The first edition of the Paris Peace Forum was inaugurated on Sunday, 11 November 2018, one hundred years after the end of World War I. President Jean-Claude Juncker is heading the delegation of the European Commission and is joined by Commissioners Pierre Moscivici, Carlos Modeas and Julian King. Among many other projects present at the Paris Peace Forum that are supported by the European Commission, including on global governance, support to women in rural areas, development, climate change and migration, this year’s edition of the Paris Peace Forum features two projects funded under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcsP). The full programme of the Paris Peace Forum, livestreams and additional information is available online.
CIVIC participates in the Paris Peace Forum
The Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) hosts a booth in the “Space for Solutions” on the importance of Civilian Harm Mitigation (CHM) at the Paris Peace Forum. An emerging and innovative field, CHM recognises civilians as a vital constituency that deserves to be at the centre of conversations, strategy, and study. Calling for armed actors to take measures to prevent, minimise, and address civilian harm resulting from their operations, CHM initiatives are quietly but steadily creating momentum to change conflict dynamics. Supported by the EU’s Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, CIVIC implements two projects on CHM in Ukraine and Nigeria.
ICMP launches international initiative to advance the responsibility of states in accounting for Missing Persons
The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) launched an international initiative to advance the responsibility of States in accounting for all persons who go missing or have disappeared for involuntary reasons. ICMP Director-General Kathryne Bomberger explained the significance of the principles today, speaking at an ICMP panel discussion that took place at the Paris Peace Forum. Ms Bomberger highlighted “a new global consensus” that “States have a political, moral and legal obligation to account for missing persons, and that they will only act effectively if they base their efforts on the rule of law.” She stressed that accounting for the missing is “a geopolitical imperative that is supported by domestic and international legal structures.”
Background
The Paris Peace Forum was created by French President Emmanuel Macron to revive collective governance and international cooperation at a time when global challenges have never been so pressing. Conceived as an annual gathering of all actors of global governance, from states and international organizations to civil society, the Forum features projects and initiatives designed to improve global governance in five key domains: peace and security, environment, development, new technologies, and inclusive economy. This inaugural Forum began on November 11, 2018, with dozens of Heads of State and Government invited to commemorate the fragile peace that followed World War I – until the world failed to defend common rules and international cooperation. The Paris Peace Forum will last until 13 November 2018 and will take place annually after Armistice Day.
CIVIC is working toward a world where parties to armed conflicts recognize the dignity and rights of civilians, prevent civilian harm, protect civilians caught in conflict, and amend harm. It was originally founded as the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) in 2003 by Marla Ruzicka, a young American activist and humanitarian who saw that civilians were being injured, killed, and forgotten by the armed parties in conflict.
ICMP is a treaty-based international organisation with headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands. Its mandate is to secure the cooperation of governments and others in locating and identifying missing persons from armed conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration and other causes and to assist them in doing so. It is the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons.
Managed by the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) provides short- and mid-term assistance on conflict prevention, crisis-response and peace-building actions around the world. There are currently around 200 projects in over 75 countries. IcSP projects are implemented by Non-Governmental Organisations, the UN and other International Organisations, EU Member State agencies and regional and sub-regional organisations.
For more information:
Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP)
Details
- Publication date
- 12 November 2018
- Author
- Service for Foreign Policy Instruments