Chair of EWI's International Task Force Launches New Initiative on Conflict Prevention and Human Security

October 8, 2008 – A new initiative linking parliamentarians from around the world has been launched at the European Parliament in Brussels. The Chair of the EastWest Institute's International Task Force on Preventive Diplomacy, Ortwin Hennig, opened the meeting and welcomed the participants. President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, addressed the inaugural meeting of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention and Human Security (Network), pledging his – and the European Parliament’s – full support to the Network.
 
Gareth Evans – Task Force High-Level Advisory Board member – delivered the keynote speech and spoke of the important role that parliamentarians can and should play in advancing the cause of conflict prevention. In particular, he encouraged parliamentarians to continue their norm setting role, influencing legislation and holding governments accountable. He drew attention to the need for them to advocate for greater resources to preventive diplomatic initiatives as well as to supporting the development of the Responsibility to Protect principle in their parliaments.
 
The meeting resulted in agreement by members to focus the Network's initial efforts on supporting prevention activities in Africa and Eastern Europe, and on greater capacity building.
 
Long-term advocate for conflict prevention efforts Ms. Angelika Beer, MEP (Germany) and Mr. Kabwe Zitto, MP, (Tanzania), were elected as the first Co-Chairs of the Network on an interim basis. In a statement to the Press, the Co-Chairs said that the Network members are committed to reframing traditional security thinking. They went on to say, that the Network will “use the members’ combined experience and capacity to influence governmental policy and resources towards early and effective actions to prevent violent conflict. As individuals and as a network, we will support our colleagues in countries across the world in their efforts to bring peace and stability to their region, whether they are directly involved in peace processes or in need of the networks support to bring attention to a particular conflict.”
 
The Network, which was initially proposed and since developed by the EastWest Institutes International Task Force on Preventive Diplomacy in December 2007, currently links more than 45 parliamentarians from 20 countries around the world working at both the national and international level to gear legislative mechanisms and procedures to direct political will and resources towards preventive action and human security.