White Helmets 101

by Shannon-Marie Soni

The term "blue helmet" immediately evokes images of military personnel deployed as peacekeepers to some of the worst scenes of violence we have known; however, a term which escapes common knowledge is the "white helmets" - the participation of civilian personnel in peacekeeping missions. This article seeks to explore the concept of white helmets, outline a few of the tasks performed by the civilian personnel - specifically civilian police - and will examine some implications of their involvement in peacekeeping operations.

The use of civilians in peacekeeping operations is on the rise, as we seek new ways to handle the new types of conflict in this post-bipolar world.⁽¹⁾ Peacekeeping, as envisioned by Lester B. Pearson and Dag Hammarskjold was not created - nor did the intention exist for it - to resolve the underlying causes of the conflict. Indeed, peacekeeping's purpose was simply to create the atmosphere necessary for forging a political settlement that would address the other concerns. This worked well during the Cold War, when conflicts were characterized by the existence of two separate and easily identifiable warring parties.

Today, intra-state conflict is increasingly tearing apart the very fabric of society, resulting in "failed states." This requires a different response beyond maintaining peace and security. Today's conflicts require that the underlying sources of conflict be eradicated and that new institutions and structures built. This rebuilding of peace (or, peacebuilding, as is the common term today) requires the participation of civilians - or white helmets - in various roles.

One of the first recorded uses of the term "white helmets" was in a 1993 speech by then Argentine-president Carlos Menem, as he described his vision of an increased role for civilian personnel in what we now call peace-support operations. He dreamed of a national volunteer group, whose objective would be to make men and women of good will available to the United Nations, with the aim of strengthening the reserve capacity of developing countries in support of UN activities in the field of emergency humanitarian assistance and the gradual transition from relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction development.⁽²⁾

While military personnel could perform these functions (and have, on many an occasion), it is clear that the traditional peacekeepers have over-stretched their resources. And while some states are unwilling to risk the lives of their soldiers for obscure notions of peace, the ones that are willing are too-often under-equipped and under-trained for the tasks at hand.

It has been necessary to look for complements to the military component of peacekeeping operations; the white helmets have been borne of this necessity. As one scholar noted, "the White Helmet volunteers would be the civilian counterparts to the military Blue Helmets and would serve the cause of peacebuilding as the soldiers serve that of peacekeeping."⁽³⁾

What exactly do white helmets - and more specifically, civilian police units - do? A Canadian discussion paper entitled "Potential Roles of Police" captures it best in the following:

Their roles should be to monitor, train, advise and otherwise assist the local police to ensure they become law enforcement agencies operating in accordance with internationally recognized standards and with respect for internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. This means working side by side with police in their stations, advising them on community policing, dealing with minority groups and ensuring their work (including arrests and investigations) is carried out correctly.⁽⁴⁾

As police forces are often a casualty of the "failed states", they must be trained for police action with a policing philosophy that will assist in the rebuilding of trust, confidence and security.⁽⁵⁾ Such training should be targeted at the middle management as they can, in turn, train new recruits even after the UN presence has withdraw, and should aim to

[instill] discipline in the force by creating a preparedness for police action: crime prevention and detection, community relations, conduct of beat patrol, handling of prisoners and suspects, use of firearms, riot control, police ethics, police and human rights, code of conduct for law enforcement official etc.⁽⁶⁾

Alongside the training role, civilian police (CIVPOL) units must also, on occasion, counsel the "trainees" on such matters as police standards, training programs and the selection of police recruits, to name but a few. To ensure that the police training has become entrenched, meaning that the trainees can continue even after the CIVPOL units have left, the latter will monitor the trainees, ensuring that they have become self reliant in this regard.

While the civilian police units may engage in such duties as "accompanying local police on patrol, reviewing investigative files, providing direction to investigations and rendering assistance on investigative techniques,"⁽⁷⁾ they will not interfere by actually carrying out the duties themselves.

