Peace Is A Question Of Will

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies,
Distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Dear Friends andColleagues around the world,

I feel both humility and gratitude at receiving this year's Nobel Peace Prize.It is the greatest recognition anybody working in this field can be given.

What I am feeling now can only be compared with the joy I have felt when seeingthe changes that peace has brought to the lives of people. When people, who haveendured wars and crises, begin to build their lives in an atmosphere of peace -When faith in the future returns.

I too was a child affected by a war. I was only two years old when, as a resultof an agreement on spheres of interest between Hitler's Germany and Stalin'sSoviet Union, war broke out, forcing my family to leave soon thereafter the townof Viipuri. Like several hundred thousand fellow Karelians, we became refugeesin our own country as great power politics caused the borders of Finland to beredrawn and left my home town as part of the Soviet Union. This childhoodexperience contributed to my commitment to working on the resolution ofconflicts.

*****

Mediators do not choose the conflicts they became involved in but the partiesto the conflict choose the mediator. Their participation as intermediaries isbased on the trust of all the conflicting parties. The task of the mediator isto help the parties to open difficult issues and nudge them forward in the peaceprocess. The mediator's role combines those of a ship’s pilot, consultingmedical doctor, midwife and teacher.

However, there tends to be too much focus on the mediators. With that we aredisempowering the parties to the conflict and creating the wrong impression thatpeace comes from the outside. The only people that can make peace are theparties to the conflict, and just as they are responsible for the conflict andits consequences, so should they be given responsibility and recognition for thepeace.

The process leading to Namibian independence was long and required strongcommitment and determination from the Namibians. Namibia is also an excellentexample of what the UN and its member states can achieve at their best. Today,looking back to those years, it feels almost unbelievable that we managed to getall the key actors, the Western five (US, UK, France, Germany and Canada), theSoviet Union, the Organisation of African Unity, (represented by the Africanfront-line states), the South-African government and all the political partiesin Namibia, including SWAPO, to work towards a shared goal. It also taught thata durable solution can only be found if one is also prepared to engage indiscussions with your political opponents. I do believe that the experience fromthe Namibia operation encouraged the government of South Africa to begin theprocess of democratic change.

The peace process in Aceh showed how important it is that a country's politicalleadership is committed to finding a solution to an internal conflict. Jointefforts by the political leadership in Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movementresulted in a peace agreement. However, it was only a start. Social and economicreforms can only progress if both negotiating parties and the population atlarge are committed to them in the long term. Work remains to be done indeveloping a national system that protects, sustains and improves the quality oflife in Aceh.

All conflicts can be resolved

Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by human beings. Thereare always interests that are furthered by war. Therefore those who have powerand influence can also stop them.

Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are noexcuses for allowing them to become eternal. It is simply intolerable thatviolent conflicts defy resolution for decades causing immeasurable humansuffering, and preventing economic and social development. The passivity andimpotence of the international community make it more difficult for us to placeour faith in jointly built security structures. Despite the many challenges,even the most intractable conflicts can be resolved if the parties involved andthe international community join forces and work together for a common aim. TheUnited Nations provides the right framework for international peace efforts andsolutions to global problems. However, we are all aware of the constraints ofthe United Nations and of the tendency of the member states to give it demandingassignments without providing adequate resources and political support. It isimportant that the UN member states work resolutely to strengthen the worldorganization. We cannot afford to lose the UN.

In a conflict, one party can always claim victory, but building peace mustinvolve everybody: the weak and the powerful, the victors and the vanquished,men and women, young and old. However, peace negotiations are often conducted bya small elite. In the future we must be better able to achieve a broaderparticipation in peace processes. Particularly, there is a need to ensure theengagement of women in all stages of a peace process.

Peace processes and the agreements resulting from them end the violence. But thereal work only starts after a peace agreement has been concluded. The agreementsreached have to be implemented. Social and political change does not happenovernight, and the reconstruction and establishment of democracy demandpatience. That requires a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding, and supportfor civil society.

Inequality breeds conflict

Growing inequality within countries and between regions deepens the existingcleavages. It is our task to create a future and hope for regions and countriesin crisis where young people suffer from unemployment and have little prospectsof improving their lives. Unless we can meet this challenge, new conflicts willflare up and we will lose another generation to war.

