NORDEM 20 years
NORDEM, the Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights, is a civilian capacity provider specialising in human rights and democratisa- tion support.
NORDEM’s main objective is to enhance the capacity of interna- tional organisations and national authorities to promote democ- racy and human rights.
NORDEM’s expertise includes good governance, democratic institutions, independence of the judiciary, judicial and legal reform, human rights, election observation and election assistance.
NORDEM recruits, trains and deploys qualified personnel to roughly 15 international organi- sations and operations that work in the field of human rights and democratisation. NORDEM aims towards gender balance in recruitment and deployment.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the UN and the EU are some of NORDEM’s main partners.
NORDEM manages a standby roster of approximately 250 experts who have completed more than 2,000 assignments since 1993.
NORDEM publishes special reports and manuals.
NORDEM’s annual courses on human rights, democratisation and election observation inte- grate both practical and aca- demic perspectives. NORDEM also develops and conducts specialised courses.
NORDEM supports several international mechanisms and collaborates with a number of organisations that provide civilian capacity. In addition, NORDEM offers advice, supports the transfer of knowledge and experience and contributes to research.
NORDEM is fully financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is a programme at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at the University of Oslo.
This is NORDEM
Table of contents
Foreword by Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende . . . . 3
Foreword by Director of the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights Nils A. Butenschøn . . . . 5
The establishment of NORDEM – a conversation between Siri Skåre and Jan Egeland . . . .6
The establishment of NORDEM . . . .8
Democratisation and Statebuilding . . . .12
Elections: Observation and Support . . . .32
Afterword by NORDEM Director Marianne Kvan . . . . 56
Photos by (from left) Leif Tomas Vik, South Sudan 2013, Bryant Jones, Mongolia 2013, Nicolay Paus, Senegal 2012
FOREwORD
Strengthening democratic values and promoting respect for human rights – key pillars of Norwegian foreign policy – are essential for achieving lasting peace and development throughout the world.
The NORDEM standby roster has proved to be a valuable means of furthering these aims.
In 1993, the world was changing. The Cold war was over. It was a time of hope for a better future for millions of people who had been living under the yoke of dictatorship, but it was also a time of great uncertainty. New wars were already being waged in the Balkans. Norway was eager to support the fledgling democ- racies in former dictatorships and to strengthen respect for human rights world- wide. One way of doing so was to provide qualified personnel for international and regional organisations in countries undergoing a transition from war to peace or from dictatorship to democracy.
The Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights (NORDEM) was established in 1993 as a standby roster of experts in the fields of democracy and human rights. It emerged as a separate project under what was then the Norwegian Institute of Human Rights, now the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. The resource bank was a groundbreaking initiative.
Over the past 20 years, NORDEM has carried out more than 2000 assign- ments. NORDEM’s expertise has been of great value to its partners, primarily the UN, the EU and the OSCE. On the international stage, the experts deployed by NORDEM demonstrate the breadth of Norway’s competence, and when they return, they bring back valuable experience from their assignments. In this way NORDEM brings benefits both abroad and at home.
In 2013, the global patterns of conflict are quite different from those of 1993.
Nevertheless, the need for democracy-building, institution-building, good governance and promotion of the rule of law and human rights remains as great as ever, and is in fact steadily increasing. NORDEM follows developments closely and is a dynamic, flexible mechanism that deploys Norwegian experts where they are needed most. It is a crucial instrument of Norwegian foreign policy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked closely with NORDEM for the last 20 years, and I am confident that this cooperation will continue in the years ahead.
Congratulations on the success of your first 20 years.
Børge Brende
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Photo: Thomas Haugersveen/
Statsministerens kontor
FOREwORD
The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) is proud to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of NORDEM, our largest and longest-running interna- tional programme. It was natural for the Institute for Human Rights (the name used up to 2003) to assume this responsibility in 1993 at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At that time we were a small, young and broadly based institute working at the intersection of aca- demic and practically oriented human rights efforts.
In the crucial phase that followed the Cold war, a number of the institute’s key staff members con- tributed as experts in various UN forums and in the Council of Europe. The desire to anchor human rights more firmly in the international order was very strong, not least on the part of the Norwegian authorities.
NORDEM became an important mechanism for recruiting and training experts for international assignments in the field of democracy and human rights. During the very first year NORDEM received 32 requests from international organisations, and 28 people were deployed to seven countries. The first assignment in 1993 was to monitor the referen- dum in Eritrea on independence from Ethiopia, and this was the starting point for comprehensive activities addressing human rights challenges in the Horn of Africa in the following decade.
NORDEM’s mandate in the field of democracy and human rights was defined broadly and was related to the needs that immediately arose in the rebuilding of ‘the new democracies’ after the disso- lution of the Soviet Union. The need was particu- larly acute for competence in the organisation of free elections, democratic governance, legislation and the administration of justice, news media and human rights education.
