Projecting
Canadian Values Abroad
Notes for the keynote address by the
Hon. David Kilgour,
Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa),
At the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation’s
Annual General Meeting,
June 25, 1999, Prince of Wales Armory, Edmonton
It is a great pleasure to join you this
evening and have the opportunity to speak
to you about issues that are close to all
of us. As an Albertan I take pride in the
work you are doing and appreciate opportunities
such as this to learn more about the excellent
work your organizations do internationally.
As Secretary of State for Latin America
and Africa I travel across those regions
and see results of the cooperation between
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
the Canadian government.
The world is a rapidly changing place.
One only has to look at the NATO action
in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and
the recent installation of an elected government
in Nigeria as examples of shifting values
and priorities. Traditional structures/responses
are no longer the only answer. We are constantly
exploring new options and recruiting new
players to add their expertise in solving
global problems and projecting Canadian
values abroad.
The much-respected Czech President Vaclav
Havel said when he addressed our House of
Commons in late April: "I believe that
in the coming century most states will begin
to transform from cult-like objects, which
are charged with emotional contents, into
much simpler and more civil administrative
units, which will be less powerful and,
especially, more rational and will constitute
merely one of the levels in a complex and
stratified societal self-organization."
The changing role of the nation state that
Havel mentions is not simply a prediction
for the future, it is under way as we speak.
The idea of governments as the sole actors
in foreign policy is being rethought as
a growing number of international organizations,
including NGOs, prove their ability to deal
effectively with situations that require
cooperative resources.
Post-Cold War
Since the end of the Cold War, most have
come to realize that the world does not
operate in isolation. We must now react
to events that do not respect borders drawn
on maps. Issues such as mass migration,
crime, disease and the environment, do not
limit their effects to one country; they
affect us all. The safety of people from
these threats, both violent and non-violent,
is what we’re now calling "Human
Security". Over the last two years
Canada has been active in bringing this
human security agenda to the table and it
has become a major focus in our foreign
policy, most recently perhaps at the OAS
General Assembly in Guatemala City.
This approach involves actors from across
the spectrum -- states, international institutions
and NGOs One only needs to look at Canada’s
efforts to secure a treaty banning landmines
and the role NGOs played in that process
to see how we all benefit from the action
and support of civil society participation.
Governments and NGOs worked together --
the former mobilizing political will, the
latter, public opinion.
It was not just the consultation of NGOs
active in the field, but a full partnership
between the groups and governments. The
Ottawa Convention on Anti-personnel Landmines
is an excellent example of the importance
of the emerging partnerships of NGOs and
governments in tackling global issues.
NGOs make a vital contribution- working
here and in developing countries as advocate
and implementing agencies, raising funds
and delivering assistance. Your community
has become a significant part of Canada’s
presence in the world. Work with respect
to peacebuilding and human security relies
heavily on partnerships with NGOs, both
in Canada and internationally.
In 1996, Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy
and CIDA Minister Diane Marleau launched
the Canadian Peacebuilding Initiative. It
provides assistance to countries in conflict
in their efforts towards peace and stability,
but also promotes Canadian peacebuilding
capacity and Canadian participation in international
peacebuilding initiatives. The success of
the Peacebuilding Initiative rests partly
on partnerships with our NGO community.
The primary goal of peacebuilding is to
enhance the indigenous capacity of societies
to manage conflict without violence; it
consists in essence of a set of measures
that create a sustainable environment for
human security.
There are a broad range of activities associated
with peacebuilding. It may involve conflict
prevention, conflict resolution, as well
as various types of post-conflict reconstruction.
These activities can take the form of community
level projects to prevent conflict; informal
peace dialogues; support for the reintegration
of refugees and displaced persons; demobilization
of former combatants; and human rights training
programmes.
In the Horn of Africa, a region that has
been the scene of large-scale human suffering
and conflict for decades, the Peacebuilding
Fund has been able to assist a Canadian
NGO , Project Ploughshares to hold workshops
with local civil society and leadership.
These workshops led to a constructive dialogue
between the local government and the civil
society leaders aimed at breaking the historical
cycles of violent conflict and border disputes.
Children’s
Rights
Children’s rights -- the protecting
and promoting the rights of society’s
most vulnerable -- has remained a priority
for NGOs and Canadians generally. Your community
has played a very active and important role
in dealing with the growing phenomenon of
war-affected children in many areas of the
world.