There has been a great deal of talk this year about the financial crisis. Thisfinancial crisis also highlights the importance of maintaining the commitment ofthe international community to development cooperation. The effects of thiscrisis may prove another major setback for the developing world. The verypoorest people are already being hit hardest by the impact of climate change,rising food prices and lower levels of foreign trade. A reduction in foreignassistance and investment would be disastrous for badly needed economic growth.At this difficult time, I call on all governments to remain committed to theirstated goals of eradicating poverty.

We must all be able to contribute to our own future and to the future of ourcommunities. If the present trend continues, we will be faced with a situationwhere hundreds of millions of young people will be out of work in countries thatare in early stages of development. If nothing is done, we will be creating aneffective breeding ground for crime, instability and war as young people loseall hope. I believe that the fight against poverty is also the most effectivemeasure of countering terrorism in the long term.

I returned ten days ago from Liberia I came away with mixed feelings. First, afeeling of sadness at the scale of destruction that the war left in Liberia andthe size of the challenge for the Government and the international community.Second, a degree of optimism that the people we met, can begin to make a realdifference - but only if the international community can retain its commitmentto Liberia over the long term. 

Conflict settlement requires the injection of optimism and hope born fromemployment and economic opportunities. Otherwise, fragile peace agreements canrarely be sustained. Over the long term, only the private sector is capable ofgrowing new enterprises, creating investment opportunities which provideemployment and enduring economic security. Attracting private-sector investmentinto war-torn areas is not easy. It requires innovation. A mix of non-economicand economic incentives will have to be devised. Similarly, involvement of theprivate sector in the larger work of formulating strategies for post-warrecovery will require innovative thinking.

A solution must be found to the Middle East conflict

The most challenging peace-building project ahead of us is finding a solution tothe conflicts in the Middle East, which have continued for decades. The tensionsand wars in the region have been going on for so long that many have come tobelieve that the Middle East knot can never be untied.

I do not share this belief. All crises, including the one in the Middle East,can be resolved. The solution would require a contribution from all the partiesinvolved as well as the international community as a whole. We might bestrengthened in our resolve if we set our sights on the future and imagine whatthe world could look like if the countries in the region could jointly begin todevelop their economic potential, build transport links, make full use of theireducated population and begin to reap the benefits of an advantageous locationin the crossroads of three continents.

I hope that the new President of the United States, who will be sworn in nextmonth, will give high priority to the Middle East conflict during his first yearin office. The European Union, Russia and the UN must also be seriouslycommitted so that a solution can be found to the crises stretching from Israeland Palestine to Iraq and Iran. If we want to achieve lasting results, we mustlook at the whole region.

The credibility of the whole international community is at stake. We cannot goon, year after year, simply pretending to do something to help the situation inthe Middle East. We must also get results.

For many people, tensions between religions have provided an easy explanationfor the intractability of the Middle East crisis. I cannot accept this view.During my career I have seen many crises in which religion has been used as aweapon or as an instrument for prolonging the conflict. Religions themselvesare, however, peace-loving. They can also be a constructive force inpeace-building, and this also applies to the Middle East.

Peace mediators do not work alone

All parties to the conflict play a key role in finding a peaceful solution andputting it into practice. Likewise, a single outside party is rarely able toplay all the roles that are required for a peace process to succeed.

All my peace assignments have taught me that a peace process is largely a matterof cooperation and partnership between different actors, parties to a conflict,peace mediators, governments, the civic society and international organizations.

Even though all eyes are often on the peace mediators, it is important toemphasize the role of the mediation teams and the other important actors outsidethe direct negotiation process itself. In my work I have always been in aprivileged position to build up my own team, including my colleagues at theorganization I founded after my Finnish Presidency, Crisis ManagementInitiative. I have had the opportunity to work with many highly qualifiedcolleagues in different peace processes. Without them I would not be here today.

I hope that all those brave women and men that have worked for the peace intheir country would feel that they can share this prize with me.

However, my biggest source of strength is my family. My wife Eeva and my sonMarko have always been at my side. They have provided me with both support andconstructive criticism. I offer them my heartfelt thanks.

Dear friends,

I hope that this distinguished prize awarded to me will encourage individualsand organizations to continue their efforts for peace. I also hope that theywill receive full support for their work in the future.

If we work together, we can find solutions. We should not accept any excusesfrom those in power. Peace is a question of will.

Thank you!

© THE NOBEL FOUNDATION 2008