Join the event: Myths and Realities of (Dutch) Peacekeeping
An event organized by Stichting Nationaal Vrijheidskwartier and Wageningen University & Research, in collaboration with KUNO.
When: Thursday 9 October, 10.30
Where: Vrijheidskwartier (Freedom Quarter), start in Visum Mundi
Practicals: Free entrance, please register. Limited seating so full is full. Including drinks, lunch, snacks and an optional evening programme. The event will be held in English.
register now
The idea of UN peacekeeping missions reflects the aspirations of the twentieth century that sought to prevent the horrors of the Second World War. But was an international legal order under the UN ever more than a myth? What can we still do with the idea of the UN peacekeeping mission? Is it still viable; and if so, in what form? What can we learn from past experiences, including the recent cases of Mali and Afghanistan? And what do these lessons suggest about the future, in places such as Ukraine, Syria, or Gaza?
These important but complex questions will be addressed during a dynamic event day, filled with interactive sessions, in the Freedom Quarter (het Vrijheidskwartier) in Wageningen.
What can you expect?
Dr. Jair van der Lijn (Director of SIPRI’s Peace Operations and Conflict Management Programme) will be interviewed on the Evolution and Feasibility of UN Peace Missions: What remains of an aspiration in our contemporary world?
In a dialogue with General (ret.) Kees Matthijssen, we will explore the future of peacekeeping missions. What can we learn from recent experiences in Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali, and South Sudan? And how do these experiences relate to current and potential future missions?
During the NGO Panel, three humanitarian organisations – Save the Children, CARE NL, and Center for Civilians in Conflict
(CIVIC) – will reflect on their experience of interacting with past and ongoing UN peacekeeping missions. They will share suggestions, from a humanitarian perspective, on the future of UN peacekeeping missions.
Timetable:
10.30 uur Welcoming guests in Visum Mundi
11.00 uur The Evolution of Peacekeeping missions, with Dr. Jaïr van der Lijn
12.30 uur Lunch break in Hotel de Wereld
14.00 uur How about the future of peacekeeping missions? An interview with General (ret.) Kees Matthijssen
15.00 uur Coffee break
15.30 uur NGO Panel: three humanitarian organisations will reflect on the future of UN peacekeeping missions.
17.00 uur Drinks & Bites in Visum Mundi
18.00 uur End of event, participants choose if they stay for the evening programme
18.00 uur Filmmenu @ Hotel de Wereld
19.30 uur Opening Auditorium for film
20.00 uur Film with interactive reflection, including break
More background info:
The idea of UN peacekeeping missions reflects the aspirations of the twentieth century that sought to prevent the horrors of the Second World War. Since then, such missions have played a role in the course of international and domestic armed conflicts in many forms, especially since the end of the Cold War. Yet, they are often subject to debate. In the past, missions in Yugoslavia and Rwanda failed to prevent large-scale violence, and the tragedy of Srebrenica remains vivid in the minds of many Dutch people.
Later, peacekeeping became entangled with the war on terror, raising further concerns. Particularly after the withdrawals from Afghanistan and, more recently, Mali. Some long-standing conflicts even risk leading to near-permanent missions, as seen in Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and (South) Sudan.
At the same time, there seems to be no alternative to military interventions bound by international rules, especially in today’s era of hard-edged geopolitics, which increasingly disregards such norms and institutions like the UN. But was an international legal order under the UN ever more than a myth? What can we still do with the idea of the UN peacekeeping mission? Is it still viable; and if so, in what form? What can we learn from past experiences, including the recent cases of Mali and Afghanistan? And what do these lessons suggest about the future, in places such as Ukraine, Syria, or Gaza?