NEWS RELEASES

September 14, 2000 (11:40 a.m. EDT) No. 233

AXWORTHY LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON INTERVENTION AND STATE SOVEREIGNTY

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today launched the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS). The establishment of the Commission, a Canadian initiative, was announced by Prime Minister Chrétien in his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 7 during the Millennium Summit in New York.

"In his Millennium report, the UN Secretary-General challenged the international community to address the highly complex problem of state sovereignty and international responsibility," said Mr. Axworthy. "Canada's human security agenda is all about putting people first. We are establishing this Commission to respond to the Secretary-General's challenge to ensure that the indifference and inaction of the international community, in the face of such situations as occurred in Rwanda and Srebernica, are no longer an option."

To lead this process, the Government of Canada has appointed two co-chairs of high international standing: Gareth Evans, a former Foreign Minister of Australia and currently President of the International Crisis Group, and Mohamed Sahnoun, a Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on issues related to the Horn of Africa.

The ICISS will draw on the expertise of a distinguished group of commissioners whose views span a range of different perspectives and experiences on the issue -- from the north and the south, as well as from the legal, political, ethical and operational dimensions of this complex question. The ICISS will also work with a network of scholars, experts and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world to engage the very best thinking on the issue.

An Advisory Board, to be chaired by Minister Axworthy, will be composed of distinguished international figures, including current and former ministers, and practitioners from the academic, humanitarian and legal fields. Members of the Board will include individuals such as Ms. Soledad Alvear, Ms. Hanan Ashwari, the Right Honourable Robin Cook, and His Excellency Giorgos Papandreou.

The Board will serve as the reference body for the Commission, providing strategic oversight of its work, facilitating global debate, and building political support for the outcomes of this initiative. Board members will work to engage interested governments, institutions, and civil society to build high-level support for the Commission. As Chair of the Advisory Board, Mr. Axworthy will attend the Commission's meetings and provide input into its work. Once the report is completed, Advisory Board members will act as its key advocates to ensure that the political momentum required to follow up on its recommendations is maintained.

The Government of Canada will work to complement the Commission's efforts by promoting an open and transparent political dialogue on this issue in the coming months. Minister Axworthy launched that process in a meeting with colleagues yesterday, where he briefed them on the initiative and sought their support for fostering debate on these questions.

The purpose of the Commission is to build a broader understanding of the issues and to foster global political consensus on how to move them forward. Given the urgency of the issue and the timeliness of the debate, the Commission has been given a one-year mandate to complete its work. The Commission will report to Canada's foreign minister, and Canada will use the opportunity of UNGA 56 in 2001 to inform the international community of the Commission's findings and its recommendations for action.

"The right or responsibility of countries to intervene in other countries where human rights appear to be massively at risk has been perhaps the most troubling and difficult issue on the international policy agenda," said co-chair Gareth Evans. "Canada's initiative in creating this Commission gives us the hope of forging a new North-South consensus, and I feel privileged to be part of this effort."

"I have been involved in a very hands-on way in a variety of situations in Africa that have required intervention by forces operating under the aegis of the United Nations," said co-chair Mohamed Sahnoun. "The moral, legal, operational and political problems are indeed complex. I look forward to working with the other members of the Commission to try to bring a greater effectiveness to these types of operations, which have in the past tended to be carried out on an ad hoc basis. I congratulate Canada on its initiative."

"We are grateful for the strong political and financial support we have received from the Carnegie, MacArthur, and Rockefeller Foundations for this important initiative," said Minister Axworthy. "These Foundations are known for their leadership and vision. Their support for this Commission demonstrates, yet again, their courage in supporting intellectual and political efforts that are designed to improve the human condition and promote human dignity."

For more information, please visit the Commission's Web site at http://www.iciss.gc.ca

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A backgrounder on the ICISS, a list of members of the Commission and biographical notes on the two co-chairs are attached.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Debora Brown

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

Backgrounder

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON INTERVENTION AND

STATE SOVEREIGNTY

. . . if humanitarian intervention is, indeed, an unacceptable assault on sovereignty, how should we respond to a Rwanda, to a Srebrenica -- to gross and systematic violations of human rights that offend every precept of our common humanity? . . . But surely no legal principle -- not even sovereignty -- can ever shield crimes against humanity . . . Armed intervention must always remain the option of last resort, but in the face of mass murder, it is an option that cannot be relinquished.