Today, there are probably more than 300
000 girls and boys serving in armies and
rebel groups around the world as fighters,
cooks, porters, messengers, spies, labourers
and sex slaves.
To illustrate the importance of the issue
of children’s rights for the Canadian
government, I can give some examples. Last
autumn, a joint Committee on War-Affected
Children was formed, bringing together NGOs
and the government, and chaired by Senator
Landon Pearson. Through our Peacebuilding
Program at Foreign Affairs, ours was the
first government to provide resources to
the international NGO Coalition to Stop
the Use of Child Soldiers. The Coalition
is working on a region-by-region basis to
raise awareness about the issue of the recruitment
of child soldiers.
Through CIDA, Canada is allocating fund
to community-based projects in Liberia aimed
at demobilizing and reintegrating children
there into their communities. In Uganda,
Canada is supporting UNICEF’s project
aimed at stopping the abduction of children
and advocating for the release of children
already kidnapped. In Algeria, Canada is
supporting programs to strengthen the local
capacity to counsel children traumatized
by the country-wide massacres.
Human Rights
Generally
Human rights is an area where Canadian
NGOs have done tremendous work You carry
out much of the work, especially on the
ground and act as additional avenues for
Canada to strengthen the international human
rights system and increasingly integrate
human rights into other areas of international
society.
The Canadian Resource Bank for Democracy
and Human Rights, CANADEM, has developed
a substantial roster of Canadians with expertise
in peacebuilding- related fields. One result
is that Canada was able to respond quickly
to the need for a range of civilian skills
in the OSCE’s Kosovo Verification Mission.
As Canada deepens its relations with Latin
America, there are opportunities there for
growth in NGO participation..Canada is now
discussing with our hemispheric partners
issues that would have been unthinkable
just a few years ago -- good governance,
corruption, human rights, civil society
and landmines, to mention only a few. Democracy
and economic liberalization are here to
stay in our hemisphere. Governments have
been transformed, regional institutions
are being revamped, and new mechanisms are
being created to meet today’s challenges.
Drug Dialogue
One of the priorities of the human security
agenda in our region is fighting the illicit
drug trade and alleviating its consequences;
Canada is promoting a dialogue among all
34 Foreign Ministers on this issue. I have
personally been actively involved on this
issue, travelling to Latin America and the
Caribbean to meet with Foreign Ministers
and others concerned about the drug problem.
Much has already been done. Many governments
already have national anti-drug strategies
as well as programs to reduce illicit drug
demand through educational and health programs,
to reduce supplies through eradication or
alternative development, and to control
trafficking through interdiction, law enforcement
and measures to reduce money laundering.
Building on existing mechanisms and agreements,
foreign ministers can provide political
support or guidance where required. However,
there is also a need to involve NGOs and
further pursue an integrated response that
would include the contributions of many.
African Opportunities
My second area of responsibility is Africa,
where Canada’s traditional official
approach has been through CIDA development
programs. We have worked to alleviate poverty
and promote human rights and development
in the world’s poorest region. Over
the last 30 years, CIDA has built an impressive
reputation based on generous and intelligent
aid. Africa today accounts for 45% of Canadian
bilateral development assistance and close
to half out humanitarian relief.
We have come to realize that there are
other concerns in the region and other means
of promoting growth and stability.
Peacebuilding,
democratic development, conflict prevention
and conflict resolution mechanisms are all
requirements for sustainable prosperity
in Africa in the 21st century.
Despite the common media view, there are
many encouraging signs. Only last month,
I had the honour of representing Canada
at the inauguration of Nigeria’s President-elect
Obasanjo. The ceremony was a joyous event,
marking the end to many years of authoritarian
military rule. Canada supported the return
to democracy by providing electoral support.
Channelled through the UN in order to co-ordinate
international observers and through Nigerian
NGOs in order to allow their own involvement
in the monitoring process, our goal was
to ensure a free and fair election.
In closing, I’d reiterate the value
of Canada’s close ties with NGOs. The
challenges we face working to ensure human
security require the contribution of many
actors. Canadians generally, like you, embrace
the contribution your community is making
to further Canadian human security objectives
and the work they do assisting in global
situations.
I wish you continued success in your important
endeavours.
Thank you.
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