Working Multilaterally
Through policy development and capacity building, DFAIT focuses its efforts on enhancing multilateral cooperation and political will and improving regulatory systems and frameworks to prevent and resolve conflict.
Since the UN Secretary-General’s 1992 report An Agenda for Peace, Canada has worked to support the integration and coordination of prevention approaches within the UN system.
Canada joined other UN Member States in adopting the landmark resolution 57/337 (2003), which committed states to working towards the prevention of armed conflict, and laid out the roles of states, UN agencies, civil society, and the private sector in preventing armed conflict. Canada was actively involved in contributing to the negotiations, serving as one of ten countries to facilitate the process.
In addition to supporting key UN resolutions on conflict prevention, Canada supports the Peacebuilding Commission, created in 2005, which will marshal resources at the disposal of the international community to advise and propose integrated strategies for peacebuilding.
According to former United Nations High Commissioner Mary Robinson (Romanes Lecture, Oxford University, 11 November 1997),"...today's human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow's conflicts." For this reason, Canada is also a strong supporter, and member, of the Human Rights Council. Created in March 2006, the Human Rights Council replaces the UN Commission on Human Rights.
In addition to the UN, Canada works with a range of organizations and partners to strengthen multilateral capacity to prevent and resolve violent conflicts. For example:
Supporting Operational Research
DFAIT also conducts focussed research on creative mechanisms and options for implementing conflict prevention initiatives within regional and multilateral institutions.
In March 2006, DFAIT conducted a ‘Fast Talk’ on human security and conflict prevention asking experts to provide insights into current thinking about approaches to conflict prevention, emerging issues and knowledge gaps in the field.
Through the Human Security Program, DFAIT is also supporting Réseau francophone des opérations de paix (Web site in French) to promote research and information exchange in the French-speaking world on conflict prevention and peace operations, in line with the commitments Canada made at the Saint-Boniface Ministerial Conference.
Research will also focus on under-studied dimensions of contemporary conflict, such as the privatization of security.
See Also
Human rights and minorities
Small arms
War economies and targeted sanctions