ECHOES OF WORLD CLASS THE HAGUE 2014 SET INTO MOTION!

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

Dr Abiodun Williams

Ambassador H. Schaper

It was fantastic! The very first program of World Class The Hague 2014. The day was a Thursday, 13 March 2014. A rather relatively warm evening for a month of March by European standard?

  The event was held in the bosom of the magnificent The Hague Institute for Global Justice.  Located at Sophialaan 10, it is just a stone’s throw from our famous International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Of course, ISS is the acclaimed best European Development Studies School in the whole universe. If you make a statement like that in Ghana, then you will rhetorically pose the question, “Any challenger?” And the logical answer will be “No challenger!” But we are not in Ghana so, I hesitate to do that.

By 19.00 hours, the program was set into motion with registration. With interactions, fraternization and networking over hot tea, coffee and other cookies (in Ghana we call the cookies ‘small chops’) among participants – mostly students from leading universities in the city of The Hague. The ambiance was generally friendly and harmonious. This took about 30 minutes and it was time for serious business.

At exactly 19.35 hours, Mr. Willem Post assumed his post by mounting the podium. Mr. Post is the International Advisor of the Mayor and Vice-Mayors of The Hague. He welcomed everybody and expressed delight to have seen the auditorium packed to capacity. He told the audience that as young men and women, ‘this is your world.’ He said something to the effect that the future of the United Nations belongs to the youth, so he was happy they were present in their numbers.

Then, Mr. Post said a few words about the Hague Institute for Global Justice. It was established only 2011 by the Municipality of The Hague and the Hague-based academic institutions. But what this writer finds heart-warming about this organization is the fact that it is an independent and nonpartisan institution. And among other things, it aims at ‘fostering innovative interdisciplinary policy research and development.’ Yet, despite its independence, it receives support from the Dutch Government.

However, the kind of ‘support’ was not specified in their brochure.  So, I don’t know how truly independent it is. What I know is that, if it were in Africa, once Government has a hand in one way or another in support of an institution,   especially in funding, the temptation for manipulation cannot be ruled out. In other words, such a so-called independent institution may dance to certain tunes of government’s music. After all, is it not said that ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune?’  But, because this is Europe, some benefit of the doubt must  be granted.

 As protocol demands, Mr. Post beautifully and dutifully introduced  Dr. Abiodun Williams & Ambassador Herman Schaper who were the Lecturers for the first World Class The Hague 2014. Both Lecturers were amazing and did justice to their respective topics within the constraints of time allotted to them. No one was supposed to speak more than 15 minutes or so. How can one talk about the United Nations, a world body of a membership of about 194 sovereign states in 10 to 15 minutes? This is where Dr. Abiodun Williams proved beyond reasonable doubt what made him what he is. It is not by accident that he was appointed the first President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice in January 2013.

When he mounted the podium, he looked a bit nervous at first. The natural stage fright disease which is no respecter of any person regardless of their socio-political or academic status. Then he quickly regained his composure and started by quoting a certain character from one of William Shakespeare’s plays. Something to the effect that it was a herculean task to address the functions and duties of the UN and its various agencies in ten minutes. It was like touring the entire world in ten minutes, he joked and the audience giggled spontaneously.

 As he progressed in his speech his self-confidence glowed like a rainbow. He sounded more British than American. His spoken English was not only fluent but soothing as well. It was musical to listen to his voice.  He barely looked at his written speech on the lectern in front of him. And he strategically narrowed down his focus on the security and peace keeping aspect of the UN.

By the way, did you know that From 2001-2007, Dr. Williams served as Director of Strategic Planning in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General, where he was a principal adviser to Secretaries-General Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan? In fact, he once served in three peacekeeping operations in Macedonia, Haiti, and Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1994 to 2000 as Special Assistant to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Political and Humanitarian Affairs Officer.

