President Martti Ahtisaari at the International Centre for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS)

Banda Aceh, 23 February 2009

(Check against delivery)

I am very pleased to be here in Aceh again. Aceh and Acehnese people have a special place in my heart. The only people that can make peace are the parties to the conflict, and just as they are responsible for the conflict and its consequences, so should they be given responsibility and recognition for the peace. The peace negotiations in 2005 and the subsequent reconciliation process have demonstrated the strong commitment of Acehnese people to peace. And as a peace mediator I feel responsibility also for this peace process.

The peace process in Aceh has also shown how important it is that a country’s political leadership is committed to finding a solution to an internal conflict. Joint efforts by the political leadership in Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement resulted in a peace agreement. However, it was only a start. Social and economic reforms can only progress if both negotiating parties and the population at large are committed to them in the long term. When I received the Nobel Peace Prize in December, the Aceh peace process was one of the key justifications for awarding me. However, the Memorandum of Understanding is not an end in itself but it is a beginning of something much greater.

In 2005 the parties confirmed their commitment to a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable solution to the conflict in Aceh with dignity for all. During the last four years Aceh has clearly stepped out of the wheel of violence. But we should not fool ourselves – the commitment to peace means hard choices every day. The often quoted World Bank study notes that “a country coming out of civil war has a 50 percent chance of relapsing into conflict in the first five years of peace”. I do not want to see Aceh as a part of those statistics. Therefore, in the following I would like to reflect on some of the challenges that you as a society, with the support of the international community, must to work on to ensure the peace process stays on track.

Much work remains to be done in developing a national system that protects, sustains and improves the quality of life in Aceh. These are key challenges to be addressed if peace is to endure
• Economic recovery has been mainly supported by the reconstruction boom. However, the reconstruction of Aceh has not been geographically balanced but concentrated on the tsunami-hit area.
• It is vital to ensure that increased government resources are effectively utilized.
• There is a need to strengthen the security environment and preventing localized conflicts/crime from spreading and escalating.
• There is need to ensure that appropriate institutions are in place and are accepted to oversee the peace process
• Aceh needs to undergo a transition from reconstruction and reintegration to long-term development
• In addition we know that key dimension of the peace agreement have yet to be implemented, such as establishment of a human rights court, and a truth and reconciliation commission.
I have visited Aceh every year after the signing of the MoU and this is part of the reason for me being here today. I have a full confidence in you and your ability to solve the difficult societal and political challenges which are embedded in the reconciliation process.

*****

The forthcoming parliamentary elections are the most significant single event taking place in Aceh this year. Elections provide a means to get democracy rooted in politics and governance. They serve as an essential method in getting the voice of the people to determine one of the most significant aspects that will touch their daily lives, and that is, the choosing of leaders who will ultimately govern the people. Elections also act as an effective mechanism for conflict resolution and peace building by way of getting contending parties in a society to participate in mainstream politics rather than resorting to brute force or armed struggle. Without a legitimate and effective governing political authority, economic and social rehabilitation cannot occur. However, elections, while being very important, mark the end of a post-conflict phase and a beginning of a new process of establishing a genuine democratic model for Aceh.

The local political parties, are key actors in the complex process of enabling all people to participate in political processes.Women must be included in politics at all levels. However self-evident this goal may seem, it might not happen without identifying the different challenges and acting for them.

I welcome the idea of inviting international monitors to observe the April elections. One of the major functions of election monitoring is to ensure that every electoral procedure is conducted in a manner consistent with the stipulations of the law, regulatory framework and democratic norms. Monitoring is also instrumental in preventing disputes and conflicts relating to both the electoral procedures and voting outcome. With the peace process still in its infancy stage, there is of course the danger that any false moves, by any party, to hijack or manipulate the election process would derail efforts to establish sustainable peace in the province.

Here, I appeal to you to exercise extreme restraint. Political parties and individual candidates need to restrain any hostile actions against competing parties and candidates. There has been unfortunately cases of intimidation, attacks against some party offices and individual candidates. It is the duty of the police to prevent these incidents.

****

Another sign of this transition process is the completion of the mandate of the Agency for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Aceh and Nias (BRR) and transfer of its responsibilities and assets to the Aceh local government. I have understood that this has caused some fears that the reconstruction processes in Aceh might end with this event. Even if the closing were to have this kind of effect, I am very confident that the rebuilding work will continue, although it may take different forms than before.

We must all be able to contribute to our own future and to the future of our communities. I would like to urge the Acehnese to take the initiative into their own hands and not just wait opportunities provided by someone else. Conflict settlement requires also the injection of optimism and hope born from employment and economic opportunities.

However, outside assistance in just a start of the economic process, even though, important. Economic development, livelihood programs and new, novel initiatives to offers jobs in utmost important in building the future prosperity of this area. Social and economic reforms lessen tensions and help build progress. I cannot overemphasize how critical youth employment is to this development and reconstruction process. Communities where young people don’t feel they have a future and do not have any hope become breeding grounds for crime and instability. If these challenges go unmet, new conflicts will flare up, and there is a risk that we will lose another generation to war.

I am aware that among this audience are a great number of representatives of Acehnese academia and education. I would like to highlight the importance of education and its link to employment as essential in securing what has been achieved in Aceh so far. Aceh is supposed to allocate 20 % of its budget to education. To my mind, this is on the right track. Education leading to innovation, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities is the right way forward. With regard to higher education, I would strongly recommend to build and maintain close relations to neighbouring countries and institutions.

I also believe that encouraging active civil society is one of the cornerstones that can work as an invaluable source of information and as a link between political institutions and the wider public. Aceh has many efficient and professional organizations and networks that have proven their ability to work as engines for social change by representing the voice of the wider public.

*****

When we think about multidimensional conflicts, such as the one we had in Aceh, the challenge for a mediator is how to balance between past, present and future. During the Aceh peace talks we had some space for discussing the past but at some stage this had to stop. In order to move on and to achieve our jointly agreed goals, it was necessary that the focus was shifted towards the future, instead of trying to solve all the past wrongdoings around the negotiation table. I would say that this approach is still valid.
Yet transitional justice and dealing with the past has been debated quite a lot during the recent years in the context of conflict resolution. And for a reason; justice is a cornerstone of a lasting peace. I would like to highlight the fact that the establishment of a Human Rights Court as well as a Commission for Truth and Reconciliation were both agreed in the MoU. I fully understand that the main focus is on the forthcoming elections, but let us not forget this crucial issue either.

These and the many other challenges found in the context of reconciliation and rebuilding process that I did not elaborate on, are a proof for the need to establish a centre of expertise such as this newly born academic centre, the International Centre for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS). I would like to warmly congratulate you for the establishment of this centre. The unique experiences of this region, the tragic tsunami catastrophe and the successful peace process, offer invaluable lessons to be shared and to be studied by the future generations. This centre will also facilitate future research and academic cooperation between Aceh’s universities and international academic institutions.

Even though in my speech I have touched on some issues of the past and how to deal with them, Aceh and the Acehnese should have their eyes firmly on the future. Elections are but one important step in this journey. Still, one should not assume that the elections in themselves can solve outstanding problems: afterwards it is up to the elected members of the parliament to start tackling the obstacles ahead and continue the work of building peaceful and prosperous Aceh. I am glad that I have had a chance to be a small part of that process.