Time to Abolish War

peace and justice for Africa in the new millennium

11 May 1999

African Students' Conference 1999

The ISS hosted the first African Students' Conference in May 1999. The conference was organised by the Hague Appeal for Peace, the Global Coalition for Africa and the Students Coordinating Committee as The African Committee (TAC) was then known. The theme was Time to Abolish War: Peace and Justice for Africa in the new Millennium.

At the end of the conference, students drafted an Agenda for Peace and Justice for Africa in the new millennium.A meeting was held with the Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan and his special representative for Children in Armed Conflict Mr. Olara Otunnu. They were both briefed on the highlights of the conference and presented with the Agenda. The Secretary General praised the students for their solidarity and selfless effort in working towards a new agenda for peace for Africa. A copy of the Agenda was also submitted to The Hague Appeal for Peace for implementation.

Working Group Overview

The following four Workshops were organised during the Conference:

Humanitarian Law, Rights and Institutions
Facilitators: Dr Prof. Fissehe-Tsion Mengistus and Jennifer Schense
Root Causes of War and Culture of Peace
Facilitators: Prof. Tom Draisma and Mr Gabriel Rugalema
Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Transformation
Facilitators: Dr. Tjalling Dijstra and Dr. Leonard Suransky
Disarmament and Human Security
Facilitators: Dr. Ineke van Kassel and Prudence Wauben

Speakers

The keynote address was offered by Mr. Carl Niehaus, the South African Ambassador to The Netherlands. His paper was based on The Challenges for Establishing Peace and Justice in Africa: A South African perspective.
Josephine Kasaija Bigabwa of the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, presented a paper on Causes of Conflict and War Cases from Africa.
Simon Manu from the University of Amsterdam presented a paper on The role of National and International political structures and leaders in securing peace in Africa: The two step Approach.
Caroline Waudo from Utrecht University presented a paper on Rwanda Genocide: Role and Failures of the International Community.