Kofi Annan

We the Peoples

Establishment

On September 7, 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, Prime Minister Chrétien announced that Canada would establish an independent International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS).

Mandate

The mandate of the Commission is to promote a comprehensive debate on the issues surrounding the problem of Intervention and State Sovereignty. The purpose of the Commission is to contribute to building a broader understanding of those issues, and to fostering a global political consensus. The Commission will focus on the appropriate international reaction to massive violations of human rights and crimes against humanity, as well as address the question of preventive action through an international work program of consultation and outreach.

Relationship to the United Nations

The ICISS is an independent body intended to support the UN. It will respond to the challenge placed before the international community by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his Millennium Report, We the Peoples. The Commission is designed to build upon and complement efforts already undertaken on these issues in other contexts. The ICISS will complete its work during this Millennium Assembly year, and will use the opportunity of the UN General Assembly in 2001 to report back to the international community.

Leadership

Canada has appointed Gareth Evans, the former Foreign Minister of Australia, and Mohamed Sahnoun, a Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on issues related to the Horn of Africa, as the two co-chairs of the Commission.

Membership

Canada, working with the co-chairs, is establishing a group of commissioners whose views and expertise will permit a full examination of the wide range of political, legal, ethical and operational views on this issue.

An Advisory Board of Eminent Persons will be established to provide strategic oversight, to facilitate global debate and consultation, and to build broad political support for the Commission's work. The Board will also play an important role in sustaining the political momentum and public engagement required to follow up on the Commission's recommendations. The Advisory Board will include current and former senior political figures, as well as other distinguished individuals from academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.

The ICISS will also use a variety of approaches to engage interested governments, institutions, experts, academics and NGOs, from regular contact in diplomatic forums, to expert roundtable meetings during the coming year. In particular:

• A Group of Interested States (GIS), at the level of senior officials, will convene as required throughout the coming year to consult on the Commission's work.

• A Global Research Network composed of a diverse range of policy research institutions, academics, experienced practitioners and experts on specific subjects will be invited to participate in the work of the Commission.

• A series of regional "expert roundtables" will be held during the course of the coming year to inform the Commission's work.

The Commission is designed to be transparent and inclusive to build political and public debate on the issue. To ensure that a wide range of views and perspectives are included, participation will balance geographic representation and professional experience.

The Commission Report

The ICISS will produce a three-volume report. The first volume will be a succinct political document, which will present the views and vision of the commissioners and contain a set of practical recommendations for concrete action. The second volume will comprise original research, papers, articles and analysis produced during the course of the Commission's work. The third volume will be a compilation of the best of the existing literature on this set of issues, accompanied by an annotated bibliography.

Secretariat

The Commission will be supported by a small Secretariat, headed by an Executive Director, based at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa.

Financing

Reflecting international interest in this issue, strong political and financial support has been secured from the Carnegie, MacArthur, and Rockefeller Foundations. The Government of Canada is providing up to US$1 million over the next two fiscal years for the work of the Commission.

Engaging the Public

In order to stimulate a broad-based and global public debate on this issue, the substantive work of the Commission will be accompanied by a comprehensive program of public outreach and media engagement.

Follow-up Action

The global effort to address the issues of intervention and state sovereignty, and the positioning of the international community to deal with these difficult issues, will be an ongoing effort. As part of its final report, the Commission will suggest appropriate next steps. The Advisory Board will play a key role in the follow-up phase.

MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON INTERVENTION AND STATE SOVEREIGNTY

Gareth Evans (Australia) (Co-Chair)

President of the International Crisis Group, Brussels. Former Australian Foreign Minister (1988-1996).

Mohamed Sahnoun (Algeria) (Co-Chair)

Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Horn of Africa. Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Somalia and the Great Lakes of Africa.

Gisèle Côté-Harper (Canada)

Professor of Law at Laval University, Quebec. Former Director of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development and member of the UN Human Rights Commission.

Lee Hamilton (U.S.A.)

Director of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington. Former U.S. Congressman (1965-1999), when he served as Chairman of the Committee on International Relations.

Michael Ignatieff (Canada)

Visiting Carr Professor of Human Rights Practice at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Journalist and historian.

Joseph Legwaila (Botswana)

Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations, New York. Former Organization of African Unity Head of Mission, South Africa and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General to UNTAG (Namibia).

