What is ICISS?
ICISS is the independent International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty.
What prompted the creation of ICISS?
ICISS was commissioned by the Canadian Government in response to the challenge placed
before the international community by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in September 2000.
In his Millennium report, We, the Peoples, he urged member states to address the dilemmas
posed by humanitarian crises where intervention and the sanctity of state sovereignty are in
conflict. The Secretary-General welcomed the establishment of such a Commission to explore
and catalyse a political debate on these issues.
What was the mandate of ICISS?
The mandate of the Commission was to promote a comprehensive global debate on the
relationship between intervention and state sovereignty. Its aim has been to build a broader
understanding of these issues; to reconcile the international community's responsibility to act
in the face of massive violations of humanitarian norms while respecting the sovereign rights
of states; and to foster a global political consensus on how to move towards more effective
action within the UN system.
What was the timeframe for the Commission?
The Commission began its research in the fall of 2000 and held a number of regional
roundtables and meetings from January to June 2001. The Commission formally presented
the report to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN community on December 18, 2001.
Who are the members of the Commission?
The Commission was led by Co-Chairs Gareth Evans, former Foreign Affairs Minister of
Australia, and Mohamed Sahnoun of Algeria, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General.
The ten other ICISS Commissioners are Gisèle Côté-Harper, Lee Hamilton, Michael Ignatieff
, Vladimir Lukin, Klaus Naumann, Cyril Ramaphosa, Fidel Ramos, Cornelio Sommaruga,
Eduardo Stein and Ramesh Thakur.
Who participated in ICISS?
ICISS was conceived to be as broadly inclusive and consultative as possible. The twelve-member Commission was appointed with a diverse international membership to reflect
different geographic regions and areas of expertise and to ensure that a range of
perspectives were brought to its work. To stimulate the broadest possible debate and ensure
wide participation, a series of regional roundtables were organised so key regional
governmental and non-governmental actors could share their perspectives with the
Commission. The Commission was also supported by the intellectual contribution of a range
of international scholars and specialists, all of whom are acknowledged in the supplementary
volume.
What kind of research was undertaken?
ICISS was intended to build on and complement work previously undertaken on intervention
and state sovereignty. The ICISS research directorate, based at The Graduate Centre of City
University of New York (CUNY) and led by Thomas G. Weiss of CUNY and Stanlake J.T.M.
Samkange of Zimbabwe, prepared a series of research papers compiling past and current
perspectives on key political, ethical, legal and operational issues, based on both existing
work and original research, prepared by the directorate with contributions from international
scholars and specialists.
What did the Commission produce?
The final Report of the Commission is a concise, political document encapsulating the
Commissioners' views on intervention and state sovereignty and their recommendations for
practical action. A supplementary volume accompanying the Report contains background
research addressing all the issues in a comprehensive, balanced and up-to-date way, as well
as an extensive bibliography of the best past writings in the field and some additional
background information on the Commission and how it functioned.
Where did ICISS conduct its work?
Commissioners' meetings and regional roundtables took place on five continents over the
course of 2001. This initiative was supported by a Canadian secretariat at the Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa, headed by Jill Sinclair, Director General
of the International Security Bureau.
How was ICISS funded?
Several international foundations have lent strong political and financial support to ICISS.
These include the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation
and the Simons Foundation. The Government of Canada has also provided US $1 million to
support the Commission's work, and financial contributions have been received from the
Governments of the United Kingdom and Switzerland.