Challenges and Opportunities of the Comprehensive Approach identified

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of the Interior
Finnish Defence Forces
Crisis Management Initiative

Press release
24.11.2008

Research publication Comprehensive Approach – Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation in Crisis Prevention and Management is published.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of the Interior, Finnish Defence Forces and Crisis Management Initiative are publishing a research on the challenges and opportunities of the current crisis management on the 24th November 2008. This research is based on the work of an international research team and on a high profile CA-seminar held in Helsinki in June 2008. Delegations from 15 nations as well as essential multinational actors in crisis management, i.e. UN, EU, OSCE and Nato, took part in the seminar.

Complex conflicts and crisis require comprehensive crisis management. It requires more cooperation, coordination as well as coherence on every level of crisis management activities. Comprehensive crisis management of the multinational actors has progressed significantly. However, institutional and interagency rivalry as well as and fragmentation between member states are slowing down the progress. ‘Comprehensiveness’ of the Comprehensive Approach vary from country to country. Planning and implementation of the comprehensive approach in crisis management is relatively new and there are a few best practices to share.
Development of the comprehensive crisis management on national and multinational level as well in missions and operations requires development of training, overall interoperability, information sharing and evaluation. Actors in the crisis management area may be independent but information and actions of actors are interdependent.

Crisis management takes place in fragile states which should be considered as the starting in all interventions and actions. The success of Comprehensive crisis management is dependent on a local ownership: a strong civil society and active participation of local authorities. In addition, the crisis management capacity of host nations ought to be supported. Furthermore, the role of the civil society and NGOs must not be forgotten. In fact, their role in giving and receiving aid should be enhanced further.

Comprehensive Approach in crisis management is not an end in itself but a means to an end. It is development of a culture of cooperation and mutual and flexible mechanisms and practices. Comprehensive crisis management is a challenging process - it takes time for organizations and people to learn and knowledge to cumulate. This time should be used on research, development, evaluation, training and above all to changing attitudes. Comprehensive Approach in crisis management requires an ability to understand crisis and conflicts comprehensively and willingness to respond to those comprehensively.

In the publication event, Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb, Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies and Minister of the Interior present the Finnish Approach to the Comprehensive Crisis Management. The keynote speaker of the event is the former president Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2008.

For further details, please, contact the Director for Programmes of CMI Kristiina Rintakoski, tel. +358 9 4242810, or Information Officer (MoD) Kristian Vakkuri, tel. +358 9 160 88220 or +358 50 554 9564
 

 Seminar Publication (Opens New Window)
 Seminar Publication, Annex 1 (Opens New Window)
 Seminar Publication, Annex 2 (Opens New Window)
 Seminar Publication, Annex 2, Part 2 (Opens New Window)