Dr Williams is a man who knows his ‘left from his right’ - so to speak.  He disclosed that the charter which established the UN never mentioned ‘Peace keeping’ in that document. It appears the Founding fathers did not anticipate ‘Peace keeping’ the form it has assumed today.  He explained that the UN itself has no standing army of its own. So, the UN does not arbitrarily take decisions to send soldiers to various war or conflict zones for peace keeping duties as it pleases.  “It is only when the Security Council adopts a resolution to send troops to a particular troubled spot before the UN can take action.”  Even then the world body has to rely on the benevolence of member states to contribute troops for peace keeping operations he told students. But people who do not understand the UN systems sometimes criticize the world body unduly, Dr Williams noted sympathetically.

So, some of the brutal wars the world has witnessed since the Second World War, in some major conflict zones like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Rwanda for instance, the UN had to go pleading or sometimes  begging member states to supply soldiers for peace keeping operations  in those deadly war zones. ‘The UN Secretary-General is ‘an elevated beggar of the world,’ Dr Williams asserted. He pointed out that when there is war, ‘there must be peace to keep’ even before the UN can make a move. He noted that most of the troops that are sent on peace keeping duties are mainly supplied by Africa and Asia.

 According to him, although the advanced nations do contribute funds and logistics for peace-keeping duties, they hardly send their soldiers on peace keeping missions.  “So, it is Africans and others who have been shedding or sacrificing their ‘blood’ in peace keeping for the world, he noted. Dr Williams expressed profound appreciation to the Dutch Government for willing to assist in finding solution to the emerging boiling situation in Ukraine. Observing and analyzing the depth of his knowledge, I can ‘brand’ Dr Williams as UN living and moving encyclopedia. Africans in particular and all citizens of the world in general must be proud of such an enlightened soul working for peace and security for the benefit of mankind and to the glory of the Divine Intelligence.

On his part, Ambassador Herman Schaper, a veteran international diplomat and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations in New York gave an helicopter  view of what goes on  behind the sciences at  the UN. He narrated very interesting personal experience when he first assumed duty in 2005. He was surprised to realize that everybody working there was more or less reserved to himself or herself  with a diplomatic attitude of 'mind your own business'.

The Ambassador dished out more than enough food for thought for enthusiastic fairly young undergraduate students who took part in the first episode of the World Class The Hague 2014. He however, took the opportunity to enlighten participants about the situation in Ukraine. The experienced international diplomat expressed concern  about what Russia is doing and regretted that any resolution adopted by the UN Security Council might be ‘vetoed’ by Russia.

When the floor was open for questions and answers, the excited and eager students raised their hands in drove to query the speakers.  They fired all kinds of questions from archeology to zoology. They wanted to know whether the UN is a 'toothless bull' when it comes to veto-power? Some radical students  seem to be of the view that the UN  was still  living in the ‘19^th century while we are in the 21^st century in terms of reforms’ with regard to the few Permanent members of the world body. 

Others expressed concern about the ‘non-gender balance and the question of equality. In fact, Dr Abiodun Williams  himself admitted that since  the UN was formed  about 70 years (1945) all the regions of the world or the various  continents have had UN Secretary-Generals. But no single ‘woman’ has yet occupied the hot-seat. Is it fair to our mothers? But it has been observed that some students need to be coached how to ask questions at forums of that nature. They must be advised that question time must not be used for mini-lectures by the questioner. Every question must be straightforward, simple and short. Since we are all learning, this is just an observation for the consideration of future World Classes The Hague.

Having said that, it is my considered opinion that it time a woman must be elected for the post of UN Secretary-General. If there are women presidents and prime ministers in the world, there should be  no reason why a woman cannot be the Chief Executive of the UN. And  I will go further to hazard a guess that the very first woman be elected UN Secretary-General will be a product of the International Institute of Social Studies of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. We have very powerful women there who are effectively managing the affairs of   ISS  in collaboration with their male counter parts.

The beauty nature of the first program is indication that  the World Class The Hague 2014  promises to be a tourist attraction for the world to behold!

The author is MA Student in Development Studies at ISS of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague, The Netherlands abissath@gmail.com