. The charter’s aim was maintain international peace and security, and establish cooperation between countries on security, economic, social, and humanitarian issues.
Since then, the world has changed dramatically and no longer reflects the power status quo at the end of World War Two. Furthermore, societal norms have advanced on issues such as gender equality, and climate change is an increasingly pressing threat to long-term human survival. Meanwhile, armed conflicts continue to rage across the globe and the current structure of the United Nations increasingly seems dated and dysfunctional. As such, many experts in a wide range of fields believe that the time has come for a reformed UN Charter. A group of such experts have recently written a draft titled “A Second United Nations Charter: Modernizing the UN for a New Generation.”Experts discussed a recently finished draft for a new United Nations Charter, which seeks to address some challenges the UN faces in a changing world.
The Global Governance Forum hosted a launch event for the Second Charter draft on September 19 in New York City at Baha’i International Community Offices. Three panels discussed normative changes from 1945 to the present, upgrading and updating existing institutions, and new institutions and arrangements.
The first speaker was Joshua Lincoln, a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Law and Governance at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Global Affairs. Lincoln said that when the experts wrote the Second Charter draft, there were two normative changes. The first, he said, was to delete the World War II enemy states language, including references to the enemy nations of Japan and Germany. The draft also excludes the “now defunct” two chapters on trusteeship, Lincoln said.
“The second charter embeds more firmly the idea of a living charter. It anticipates that revisions, reforms, amendments to the charter, would continue,” he continued.
Lincoln also discussed issues with the UN Security Council.
“The paralysis we’ve seen over a matter of decades now accelerating in the double context of Gaza and Ukraine, has basically had the added value that absolutely everybody now concedes, agrees that the Security Council is not meeting its fundamental responsibility,” he said.
Lincoln explained that this comes with a “long-simmering discontent with respect to the membership council, elected and permanent members, and an unresolve around there.” He went on to say that the Second Charter draft seeks to rebalance the role of the two principal organs, the Security Council and the General Assembly, and put peace and security “a little bit back in its lane,” bringing the General Assembly back into security.
Ann Linde, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, argued that the current UN Charter does not address normative changes, such as how gender equality and women’s empowerment are viewed. Linde said that studies have shown that higher levels of participation by women improves the process of decision-making at the UN, and yet women are “chronically underrepresented” at the UN. She said that the Second Charter draft uses stronger language calling for gender equality.
“In Chapter 3 about the organs, the present very passive text in Article 8 reads ‘the UN shall place no restrictions on the ability of men and women to participate in any capacity under conditions of equality’” she said. “It’s now changed considerably in the new text. The group proposed that the UN shall ensure equity under all of its principal and subsidiary organs. It shall ensure gender equality in all areas representative of the UN organs.”
Another proposal in the draft that Linde says will “shake things up” is that no three consecutive assembly presidents can be of the same gender.
Linde also noted that the current charter does not take into account how widespread gender-based violence (GBV) is.
“That is why the second charter proposes an amendment to the Article 55 in Chapter 9, and that amendment reads ‘To guarantee the universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedom of all, without distinction to race, language, religion, or any other category, and the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and human trafficking,” she said.
Patricia Rinaldi, an associate professor of international relations at Faculdades de Campinas in Brazil, discussed the need to connect peace and socio-economic issues. She said that she and other experts proposed three changes to the charter concerning the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The first recommendation, she said, was to get rid of the overlapping functions between ECOSOC and the General Assembly, and create a clear division of labor. The second recommendation was to address the lack of coordination of the UN system, and make ECOSOC a real coordinator between different UN agencies and subsidiaries. ECOSOC could provide a space for dialogue, collaboration, and integrating activities, she said.
“So we tried to make ECOSOC a real coordinator that could provide general guidance and focus on integration of activities, instead of UN agencies and subsidiaries starting to fight against each other for agendas and financial resources.”
