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International Conference on Global Peace

13 November 2011

As leaders and high level representatives of regional intergovernmental organisations and civil society organisations from around the world will meet in Madrid for the conference “Strengthening Global Peace and Security for Development: the Role of Regional International Organizations and Civil Society” in Madrid, Spain on November 15 and 16 they will hear about the Pacific Island efforts to enhance collaboration between civil society and regional inter-governmental organisations to strengthen the regional peace and security architecture:

“Pacific Islands Forum Leaders recognise the value of engaging with civil society, having tasked the Forum Secretariat to determine, as appropriate, practical means to ensure civil society perspectives continue to be reflected in Forum policy formulation and are able to be conveyed to future Forum Leaders’ meetings, “ says Pacific Islands Forum Deputy Secretary General Ms Andie Fong Toy, who will share best practices and experiences of collaboration between the Forum Secretariat, a Pacific regional intergovernmental organisation, and civil society organisations, on conflict, peace and security issues. Collaboration between the Forum Secretariat and civil society includes the establishment in 2009 of a bi-annual PIFS-CSO dialogue:

“Civil society organisations working on conflict, peace and security issues have enjoyed increasing access to regional policymaking processes over the years, through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. This has included participation in high level workshops with regional government officials, as well as co-hosting a side event on Women, Peace and Security at the 2011 Forum Leaders meeting.”

According to the Chairperson of the Regional Steering Group of GPPAC – the Global Partnership for the Prevention of the Armed Conflict, Po’oi Pohiva who is also attending the conference, maintaining a pro-active approach to communication, the development of advocacy based material to channel through the existing committees and working groups, such as the Forum Regional Security Committee, is one way to pro-actively engage in inter-governmental processes:

“In the Pacific a series of civil society and government dialogue processes enabled through the UNDP supported Strengthening Capacities for Peace and Development Programmes, as well as development of the Regional Working Group on Women, Peace and Security which will develop a Regional Action on Women, Peace and Security, demonstrates the recognition of the vital role of Pacific Peacebuilders to contribute to the implementation of government commitments to enhancing peace and security in the region.”

FemLINKPACIFIC is the Secretariat of GPPAC Pacific and Regional Media and Policy Network on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security).

Deputy Secretary General Fong Toy will also touch on the challenges in maintaining collaboration between a regional intergovernmental organisation and civil society organisations and will also highlight how the four pillars of the Pacific Plan (Economic Growth, Sustainable Development, Good Governance & Security) address human security issues:

“The Pacific Plan for Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration (2005-2015) provides the overarching mandate for the Pacific Islands Forum. The Pacific Plan has four pillars, economic growth, sustainable development, good governance, and security, all of which address broad human security issues in the Pacific. Under this broad human security mandate, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has commenced work to strengthen engagement with civil society on conflict, peace and security issues and addressing sexual and gender based violence in the Pacific; as well as work on addressing youth issues in the Pacific.”

This unique meeting, hosted by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), will enable key policymakers and regional stakeholders to explore strategic partnerships in achieving greater global peace and stability. The conference will take place at the headquarters of the General Secretariat for Ibero-America, (SEGIB), Paseo de Recoletos, 8 - Madrid 28001 España.

“In our interconnected world, security now more than ever must be seen as a global public good,” said Peter van Tuijl, Executive Director of GPPAC. “The old state-centric, military-focused take on security falls short in addressing complex challenges, like transnational terrorist networks and the social inequalities conducive to conflict. We need a more holistic approach, carried out by different stakeholders. Cooperation between civil society and regional intergovernmental organisations is essential.”

For Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Albert Ramdin, the Conference presents a unique opportunity to foster greater understanding of the interdependence and mutually reinforcing relationship of peace, security and development. A collaborative approach involving state actors and all different stakeholders in society is necessary to design and implement effective strategies to promote peace, enhance security and advance towards sustainable development.

Many high level regional international organisation representatives have already confirmed their attendance to the conference including:

• Enrique Iglesias, Secretary General of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB)
• Rodolfo Severino, Former Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS)
• Azizuddin Ahmadzada, Director of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Kumar Shrestha, Special Assistant Secretary General of SAARC
• Andie Fong Toy, Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIFS)
• Levent Bilman, Director of the Policy and Mediation Division, United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

The two-day conference will culminate in proposals for systemic cooperation between intergovernmental organisations and civil society actors. The conference will serve as another step towards continued dialogue and interaction that will help facilitate a collaborative approach for facing regional and global peace and security challenges.

Profiles of conference participants as well as updates, background documents, and multimedia can be found at http://www.partners4peace.com. The conference will also be broadcast live over the internet.

About the Organizers:

The OAS is the premier inter-governmental forum for promoting democracy, human rights, security, and development in the Western Hemisphere. The OAS fosters policy dialogues, cooperation, the exchange of experiences and best practices, and the adoption of initiatives to promote peace and security of the Americas. http://www.oas.org

GPPAC is a member-led network of civil society organizations active in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding across the world. The network is organized around 15 regional networks of local organizations, each region having its own priorities, character, and agenda. GPPAC was initiated through extensive consultations in 2003-4, and officially launched through a global conference in 2005 at the UN headquarters in New York. http://www.gppac.net

This Conference is Organized in collaboration with Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), and thanks to the support of The Latin American Business Council (CEAL), Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Delegation of the European Union to the Pacific.

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ENDS

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