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Crisis Management

Screening IcelandChapter 31, Foreign, Security and Defence Policy – Bilateral

Brussels, 20 May 2011

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Common Objectives

• Iceland shares the objectives of the EU in crisis management and conflict prevention

• Iceland party to major policy declarations by the UN, OSCE and NATO

• Promotion of peace and stability, human rights and gender equality, post conflict assistance and support of civil society

• Iceland active in Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa. • Icelandic – EU Framework Agreement on Crisis

Management 2005

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Iceland's Crisis Management

• Under MFA´s Directorate for International Development Cooperation

• Participation in Crisis Management organised by the MFA´s Iceland Crisis Response Unit (ICRU)

• Direct financial contributions to the ICRU 11% of ODA

• Important part of Iceland's foreign policy and external relations

• Part of the Strategy for Iceland's Development Cooperation 2011 – 2014

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Strategy for Iceland's Development Cooperation 2011 - 2014

Natural Resources

Human Capital

Peace-building

energy fisheries

education health

good governance reconstruction

Humanitarian Assistance

Gender equality / Environment

NGOs

Bilateral cooperation

Malawi

Mozambique

Uganda

Palestine*

Afghanistan

World Bank

Multilateral cooperation

UNICEF

UN WOMEN

UNU

Imp

lem

en

tati

on

P

olicy

MFA ICEIDA MFA

MFA

WFP

OCHA

CERF

NGOs

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History

1950s First assignments 1994 Active participation2001 ICRU established as a unit within the MFA2004 ICRU made a department within the MFA2007 Act No 73 on ICRU and its Participation in

International Crisis Response.2008 Act No 121 on Iceland's International

Development Cooperation.

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Act 73/2007 on ICRU, Art. 1 (1)

• “The Ministry for Foreign Affairs may participate in international crisis response schemes and send civilian experts on crisis response assignments for that purpose.Crisis response assignments include, among other things, the following operations:– a. Participation in assignments to ensure stability and to

work with the inhabitants of conflict zones. – b. Assignments to support political and economic

development with the aim of achieving lasting peace.

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Act 73/2007 on ICRU, Art. 1 (2)

– c. Assignments to support the development of infrastructure of society after armed conflict has ended, e.g. in the fields of administration, supply networks and telecommunications.

– d. Participation in preventive projects conceived to avert armed conflict in unstable areas.

Assignments of the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit may never contravene the provisions of humanitarian and human rights conventions.”

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Selection of Seconded Experts

• Diverse Professions– Human rights experts, police officers, coast guard

officers, health personnel, gender experts, public information officers

• Applications through the MFA website• Stand-by roster, response list• Selection based on project requirements • Assessment by ICRU and in consultation with

partner organisations

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Training and Seminars

• Briefing on ICRU operations and history, laws and Code of Conduct, by MFA

• Working in security situations, by the State Commissioner for Police/Icelandic Coast Guard

• Specialised training (logistics, communications etc.) by WFP

• Gender awareness, by UNIFEM/UN Women• Participation in training courses given by European

partners• NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany• Multinational Civil-Military Cooperation Capability

(CIMIC) Group, Motta di Livenza, Italy

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Gender Policies

• Action Plan for the implementation of UNSC resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Evaluation– Main focus:

• Increased women's participation in decision making and peace processes

• Protection of women and girls in conflict zones• Integration of gender perspectives and gender education into

peacekeeping • Gender budgeting assessment of the ICRU • Gender ratio in ICRU expert positions: 45% female• Gender equality achieved in election monitoring in

2010

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Civilian Experts in the Field 2002-2010: Gender Ratio

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ICRU Participation in Various Missions since 2001

• Kosovo: KFOR, Council of Europe • Bosnia and Herzegovina: UNPROFOR, EUPM• Macedonia: EU’s Concordia• Serbia: UNIFEM• Afghanistan: ISAF, UNIFEM• Iraq: EOD team, NATO Training Mission• Lebanon: SRSA, UNMAS, UNIFIL, UNRWA• Sri Lanka: SLMM• Liberia: UN DPKO, UNIFEM• Sudan: UNICEF, WFP

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Pristina Airport, Kosovo 2002-2004

• Management of the Slatina Airport in Pristina• 10 – 12 ICRU personnel active at any given

time• Training of air traffic control personnel• Preparing the handover to the UN and the

Kosovo Authorities• First major task of the ICRU

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Iraq and Lebanon

• Iraq– Icelandic Coast Guard Explosives Disposal (EOD) Team

active in the field 2003 and 2004 in cooperation with the Danish Military

– Public information Officers (PIOs) assigned to the NATO Training Mission (NTM-I) in Bagdad

• Lebanon– Icelandic Coast Guard Explosives Disposal (EOD) Team

working with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) and the UNMAC/ UN Mine in Lebanon in 2007 and 2008

• Focus on destroying cluster bombs.