The above is meant to be but a cursory review of the tasks performed by civilian police and by no means is intended to explain the only tasks performed. Indeed, to the these training duties are added a plethora of other functions including the location of missing persons, securing the release of hostages, ensuring the security of returned persons, encouraging a neutral political environment and acting as a liaison between the key players (factions, UN agencies NGOs etc).⁽⁸⁾ Some studies even report on instances in which the CIVPOL units act above and beyond the call of duty. Through such actions as "constructing benches for schoolrooms, organizing community activities, organizing sports events for children [and] meeting with students in the schools," CIVPOL was

initiating a process of informal popular education that instructed the local population as to the role that a police force could play in a democratic society. They managed to demonstrate that the role of the police is not simply one of repression, that the force is made up of people from the same community and who generally transmit and share the same social and collective values.⁽⁹⁾

Civilian police units therefore play a vital role in maintaining and ensuring a lasting peace, through rebuilding institutions lost through war. They relieve the Blue Helmets of various duties, allowing the latter to focus on their military mandate, and occasionally, perform duties that the military cannot. As one scholar noted: "already in the Congo operation, participants felt that a detachment of Nigerian policemen were considerably more effective than the military in crowd control and community policing."⁽¹⁰⁾ Civilian police units also assist in the peace building efforts by acting as confidence building measures. As Indar Jit Rikhye, a former peacekeeping commander, noted,

where a reign of terror is a recent memory, and where intercommunal murders, abductions and victimization are still common occurrences, the presence of an impartial police unit can reduce the sense of insecurity that obstructs any degree of reconciliation.⁽¹¹⁾

Participation alongside military peacekeepers is important, but what are the policy implications? Attention will now turn to this question, highlighting but a few issues.

The participation of civilians in peacekeeping missions presents a host of challenges for those involved. One of the biggest is the security of civilian units, given that they are usually unarmed. Unfortunately, civilians are often the targets of aggressors seeking to remove the UN presence from the area, such that they might continue their acts with impunity (as Somalia and Rwanda demonstrated). Some measures have been taken to improve the security of those without the means to protect themselves. In 1998, the General Assembly adopted the "Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel," which obliges all signatory members to "take all appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel."⁽¹²⁾ This alone, however, cannot adequately guarantee the safety of civilian personnel, as GA resolutions are not enforceable, and instead, rely simply upon the good will of the signatory members. Other measures are therefore necessary, as arming the CIVPOL units would, in some cases, compromise their peacebuilding goal.⁽¹³⁾

Often, the military component of a peacekeeping mission is responsible for the security of the civilian counterparts, as occurred in the Congo, Cyprus and most recently in the former Yugoslavia. While this may lead one to believe that the participation of civilians assigns extra burdens on the military peacekeepers, it is reasonable to assume that this is not the case. In fact, an expert in the field (who wishes to remain anonymous) indicated to this author that it is the experience of some contributing nations that no extra burden occurs as a result of this. Furthermore, the protection of civilian personnel is often part of the mandate and thus, instead of becoming a burden on the military peacekeepers, is rather a part of their responsibilities.

Often, civilian personnel - especially police units - rely on their negotiating and mediating skills, as well as their relations with the community, for personal security. As a former member of the police contingent in Cambodia recounts:

Sometime in September 1992, a village [in Cambodia] was attacked by Khmer Rouge. Some days later, the deputy provincial commander was to have a meeting in the outlying village with the Khmer Rouge to discuss the incident. While on his way to the meeting, the locals with whom he had built up good rapport advised him not to proceed with the meeting. It was later established that the road leading to the meeting place was freshly laid with mines.⁽¹⁴⁾

Not only does the above demonstrate the benefits of a community policing philosophy, but it also ties in well with the second challenge faced by civilian personnel: the issue of training. As in peacekeeping operations, under trained personnel reduce the overall effectiveness of the mission, as resources must be drawn away from the mandate in order to improve the quality of the civilian personnel. The literature on this topic is rich with examples of civilian police members unable to drive, unable to speak the working language of the mission, members partaking in black market activities and those unfamiliar with the philosophy of community policing.⁽¹⁵⁾ It is therefore necessary to improve the quality of pre-deployment training for civilian personnel either through a central training center or a standard training program that could be utilized in the individual personnel-contributing countries.