The last recommendation that Rinaldi discussed was to expand the role of ECOSO as a revolving door for civil society and other stakeholders engaging with the UN, including groups representing marginalized populations such as women, indigenous people, and youth, among others.
This week, a Sudanese activist stands up for peace at the United Nations. Kenya calls to extend its peace mission in Haiti. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia must be forced into peace.
Sudanese activist stands up for peace at UN
Sudanese peace and climate activist Nisreen Elsaim stood up for peace in her country at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
Elsaim had had food, water, and electricity cut off from her for weeks in Sudan before she fled the country with her baby. She said, “Lives are being lost to gunfire and shelling, to famine and malnutrition, to diseases like cholera and dengue fever.”
Elsaim warned that even though the solution to Sudan’s conflict lies inside the country, “its consequences will not be contained to the region,” since over 2 million people have crossed into neighboring countries. She described the UN’s financial support as “vital to Sudan’s struggle.”
Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced a US$25 million allocation from the OCHA-managed Central Emergency Response Fund to tackle famine and acute food insecurity in Sudan. The United States pledged $424 million towards emergency humanitarian relief.
Sudanese women have been making their voices heard in calls for peace. Earlier this month, Sudanese women leaders from 16 different organizations called for a gender-inclusive mediation process to address Sudan’s dire civil war. The leaders said that all political parties should adhere to the 35% affirmative action policy for women by appointing more women to leadership positions, and stop replacing women in decision-making roles with men.
Kenya calls for extended peace mission in Haiti
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary is urging the United Nations Security Council to extend Kenya’s peace mission in Haiti, Kenyan news site Capital FM reported. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi called on the Security Council to extend the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti for another year. This extension would facilitate the full deployment of Kenyan officers, essential for achieving the mission’s objectives. Currently, only 410 out of the planned 2,500 officers have been deployed, limiting the mission’s impact.
Mudavadi praised the efforts of the deployed officers in collaborating with the Haitian National Police to secure critical infrastructure, including the international airport and national hospital. He highlighted significant progress made in the first 100 days, which has enhanced public safety and facilitated humanitarian aid access. Mudavadi also stressed the need for innovative approaches to ensure sustained support and resources for the MSS Mission.
Kenya plans to send an additional 600 police officers to Haiti soon, bolstering efforts against gangs in the capital. President William Ruto has expressed support for transforming the mission into a full United Nations peacekeeping operation. The UN Security Council is expected to convene soon to decide on renewing Kenya’s mandate for an additional 12 months, preparing for a full UN mission in 2025.
This week, Peace News reported on Haiti’s need for continued support amidst the country’s unfolding humanitarian crisis. Eighty percent of Port-au-Prince remains controlled by criminal gangs that seized vast swathes of the capital in the power vacuum following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. To learn more, click here.
Ukrainian president says Russia must be forced into peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN Security Council, emphasizing that the conflict with Russia cannot be resolved through dialogue alone; instead, he argues that Russia must be “forced into peace.” Zelensky condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions as violations of international norms and called for robust support from Western allies for his “victory plan” to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022. He criticized proposals suggesting territorial concessions to Russia as unacceptable and highlighted the complicity of North Korea and Iran in supplying arms to Moscow, calling them “de facto accomplices.”
Zelensky warned that the war would not simply fade away and reiterated the need for decisive action against Russia, which currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine. He also expressed concern about the potential impact of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, where support for Ukraine may shift depending on the outcome. In response, the Kremlin dismissed Zelensky’s remarks as a “fatal mistake,” asserting that peace could only be achieved under conditions that ensure Russia’s security. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, reinforcing the illegitimacy of Russia’s aggression.
As the Caribbean country continues to experience extreme insecurity, Haitian and American peacebuilding professionals highlighted current challenges and next steps.
Haiti needs continued support to help its population through the country’s unfolding humanitarian crisis, said a panel of Haitian and American experts. The U.S. government response, the panel said, has so far been creative but insufficient.
