Chapter 26
Conclusion
26.1
Since 1947, Australian peacekeepers have been involved in international
peacekeeping operations. They are widely recognised for their commitment,
dedication and high standards. As noted earlier in the report, His Excellency
Major General Michael Jeffery, Governor-General of Australia, recently added to
the praise often bestowed on Australian peacekeepers:
All three services of the Australian Defence Force, as well as
Federal, State and Territory police officers and experts from other government
agencies have served with compassion and professionalism and at times with high
personal bravery. They have earned the respect and admiration of governments,
aid agencies and civil populations throughout the world. We have a proud
history of Peacekeeping service.[1]
26.2
Today's peacekeepers face new challenges. During the past 60 years, the
profile of peacekeeping missions has changed substantially. In the early years,
Australia was involved exclusively in UN-led operations that were focused primarily
on preserving the peace. The Australians engaged in these traditional
operations served in small contingents primarily as military observers
monitoring truce lines or state borders with the consent of the host countries.
26.3
In recent times, however, Australia has been required to contribute to a
number of peacekeeping missions that are both complex and multidimensional in
scope. Often the disputes involve protagonists in intrastate conflicts and occur
in volatile circumstances with greater risks and costs than experienced in
traditional peacekeeping operations. Many of these missions encompass long-term
objectives that seek to address the deepest causes of conflict. Beyond the
security component, the objectives include economic development and sustainable
governance, humanitarian support, fiscal management, democracy building and
election monitoring. These missions rely on a greater range of skills and
personnel, including military, police, civilian and NGO participants. To be
effective, the different components of an operation must work together as an
integrated whole to achieve the objectives of the mission.
26.4
Australian peacekeepers have experienced first hand the difficulties
coordinating the various elements of a peacekeeping operation and in making the
transition from one phase of a mission to the next. They have served in UN
peacekeeping operations that have come under severe criticism such as the
troubled missions to Somalia and Rwanda. In these cases, Australian
peacekeepers witnessed the horrors created by intra-state conflict. Australia
has also taken on leadership roles in peacekeeping missions to Cambodia, East
Timor and Solomon Islands. Regional engagement is a major focus of Australia's
current involvement in peacekeeping.
26.5
These changes have profound implications for Australia as a member state
of the UN and a long-time contributor to peacekeeping missions. The committee has
made a number of recommendations concerned with ensuring that Australian
peacekeepers are well prepared to meet the challenges of today's missions. In
particular, the committee emphasised the importance of interoperability at all
levels of an operation—between relevant government agencies; government
agencies and NGOs; Australian peacekeepers and the host country; and between
Australian peacekeepers and their partners in the operation. It suggested that
better communication, training and joint exercises, and collaboration in
developing shared doctrine would help to improve coordination between all
participants in a peacekeeping operation.
26.6
The committee was also interested in developing a more effective
whole-of-government, whole-of-nation approach to Australian participation in
peacekeeping from the earliest decision-making and planning stage to the
evaluation and final reporting stage. The committee's two key recommendations
dealt with developing a whole-of-government policy that would be articulated in
a white paper on peacekeeping and with building on the government's announced
establishment of the Asia–Pacific Centre for Civil–Military Cooperation.
26.7
Other committee recommendations dealt with more specific aspects of Australia's
engagement in peacekeeping operations, including: the adequacy of a mission's
mandate; emerging doctrines such as the responsibility to protect; the legal basis
of a non-UN mandated operation; exit strategy; and women in peacekeeping. Protecting
Australian peacekeepers from unnecessary harm, including to their mental health,
was also addressed in the committee's recommendations.
26.8
The executive summary brings together the committee's main findings and
all its recommendations.
SENATOR MARK BISHOP
CHAIR
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