Statement by Mr. Kenzo Oshima at the launch of the "Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies"

Statement by Mr. Kenzo Oshima, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the launch of the "Guidelines on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets to Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies"
BRUSSELS, 26 JUNE 2003

Commissioner Nielson,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am in deed honored to celebrate with you here today the completion of an important cornerstone of contemporary humanitarian crisis management: the "Guidelines On The Use Of Military And Civil Defence Assets To Support United Nations Humanitarian Activities In Complex Emergencies". The guidelines mark a significant achievement in more clearly and comprehensively defining the relationship and roles of civilian aid providers and the military acting in their support.

In this room today, I am very pleased to see many familiar faces. Many of you have carried the major burden of making this extraordinary effort possible. My thanks go to all of you for your perseverance and excellent work; the MCDA Guidelines, as they are commonly referred to, are an achievement we can be proud of. My special thanks go to General Greindl of Austria, who has so aptly been called, "the father of the process". Although now retired, he continues to support us in our civil-military coordination efforts. And, I understand that in a week's time he will be holding a seminar in Zagreb, Croatia, on the practical use of the Guidelines. Also, I would like to extend my warm thanks to the Government of Switzerland for its invaluable support from the very beginning of the process.

Last but not least, let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the European Commission, in particular Commissioner Nielson and his team, for kindly offering to sponsor this event here in Brussels. We could not have found a better venue for today's launch. Often referred to as the capital of Europe, Brussels symbolizes not only the unity of Europe but also the growing confidence of civilian political actors and military stakeholders (NATO) in cooperating which each other in a world transformed first by the end of the cold war and again by the events of September 11th.

In confronting the many challenges facing the international community today, the ties between European institutions - most notably the EU and the Commission - and the United Nations have grown in recent years. A better understanding of each other's institutional cultures and processes has resulted in a solid partnership. Take the droughts and hunger crises in the Horn of Africa or Southern Africa, the rebuilding of war-torn Afghanistan, the many less publicized humanitarian crises, Chechnya among them, or just recently Iraq; in all of these crises, the UN - EU/EC partnership has become a reliable backbone of humanitarian crisis management.

It is in this spirit that I would like to note the particularly good relations between my Office, OCHA, and ECHO and take the opportunity to thank you for your continued funding and support of my Office, and the friendship displayed to me personally over the past 2 =BD years.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Closer relations between institutions and organizations, however, do not automatically result in a decreasing number of crises and complex emergencies. In fact, you will have noted that this year's Consolidated Appeals Process for humanitarian emergencies around the world has estimated the number of beneficiaries at up to 60 million, which is a sharp increase from recent years; and this estimate did not even include the recent Iraq Appeal. The challenges we face are multiple and have become more complex. In this situation it is imperative that we reach out to and coordinate with all actors engaged on the ground. The military is one of them. The millions of voiceless people in need of assistance in crises and emergencies, demand from us that we leave no stone unturned, no initiative unexplored, to improve the effectiveness and swiftness of our response to their pleas.

The Oslo Guidelines, and their sister document the MCDA Guidelines, are two such complementary initiatives. Whereas the original Oslo Guidelines focus on the use of military and civil defence assets in disaster relief, the issues addressed in the MCDA Guidelines are of a more complex and controversial nature. Fundamental issues of principle such as the impartiality of humanitarian action or control over military assets needed to be addressed in the deliberations of the document. While some critical voices remain, many concerns have been jointly overcome.

In fact, it is the true achievement of the MCDA Guidelines that they represent the result of an all inclusive consultative process. Some 51 delegations from around the world and many of our humanitarian partners in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, including NGOs and the ICRC, have contributed to the formulation of the Guidelines. All of them provided an extraordinary wealth of experiences and lessons learned from more than a decade of civil-military interactions in complex emergencies. And, they all have accepted the MCDA Guidelines as a pragmatic yet principled compromise. It does not come as a surprise, therefore, that their development took three years of dedicated work and extended deliberations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As both the Afghanistan and the Iraq crisis have shown, coordination between humanitarian and military actors can be essential for the timely and effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and to help ensure the protection of civilians. Sharing relevant information, facilitating humanitarian operations, and deconflicting humanitarian activities from military operations are key areas of such coordination. Thus, civil-military interaction is both a reality and necessity in managing today's conflict situations.

At the same time, however, it is important to emphasize the constraints and limitations of humanitarian organizations in this respect. The perception of agencies' adherence to the key humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality is of immediate practical relevance for humanitarian workers on the ground; for example, in ensuring safe and secure operations, obtaining access across combat lines, and being able to guarantee equitable aid distribution to all vulnerable populations in a crisis area.

It is therefore essential, for each crisis that arises, that there be maximum clarity for humanitarian staff operating on the ground in their daily contacts or liaison arrangements with military representatives. The guidance note on interaction with military representatives in the Iraq crisis, developed under the coordination of my Office in March of this year based on the key parameters and principles of the MCDA Guidelines, provides such clarity. The note gives clear guidance as to permissible and impermissible action for UN humanitarian staff. However, its impact extends beyond the confines of the UN. Both our humanitarian implementing partners and Member States appreciated the clear definition of roles and limitations in their practical conduct.

The quick development of this guidance note would not have been possible without the already existing draft MCDA guidelines that we finally launch here today. It is the true value of these Guidelines that they provide a flexible framework, which can be adapted to the particularities of each individual crisis. Diverse actors such as the military and civilian aid organizations need a coherent and transparent framework to contribute effectively to the alleviation of human suffering. The MCDA Guidelines provide such a framework; a framework that allows for civil-military cooperation based on mutual respect and a good understanding of each other's roles and limitations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Many recent emergencies have shown that the military has capabilities and assets that can prove of vital importance in addressing some of the most immediate needs of populations caught in conflict. However, the MCDA Guidelines confirm that for the reasons stated earlier by me this should only happen as a means of last resort and where civilian assets are insufficient or unavailable. The decision to call upon the military, therefore, requires careful consideration, in each and every case, as well as good consultation among IASC agencies engaged on the ground.

In practical terms, the point of departure for any request of military assets by a Humanitarian Coordinator must be a thorough evaluation of the humanitarian situation on the ground, including the magnitude and immediacy of needs. Moreover, the Humanitarian Coordinator will have to assess the humanitarian communities' own capacities to address these needs quickly and effectively through exclusively civilian assets. Against this backdrop, we will then have to weigh the advantages of using military assets against possible adverse political and operational effects, including public perceptions of impairing key principles of humanitarian assistance.

It is obvious that flexibility is a key aspect of the relationship between military and civilian actors. The MCDA Guidelines, therefore, are neither binding nor etched in stone. As stated earlier, their concrete application must be assessed against the specific requirements of the emergency at hand. In each and every case anew, the Guidelines need to be translated into pragmatic guidance to the field, as has happened during the Afghanistan and Iraq crises.

It is therefore important that the MCDA Guidelines remain a living document; subject to revision or amendment resulting from the experiences and lessons learned in each new crisis. Both the Consultative Group on MCDA and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee have indicated their willingness to live up to this ongoing challenge by reviewing the Guidelines at regular intervals.

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As you are aware, I am approaching the end of my assignment as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the outstanding support, advice and friendship that you have extended to me during my tenure with OCHA.

And, I am certain that you will extend the same support to my distinguished successor, Mr. Jan Egeland, from Norway. As you know, he is well equipped to maintain the momentum that has developed around the Guidelines and to skillfully lead the dialogue between civilians and the military. In 1994 he co-chaired the Conference leading to the adoption of the "Oslo Guidelines".

I wish you good luck in your future endeavors on this important topic, and thank you very much for your attention.