The security situation in Haiti is tense, according to Louis-Henri Mars, the executive director of Lakou Lapè, a peacebuilding organization based in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. 80 percent of Port-au-Prince remains controlled by criminal gangs that seized vast swathes of the capital in the power vacuum following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. According to Mars, Haiti’s National Police and a Multinational Security Mission composed of about 400 Kenyan police officers deployed to Haiti in July lack the means to restore order.
Mars said that a key driver of violence is the lack of a clear pathway out of organized crime for gang members. Without ways for their members to reintegrate into society, he argued, the gangs will continue to violently resist state control and international intervention. He also pointed to Haiti’s porous border with the Dominican Republic, which he said allows weapons to flow into the country. To achieve long-term security, he said, Haiti needs to address the root causes of insecurity and instability. Mars argued that the Multinational Mission can open a window of opportunity for reform, but cannot solve the situation by itself.
Management Systems International (MSI), an international development firm, has been working with USAID to implement its Haiti Citizen Security Program (HCSP). Kalinda Magloire, a peacebuilding professional with MSI, said the HCSP is focused on supporting the national police, ensuring social service delivery to victims of crime, and supporting government bodies playing a role in Haiti’s ongoing transition. Haiti’s acting prime minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign in April after the gangs prevented him from returning to the country after an official visit to Kenya.
Henry was replaced by a nine-member Transitional Presidential Council tasked with returning Haiti to political stability. Magloire said that the Council’s role remained unclear and that it could either devolve into a “bureaucratic nightmare” or work effectively if it appropriately delegated responsibilities among its members. Planned constitutional reforms and elections, she said, could open a window of opportunity to address other necessary topics such as transitional justice and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of gang members.
In March 2024, the Biden administration put forward 10-year plan to promote stability in Haiti. John Jordan, a Senior Conflict Advisor within USAID’s Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention, praised the administration for recognizing that elections in the country should not be seen as an end goal, but rather a milestone in securing peace in the country. He said that the Global Fragility Act, passed in 2019 to streamline US government efforts to address challenges in conflict-prone states, had allowed for greater cooperation between government agencies and allowed US policymakers to focus on the root causes of conflict.
Haiti’s situation should not be ignored, said Rick Barton, a veteran State Department official and the founding Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO). Barton asked the international community to “not normalize the violence taking place in Haiti – it is horrendous.” He referred to the effects of the country’s institutional collapse as a “humanitarian disaster” and expressed disbelief at the limited attention the situation receives, saying that “somehow, we’ve pushed back these grievous atrocities.”
Barton said that while the US government has been creative in adapting to limited funding, domestic political opposition, and a wariness of getting stuck in a protracted international crisis, the US response remained insufficient. He called for a local focus on addressing violence but admitted that the Haitian police were facing challenges in fighting a conflict of attrition with the gangs, with private security groups often paid more than police officers, and the gangs appealing to Haitian youth lacking economic opportunity.
Barton and Magloire warned the U.S. government to not let previous failed interventions in Haiti discourage attempts at aid. Barton said that “just because we screwed up in the past doesn’t mean we have to do it again,” and Magloire warned that an entirely “Haitian-led” solution remained difficult.
When asked about specific recommendations for the US government, Mars said that Washington should increase cooperation with Haitian authorities to secure the country’s ports and borders and limit the flow of munitions to the gangs. He also encouraged policymakers to plan for a “day after” the conflict in Haiti, to prepare for reconstruction, and to help rebuild Haitian institutions to ensure their continued functioning after the withdrawal of international forces.
Mars also called for a “cathartic deep dialogue between Haitians” to address what he referred to as a deep trauma born from the country’s violent history: “We are a society born from slavery that has never found a doctor.”
The discussion on Haiti’s security challenges and efforts to address them took place on September 11 at George Mason University during PeaceCon 2024 – a conference bringing together policymakers and professionals in the field of peacebuilding.
