Geuzen Medal to Betty Bigombe
People who do not give up, and, like Betty, are determined to ‘keep looking for opportunities for peace.’ People who seize opportunities for peace, mobilise everyone around them to build consensus and lay the foundations for reconciliation.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am honoured to be here today at the presentation of the Geuzen Medal, one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious awards.
The fact that this year’s Geuzen Medal is being awarded to Betty Bigombe makes it even more special for me. I lived in Uganda for several years in the late 1980s, and was Dutch ambassador there from 2003 to 2007, so I have known Betty for many years. From the start, I was impressed by her courage, knowledge and persistence.
When I met Betty for the first time she was already quite a legend in Uganda and further afield. And rightly so. As Minister for the Pacification of Northern Uganda, she moved her office from the capital to the region of conflict. And she was the first ever government representative to meet with Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army – a courageous act indeed. This unprecedented move ultimately led to the peace negotiations of 1993/1994.
In 2004, Betty demonstrated her enormous courage, imagination and perseverance once again when she dared to meet the leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army to try to persuade them to return to the negotiation table.
Betty’s perseverance ensured that traditional leaders and women and young people, not just the international community, were part of the move to bring lasting peace to Northern Uganda. Betty proved that dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution are always an option, even when you’re dealing with an opponent like the LRA.
The Dutch embassy in Kampala, together with the British and Norwegian embassies, supported Betty’s 2004 missions as part of our broad support of the negotiation process in Northern Uganda.
I am convinced that without her efforts Northern Uganda would now be in a much worse position. Thanks to her it is a much more peaceful place than it was five or ten years ago, with 90% of internally displaced persons having returned to their communities. People have started farming again. Cross-border trade with Southern Sudan is now booming, with many of the products sold in Juba coming in through Uganda. Security has improved significantly. Roads have been reconstructed, extra police officers have been trained and have taken over security tasks from the Ugandan army. And the judicial process and access to justice have improved through the deployment of judges, and the construction of jails and courts. Many important steps have thus been taken towards a promising future.
Be that as it may, lasting peace has not yet been achieved. The Lord’s Resistance Army, although reduced in number, is now terrorising other regions and ruining other communities, families and lives. The terror is not over. It has shifted from Northern Uganda to Southern Sudan, the DRC and the Central African Republic. Even if the LRA is less visible than before, we cannot close our eyes to the enormous suffering it causes.
This conflict is far more complex than most people imagine. It would have been wonderful to be able to talk today about the former conflict and the peace we have achieved. Regrettably, that is not yet possible.
In situations like this it soon becomes apparent that peace is not something static, but a process. A process that would not stand a chance without people like Betty Bigombe.
[women at the peace negotiation table]
Peace processes require investment. Fragile states and states in conflict are among the poorest in the world. They are the farthest away from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. One third of people living in extreme poverty live in these states, although they account for only 20% of the population of developing countries.
To accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs in these countries, sufficient funds need to be allocated, with a response that both considers the unique challenges associated with conflict and fragility and puts peacebuilding and state building at the top of the reform agenda.
Peace processes require competent, committed people like Betty. People who have an insider’s take on the situation, and who are not involved for their own benefit. People who do not give up when things don’t work out right away. It could be argued that these are qualities often found in women. Nevertheless, women are not represented at most peace negotiation tables. Of the 21 peace agreements that have been signed since 1992, only 5.9% of negotiators and 3.65% of mediators were women.
Investing in peace negotiation processes in general, and in the role of women at peace negotiation tables in particular, is a priority of Dutch foreign and development cooperation policy. We are not alone in this. It is now ten years since the international community concluded, in introducing UN Resolution 1325, that women should be involved in peace negotiations and in the reconstruction process.
Even if you do not believe in the specific added value that women bring to the negotiation table [which I find unlikely], it should be self-evident that failing to involve half of the population in the peace and reconstruction process will have a negative effect on its impact and on public support. This is not only a loss to women; it is a missed opportunity for society as a whole.
Having strong women at the table is critical because women are often the eyes and ears of their communities. They are among the first to observe changes at the grass roots and can visit places and collect intelligence where men cannot.
Peace agreements should bring together not only members of the elite. For peacebuilding to last, local groups need to be included as well. Since women often represent local realities rather than political interests, they can be of great value in giving a voice to the marginalised and powerless.
A good example is the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, where Sudanese women peacebuilders took part in the negotiations and successfully pushed for the inclusion of humanitarian, social, and economic considerations. They under¬scored the need to attend to the hardships of the people affected by conflict, par¬ticularly refugees and the displaced.
When women are actively involved, peace agreements are more credible and cover a broader range of issues. Their participation widens negotiations beyond issues of military action, power, and wealth sharing, and promotes a non-competitive negotiating style and bridge-building between the negotiating parties.
[after the peace]
A peace agreement means the end of conflict. But it is only the beginning of the peace. According to World Bank estimates, 50% of post-conflict countries relapse into conflict within 10 years after the peace agreement has been signed.
It is in the first couple of years after the end of conflict that the capacity of local actors, including governments, civil society and other groups, to resolve conflicts peacefully and create a lasting peace needs to be strengthened.
Peacebuilding is an ongoing process. It involves building trust, overcoming deep divisions and reinforcing the capacity of societies and groups to address conflict in non-violent ways. It is important to actively build consensus between former enemies in ‘peace forums’ or ‘peace committees’. Promoting implementation of peace agreements at local level is of great importance.
In the words of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, “Essentially, the aim should be the creation of a sustainable national infrastructure for peace that allows societies and their governments to resolve conflicts internally and with their own skills, institutions and resources”. Kofi Annan set a good example in his role as mediator in Kenya. In early 2008, ‘district peace committees’ kept post-election violence in Kenya from spreading to the normally volatile Northern and Coastal provinces, while the Rift Valley and Nyanza, where these structures did not exist, experienced widespread violence.
Ladies and gentlemen,
One thing is certain in all this important work: peace is a long, hard struggle. It cannot be achieved and sustained without courageous, persistent people like Betty Bigombe. People who do not give up, and, like Betty, are determined to ‘keep looking for opportunities for peace.’ People who seize opportunities for peace, mobilise everyone around them to build consensus and lay the foundations for reconciliation.
Today we are honouring one of them. And Betty Bigombe’s work is a shining example of what can be achieved if you seize every opportunity to negotiate, even if it means working against all odds and daring to be a pioneer.
Betty, you are truly a worthy recipient of this medal.
Thank you.
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