A final challenge faced by the white helmets is the overlap of duties and lack of co-ordination between the UN and various non-governmental organizations. As one peacekeeper noted,

These civil agencies [NGOs] provide an immense array of essential services, but they have very different operating procedures and organizations cultures than the military, and at times, the differences created difficulties that complicate the relationship between the civilian and military bodies.⁽¹⁶⁾

While the growth in the civilian presence as part of peacekeeping mission is relatively new, coordination with existing structures should be a top priority if fulfillment of the mission's mandate is the foremost goal.

As the nature of conflict in our world has changed, our response to it - i.e., peacekeeping - has adapted. Where once a multinational force could be deployed along a border to ensure that the two warring parties respected the cease-fire agreement, today, under-equipped and under-trained Blue Helmets are sent into the conflict zone and expected to build peace. Fortunately, policy-makes have realized that peace cannot be built by Blue Helmets alone; enter the White Helmets: a group of civilians with expertise in diverse areas - policing, elections, judiciary, civilian administration etc - volunteering to rebuild the foundations upon which a society - and a lasting peace - can flourish.

It is hoped that this article will aid in raising awareness both of the existence of the civilian component, and the challenges that it faces.

References:

1. The history of civilian involvement in peacekeeping, though largely ignored in academic study, actually dates back to the 1960s. Civilian police officers and civilian administrators took part in the UN Mission to the Congo, the UN Mission to Cyprus and the UN Mission to West New Guinea.
2. Emilio J. Cardenas, Argentine Permanent Representative to the UN. "Explanatory Memorandum: 'White Helmets' Initiative, Participation of Volunteers in Activities of the United Nations in the Field of Humanitarian Relief, Rehabilitiation and Technical Cooperation for Development." General Assembly Documents A/50/144, 10 July 1995
3. Charles-Philippe David. "After the Blue Helmets Come the White Helmets." Peacekeeping and International Relations. 26:1 (1997). Page 4.
4. Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). "Potential Roles of Police." Canadian Discussion Paper. March 20, 1998.
5. A "community policing" philosophy, is one in which the police and community work together to address the issues and concerns of each. See "Community Policing."
http://www.uncc.edu/urbinst/opsrs/cicp/compol/index.htm . Accessed, May 22, 2001.
6. Selwyn Mettle. "UN Operation in Somalia." In Nassrine Azimi (Ed.) The Role and Functions of Civilian Police in United Nations Peace-keeping Operations: Debriefing and Lessons. London (UK): Kluwer Law International Ltd., 1996. Page 55.
7. Alex Morrison. "UN Civilian Police Training Programmes." in Azimi, page 143.
8. See Stephen Ryan. "The Theory of Conflict Resolution." In Edward Moxon-Browne (Ed.) A Future for Peacekeeping? London: MacMillan Press Ltd., 1998. Page 36; and DFAIT. "Policy Framework for the Civilian Police Arrangements." Canadian Discussion Paper. March 20, 1998.
9. Marcel-Eugčne LeBeuf. "Canadian Provincial and Municipal Police Forces on United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti." Ottawa (Canada): Canadian Police College, 1997. Pages 14-5. This includes the quotation in the preceding sentence.
10. Jacques Lemoine. "Introduction to Papers: Police and Peace-keeping." in Azimi, page 20.
11. A.B. Fetherston. Towards a theory of United Nations Peacekeeping. New York (USA): St. Martin's Press Inc., 1994. Page 52.
12. General Assembly Resolution. A/RES/49/59. "Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel." Article 7(2).
13. It should be noted that CIVPOL units have, on occasion, been armed for personal security, as was the case in Cambodia.
14. Oh Kar Chye. "Singapore Civilian Police Contingent in UNTAC." In Azimi (Ed.) pages 139-40.
15. Among others, see articles in Azimi (Ed.); Ken Eyre. "Civilian Police in Peacekeeping Operations." The Changing Face of Peacekeeping: Modern Peace and Security Operations (Course Manual). Cornwallis (Canada): The Canadian Peacekeeping Press, 1999.
16. Sgt. Sean Pollick. "Civil-Military Cooperation: A New Tool for Peacekeepers." In Canadian Military Journal. 1:3 (2000), page 57.

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