I. Japan's Role in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security

Conflict Prevention

Conflict prevention (c) SUMMIT PHOTO JAPAN
Conflict prevention was a major topic discussed
at the G8 Foreign Ministers'
Meeting in Miyazaki, Japan,
in July 2000.
It is more cost-effective in various matters to nip conflicts in the bud before they occur, rather than respond to conflicts once they have erupted. From this viewpoint, recently the international community has increasingly come to recognize the importance of preventing conflicts in the stages before they erupt. Moreover, once a conflict does occur, it is necessary to stop it as quickly as possible, and the international community must take measures to prevent the recurrence of the conflict, and achieve a peace that can be sustained in the long-term.

Since the end of the Cold War, debate on conflict prevention became active after then-UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali issued a report entitled "An Agenda for Peace" in June 1992 in response to a request by the Security Council. According to "An Agenda for Peace," the activities of the United Nations belong to four stages, in response to the stage of the conflict: "preventive diplomacy," "peacemaking," "peace-keeping," and "post-conflict peace-building." (Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed to utilize "preventive action" instead of "preventive diplomacy," as such non-diplomatic activities as "preventive development," "preventive disarmament," "preventive humanitarian assistance," and "preventive peace-building" are conducted with the goal of preventing conflict.)

As matters stand now, the concern of conflict prevention has no established definition, and the scope of its objectives is also not clearly prescribed. Still, at present, the United Nations is pursuing efforts at each of the four different stages of conflict prevention, that of "preventive action" before conflicts erupt, "peacemaking" to end conflicts once they have started, and "peace-keeping" and "post-conflict peace-building" once a cease-fire and peace accord have been established.

Examples of conflict prevention by the United Nations:

  • Preventive action
    Development of the UN Preventive Deployment Force (UNPREDEP)
    Comprehensive dialogue on the East Timorese at the UN Secretary-General's initiative
  • Peacemaking
    West Sahara peace accord signed with UN mediation
    Adjustment operations by the UN Special Mission in Afghanistan (UNSMA)
  • Peace-keeping
    UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)
    UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG)
    UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
    UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)
  • Post-conflict peace-building
    Reconstruction assistance in Bosnia
    Refugee repartriation / resettlement assistance in Rwanda

Hitherto in dealing with conflict prevention, Japan has believed that it is important to grasp overall the various causes in the background to the conflict's occurrence, and moreover take into view efforts in a wide range of stages, from prior to the conflict's eruption until after its conclusion. As a method to pursue the above views, Japan has appealed to the international community on every occasion its belief in the importance of a "comprehensive approach" which makes efforts bearing in mind policies and measures in such fields as politics, security, the economy, society, and development. The importance of a "comprehensive approach" is gradually spreading in the international community, as seen from the emphasis on the importance of pursuing a "comprehensive approach" at the G8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Miyazaki in July 2000. Japan intends to continue to further promote similar views.

Up to this point in time, Japan has cooperated for the prevention, settlement and recurrence prevention of numerous conflicts, and has participated actively in debates at the United Nations and the G8, among other forums. In particular, as President of the G8 for the year 2000, Japan cooperated with various countries and brought together debate concerning conflict prevention. In the "G8 Miyazaki Initiatives for Conflict Prevention," the resulting product, the G8 took a common position for the first time on the high-priority fields of "Small Arms and Light Weapons," "Conflict and Development," "Illicit Trade in Diamonds," "Children in Armed Conflict," and "International Civil Police," taking a first step towards making substantive efforts. From the point of view of cooperation for the prevention of the recurrence of conflicts, Japan has assisted in the reconstruction of Kosovo and its neighbors (Macedonia, Albania) and the reconstruction of East Timor.

Furthermore, toward the activities of regional organizations involved in conflict prevention, Japan is contributing by assisting the strenghtening of the Conflict Prevention Management Mechanism of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the dispatch of the OAU election observer mission to Nigeria. Japan is also considering assistance for the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) (as of 2000).


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