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Administration of Kabul International Airport (KAIA) 2004 - 2005

• Iceland focal point for operations • Responsible for the administration and

running of KAIA under ISAF • Positions included Commander of KAIA, Fire

Chief, Air Operations and heads of major support functions

• More than 20 employees at KAIA at any given time

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Mobile Liaison and Observation Teams in Afghanistan 2005-2007

• Icelandic Mobile Liaison and Observation Teams (MLOTs) in Northern and Western Afghanistan 2005 – 2007

• Up to 20 personnel active at any given time• In the Norwegian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in

Maymanah in Fahryab Province • In the Lithuanian-led PRT in Chagcharan in Ghor Province• Tasks included

– Assisting with reconstruction in remote rural areas – Assisting with the coordination of humanitarian and emergency aid

and providing information to international relief organisations– Cooperation with local authorities and police

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Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) - 2008

• Nordic monitoring role• Monitoring cease fire agreement since 2002• Report violations of the agreement • Establish dialogue between partners and

settle disputes on a local level • 10 Icelandic positions in SLMM• Termination of SLMM in 2008

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Liberia DPKO 2008 - 2010

• UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Police Section• Two Icelandic policemen at any given time • Tasks

– Law enforcement capacity building– Training of the Liberian National Police – Participation in Donor Aid Coordination Team– Participation in Investigation Advisory Unit– Working with Emergency Response Unit

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Present Deployment

• Afghanistan– Civilian experts to the International Security and

Assistance Force (ISAF) – Support functions, policy, development and long term

capacity building • Middle East

– Various positions with UN Agencies• Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia

– Long term cooperation with UNIFEM/UN Women on gender issues.

– Cooperation with the OSCE on election monitoring.

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Some Focus Areas

• Development and long term capacity building• Health care and sanitary issues• Law enforcement • Media and public information• Policy and management• Gender issues• Election monitoring

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Civilian Experts in 2010 by Organisation

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Afghanistan 2010-2011

• Office of the Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) of NATO´s Secretary General: Director for Political Affairs

• Office of the Commander of ISAF (COMISAF): Deputy Director for Development

• ISAF DCOS Stability Division: Social Development Expert, Gender Advisor

• Head of Personnel Service in the base at the Kabul International Airport (KAIA)

• Deputy Commander Base Support Group, KAIA• Icelandic Development Advisors in the Norwegian-led PRT in

Maymanah and the Lithuanian-led PRT in Chagcharan 2005 until 2010

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Middle East 2010-2011

• The occupied Palestinian territories– Management Officer with UNRWA HQ in Amman, Jordan– Management Officer with UNWRA in Beirut, Lebanon. – Advisor on Displacement at the UNRWA Protection Team

in Jerusalem– Health care specialist with UNICEF in Jerusalem– Disaster Management expert with OCHA, Jerusalem

• Yemen and Pakistan: – Emergency Information Officers

with UNICEF

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The Balkans 2010-2011

• Experts with UNIFEM/UN Women Regional Programme– Cooperation since 1999– Gender Advisors in Serbia – Gender Advisors in

Bosnia-Herzegovina– Promote the third MDG on gender equality and

the empowerment of women

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Election Monitoring with the OSCE

• Participation in monitoring with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR)

• Participation in short and long term observation – Albania, Armenia, Azerbadjan, Belarus, Bosnia-

Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Moldova, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

– Macedonia in June 2011.

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Iceland-EU Cooperation on Peace-keeping and Crisis Management

• Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland establishing a framework for the participation of the Republic of Iceland in the European Union crisis-management from 21st February 2005

• The basis for the cooperation of Iceland and EU in the field of peace-keeping and crisis management operations

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Participation in CONCORDIA 2003

• Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland on the participation of the Republic of Iceland in the European Union Force (EUF) in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (CONCORDIA), from 3rd July 2003 until end of 2003

• Civilian information expert to CONCORDIA

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Participation in EUPM 2003-2009

• Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland on the participation of the Republic of Iceland in the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), from 10th December 2002

• Two policemen at any given time to the EUPM– Tasks

• War crimes investigations• Fighting organised crime

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PRESENT

ELECTION MONITORINGDPKO-UNMIL

Liberia

UNIFEM/UN Women/EU/Council of Europe

Bosnia–Herzegovina , Serbia, Kosovo

ISAFKabul Afghanistan

OCHA/UNRWA/UNICEFoPt, Amman, Beirut, Damascus,

Jerusalem, Sudan

OSCE Election MonitoringAlbania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Georgia, Belarus, Kirgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine

UNICEFYemen, Pakistan

FINISHED

Crisis Management Operations

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Ministry for Foreign Affairs http://www.mfa.is

EU Application Website http://europe.mfa.is/