Thursday 20 December 2007

• Sessions III: “Examples of Diversity Management Worldwide” • Session IV: “The Reality on the Ground - Perspectives on Diversity Management in Iraq”

With the aim of increasing familiarity with the skills and instruments that have been successfully applied to the management of diversity and disputed areas elsewhere in the world, the session opened with a presentation of a broad range of potentially instructive cases from outside of Iraq.
 
India was presented as an example of how a large number of very diverse communities can successfully be united within a single state, despite fears and predictions to the contrary:
 
·        India never attempted to move populations, believing always that harmony is possible between communities living even in close proximity.
·        Diversity is not simply a concept India endorses, but one it actively practices within its political structure. Efforts are made to ensure that even the very highest offices are held by representatives of a broad range of India’s communities.
·        Efforts are made to ensure minorities are given maximum protection of their cultural and linguistic rights. This includes granting special powers to local authorities enabling them to control construction and land purchases in their areas.
·        Indian has as a result found that a celebration of diversity can itself act as a source of unity. This is achieved in part by recognising that an individual can have multiple identities.
 
Canada is a further example of a country that has been able to find unity in a shared celebration of diversity. This is based however on a strong commitment to protecting the rights of all communities, and to ending all forms of discrimination. In Canada this is a project pursued in particular through education and strong legislation.
The situation in Quebec is a test of these principles, and has been managed by including the whole country in discussions. In line with this commitment, it has been resolved that any agreement must be approved by 6 of the 10 Canadian provinces.
 
Northern Ireland demonstrates that simply a desire for peace and prosperity is insufficient to bring about a sustainable political settlement. Two major changes took place in Northern Ireland that jointly made peace possible.
 
·        The first was compromise. This is evident in the Belfast Peace Agreement in which all sides accepted significant concessions and endorsed a model of power-sharing that ensures no law can be passed without the consent of both parties.
·        The second was leadership from former extremes. Compromise can be made at the highest levels of political leadership, but a major challenge remains to convince ordinary citizens to accept the resulting agreement. In Northern Ireland, former combatants and prisoners took a leading role in filling this gap by speaking to schools and young people, focusing their attention on the importance of refraining from violence and social justice programmes.
 
Brčko is a disputed area in Bosnia which, though not rich in oil, owes its disputed status to a strategic importance. A period of conflict radically altered the composition of the city’s inhabitants, further complicating the political process.
After political leaders failed to agree upon the final status of Brčko, an International Tribunal decided it should not be administered by either of the two conflicting parties. The city was placed under international administration, though remained under the sovereignty of Bosnia. This solution involved granting the city extensive rights to self-governance that extend even to areas such as policing, education, and health-care.
This solution has allowed the citizens of Brčko to develop a shared identity and develop a prosperous economy. The development of an economy has in turn further facilitated reconciliation efforts and a return to stability.
 
Italy also has its share of diverse areas, and in each case, innovative changes to the local administrative structure have facilitated stability and economic growth.
 
·        The city of Trieste was for many years divided, and has also seen great demographic change. Trieste established a number of small municipal administration units, each of which was able to implement the wishes of local communities and offer protection for their culture and language.
·        Disputes in the areas of Sud Tirol were also resolved by the creation of new political units, coupled with the strengthening of local administration. Much of the local revenue stay local and are not collected by the central government.
·        The Italian experience suggests there are two prerequisites for solutions such as this; the first is a strong central government able to provide the relevant laws with democratic legitimacy; the second is a commitment to developing the local economy through financial support.
 
The South African experience also demonstrates the role a strong central government might play in shaping a national identity. In a change from the initial conception of the outcome however, the creation and delegation of extensive powers to Provinces emerged also a means of ensuring local communities are given the opportunity to protect their language and culture.
Central to the South African experience was also a reconciliation process which demonstrated the importance of uncovering the truth of past events before the process of forgiveness can be completed.
 
The city of Bradford was surprised by riots between its two major communities. A commission concluded that this was the cost of ignoring the aspirations of young people, and in particular, failing to respond to feelings of exclusion and marginalisation.
The formation of a Youth Parliament has successfully re-engaged young people from across communities, and provided a channel through which issues related to social justice can more easily and effectively be communicated to local decision makers.
A similar programme has also been successful at managing local diversity related problems in Lebanon.
 
Participants agreed however that all such disputes are unique, and that Iraq is no exception to this rule. Although an increased familiarity with the skills and institutions developed elsewhere has a valuable role to play in the process of addressing Iraq’s problems, there can therefore be no single model that is simply imported and applied.
 
Several points about the current disputes in Iraq were noted, underlining some of the ways in which the Iraqi case might be considered unique:
 
·        Iraqi federalism did not emerge gradually as elsewhere, but followed from the sudden and complete collapse of all institutions of central government. Developing a strong central government is as a consequence a significant challenge.
·        Iraq’s past also means that there is no clear agreement on what a “strong” government means. Participants suggested this might first and foremost require strong regions, capable of addressing the local needs of citizens. More important to Iraq might also be that the central government is seen as committed to both justice and fairness.
·        Whilst many of the international cases presented concerned cases of violent conflict, it was emphasised that this is not yet the case in Kirkuk. The city remains relatively stable, with the principle challenge therefore related to the protection of rights, both within and across all its communities. There was as a result some disagreement over whether cases such as that of Brčko could be considered as sufficiently similar to serve as an instructive example.
 
Having accepted that no single model could hope to resolve the disputes of Iraq, participants noted however that international experience demonstrate how those policies that meet with success typically share a number of fundamental principles as their basis. These might therefore be usefully extracted and considered in the context of finding a solution to Iraq’s disputes. Amongst the principles identified were:
 
·        If diversity to achieve its potential as an asset to an area or city, it must be appreciated and recognised by all parties.
·        A successful political settlement must leave no party feeling as though they have suffered the main loss, but must involve compromise from all parties, regardless of their size and strength.
·        A commitment to decentralisation and strong local governance is an important part of ensuring a community’s rights can be effectively protected.
·        Political elites cannot be the only engaged actors in the settlement process, but must involve also ordinary citizens. Leadership from ordinary citizens at a community level can play a vital role in facilitating this engagement.
·        An appreciation of the possibility of multiple-identities must be encouraged and promoted.
·        Politicians must be strong and show leadership in order to achieve the compromise and consensus necessary for a sustainable settlement. This must involve a willingness to acknowledge failure, and so an occasional need for new and innovative approaches.