Vladimir Lukin (Russia)

Deputy head of the Yabloko faction in the Russian Duma. Former Chair of the International Affairs Committee of the Duma. Russian Ambassador to the U.S. (1992-1994).

Cornelio Sommaruga (Switzerland)

President of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian demining. Former President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (1987-1999) and Switzerland's State Secretary for External Economic Affairs.

Eduardo Stein (Guatemala)

Former Foreign Minister of Guatemala (1996-2000), Resident Representative of the International Organization for Migration in Panama, and Executive Secretary of the Action Committee for Support to the Economic and Social Development of Central America.

Ramesh Thakur (India)

Vice-Rector, UN University, Tokyo. Former head of the Peace Research Centre at the Australian National University, Canberra.

THE HONOURABLE GARETH EVANS, QC

Gareth Evans has been President and Chief Executive of the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based worldwide conflict prevention organization funded by governments and private foundations, since January 2000.

Born in Australia in 1944, Mr. Evans holds first-class honours degrees in Law from Melbourne University and in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University. Before entering the Australian Parliament in 1978, he was a barrister specializing in industrial law, and an academic lawyer specializing in constitutional and civil liberties law. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1983.

From 1978 to 1996 Mr. Evans represented Victoria in the Senate, serving as Deputy Leader (1987-1993) and then Leader (1993-1996) of the Government. From 1996 to 1999 he was the Member for Holt in the House of Representatives, serving from 1996 to 1998 as Deputy Leader of the Opposition. He resigned from the Australian Parliament on September 30, 1999.

Mr. Evans was a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke and Keating Labour Governments for 13 years, in the posts of Attorney General (1983-1984), Minister for Resources and Energy (1984-1987), Minister for Transport and Communications (1987-1988) and Foreign Minister (1988-1996).

He was one of Australia's longest-serving foreign ministers, best known internationally for his roles in developing the UN peace plan for Cambodia, helping bring to a conclusion the international Chemical Weapons Convention, founding the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum and initiating the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. He was Australian Humanist of the Year in 1990 and won the ANZAC Peace Prize in 1994 for his work on Cambodia. In the United States in 1995, he received the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order for his article on foreign policy entitled Co-operative Security and Intra-state Conflict.

Gareth Evans has written or edited eight books -- most recently Australia's Foreign Relations (1992, 2nd ed. 1995) and Co-operating for Peace: The Global Agenda for the 1990s (1993) -- and has published over 70 journal articles and chapters on foreign relations, human rights and legal reform, and democratic socialist political philosophy.

Among other positions, he is currently a member of the International Council of the Asia Society; the Council of the Asia-Australia Institute; the International Advisory Board of UN Studies at Yale; and the Advisory Council of the Institute for International Studies, Stanford University. He was also a member of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, co-chaired by Cyrus Vance and David Hamburg.

He is married to Professor Merran Evans, an econometrician who is Director of Planning and Academic Affairs at Monash University. They have two children, Caitlin and Eamon, who are studying at university. His leisure interests are reading and writing, travel, golf, football and opera.

MOHAMED A. SAHNOUN

Mohamed A. Sahnoun, a national of Algeria, is the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on issues related to the Horn of Africa.

From 1997 to 1998 he served as the Joint Representative of the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in the Great Lakes Region and Central Africa. Prior to taking up this appointment, he served as the Special Adviser to the Director-General of UNESCO for the Culture of Peace Program, and as a member of the Special Advisory Group of the War-Torn Societies Project, a joint endeavour of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.

From April to November 1992, Mr. Sahnoun was Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Somalia, and in 1993 was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the OAU in the Great Lakes Region. From 1994 to 1996, he served as a Pearson fellow with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa.

During his career, Mr. Sahnoun has been Counsellor to the President of Algeria on foreign affairs. He was a member of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) in the 1980s, as well as Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

From 1964 to 1973, Mr. Sahnoun was Deputy Secretary-General of the OAU, and in 1973 was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the League of Arab States in charge of Arab-Africa dialogue.

He also served as Algeria's Ambassador to Morocco and Secretary to the Maghreb Union (1989-1990); Ambassador to the United States (1984-1989); Chief of Algeria's Mission to the United Nations (1982-1984); Ambassador to France (1979-1982); and Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (1975-1979).

Mr. Sahnoun studied first at the Sorbonne University in Paris and then at New York University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in political science.