The sub-regional forum on the responsibility to protect: West African perspectives.

• Author: Koite, Mama Doumbia

From May 20-21, 2004, the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) hosted the sub-regional conference on "The Responsibility to Protect: west African perspectives."

The conference, which was jointly organised with Ploughshares, the Africa Peace Forum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Mali and the Canadian Embassy, was attended by about sixty delegates from west African, with participation by the African Union (AU).

The objectives of the conference were to:

* stimulate reflection on the interpretation of the responsibility to protect in the sub-region;

* stimulate west African dialogue on different ways and means of implementing the AU mandate with respect to humanitarian interventions and mechanisms of cooperation between the AU and sub-regional organisations;

* explore, in the context of existing regional agreements, indispensable political changes and procedures, to facilitate the implementation of recommendations made on the responsibility to protect.

After the opening ceremony, graced by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, representing the Minister, the Ambassador of Canada and many other officials, the proceedings of the two days took place in sessions as follows:

* Session I: reacting to the crisis;

* Session II: intervention in the African context;

* Session III: civil society and the responsibility to protect;

* Session IV: operationalising the responsibility to protect; and

* Session V: next steps.

After presentations followed by discussions and workshops, the conference recognised the relevance of principles and recommendations contained in the International Commission Report on intervention and the state sovereignty, while enriching it with new input.

Participants then critically analysed the situation in sub-Saharan Africa with regard to security and maintaining peace, before emphasising the necessity for understanding the root causes of the crises and conflicts that are destabilising our continent. These include:

* bad economic and political governance;

* insufficient levels of education and literacy;

* poverty and underdevelopment;

* lack of social justice, regionalism and ethnocentrism;

* low levels of family education and decaying social values.

Concerns were expressed reflected in the following questions:

* who should intervene?

* when is it appropriate to intervene?

* how to intervene?

* what do we understand as being the international community?

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