I myself became familiar with NORDEM’s work when I represented the Faculty of Social Sciences on the board of the institute from 1996. In the same
year I was deployed by NORDEM as an adviser to the Norwegian election observers in the first elec- tions in Palestine, and was the co-author of an analysis of these elections that was published by NORDEM as a follow-up research report. The projects linked to Africa’s Horn and the Middle East are two of many examples of the positive collabora- tion and synergy created between academic and practical work via NORDEM: practitioners in the field need researchers’ insight into various geo- graphical and thematic areas, while researchers derive great benefit from the practical experience and access to fieldwork that NORDEM projects often offer.
In this anniversary report we want to present some highlights of NORDEM’s activities and initia- tives over the past 20 years. I am certain that the need for such Norwegian pioneering efforts will be no less 20 years from now than it is today.
Nils A. Butenschøn Director
“Democracy and human rights are inseparable,” said Nelson Mandela.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 – the same year that NORDEM was founded.
NORDEM turns 20
The world had witnessed many humanitarian crises.
And Norway had built up an emergency prepared- ness that could supply humanitarian assistance where it was needed. But with the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and warfare in the Balkans at the beginning of the 1990s, it was quite clear to Thor- vald Stoltenberg, the Foreign Minister at the time, and to his State Secretary Jan Egeland, that there was also a need for a completely different kind of competence: People who at relatively short notice could be deployed to international operations to work in the field of human rights and
democratisation.
The idea was conceived in 1991: Norway was to establish a resource bank consisting of experts in democracy and human rights. Thorvald Stoltenberg launched the concept of NORDEM – the Norwegian Resource Bank for Democracy and Human Rights – at a meeting in Oslo of the CSCE (Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe), the fore- runner of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) sent an enquiry to the Institute for Human Rights (later the Norwe- gian Centre for Human Rights) where the lawyers and human rights experts Asbjørn Eide and Torkel Opsahl worked. They had established the centre in 1987, and Eide was the Director up to 1998.
The question that was put to them was:
Could they develop and establish an emergency preparedness mechanism providing personnel to international organisations? Kristin Høgdahl was a student at the centre at that time:
“when the request came, I was in the process of completing my thesis in political science,” says Høgdahl. “The Centre was smaller than it is today and there was no one who could take on the assign- ment from the MFA. So the management of the institute asked if I could head up the establishment phase. There were many consultations with the MFA: what did they envisage? what thematic areas would it be appropriate to support? what tasks should the experts have?”
Høgdahl soon became the first head of NORDEM and remained in that position until 2001. Today she is acting head of the National Institution for Human Rights at the Centre.
Thorvald Stoltenberg wanted to put in place a community of professional and highly qualified experts. He left it to NORDEM itself to identify who should be recruited for assignments abroad.
Norway was scoured for experts in the following areas: elections, democratisation, free media, conflict resolution, the protection of minorities, rule of law, good governance, institution building, political diversity and human rights training.
NORDEM’s support activities have changed in line with this, moving from sending human rights observers in a broad sense to providing mentors and institution builders – experts who reinforce the capability of the national authorities to provide security and social welfare to their own population in keeping with international commitments.
In election monitoring the trend is reverse. whereas in the early years NORDEM personnel in interna- tional missions gave advice and contributed to the conduct of elections, their role has predominantly become to observe elections. Today there is a growing demand for support throughout the entire election cycle: revising legislation, improving voter registration, establishing an electoral roll, educat- ing voters etc.
A judge to Kosovo. An election observer to Azerbaijan. A gender expert the DR Congo. Over the last 20 years NORDEM has deployed more than 2,000 experts to support the EU, the OSCE, the UN and other regional organisations and international peace-keeping operations. And it seems the world still needs NORDEM.
The mandate was to recruit, train and provide highly qualified personnel for institutions such as the EU, the OSCE and the UN. In addition, NORDEM was to offer various types of training related to human rights and election observation.
The recruitment still primarily takes place in Norway, but also internationally. NORDEM looks for different kinds of competence depending on the needs of the organisations. The requests may come directly from the organisations; for example the UN may approach Norway, asking: “Do you have a French-speaking expert on witness protection who can be seconded to DR Congo for six months?”
NORDEM searches its database looking for suitable candidates.
In 1990s the NORDEM’s secretariat staff numbered three people. Today there are seven. Even though the mandate has remained the same for
20 years, there have been operational changes in line with the global conflict dynamics and the response of the international community. During NORDEM’s 20-year history, the incidence of tradi- tional wars and armed conflicts between countries has diminished while conflicts within countries have increased. The result is that international opera- tions have developed from monitoring ceasefires and keeping the peace between countries to preventing conflicts and providing support in the transition from conflict to peace.
The establishment of NORDEM
How did NORDEM come into being 20 years ago? And how will NORDEM develop in the next 20 years? Jan Egeland and Siri Skåre meet to chat about the anniversary.
A large map of the world hangs on the wall of Jan Egeland’s office at the Norwegian Refugee Council.
This prompts the question: what did the world real- ly look like 20 years ago? At the time when Thorvald Stoltenberg was Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his State Secretary – Jan Egeland – came up with the idea of NORDEM? Egeland pours
a cup of coffee for his guest, Siri Skåre from the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, before he answers:
“The Cold war was over, and there was room for initiatives. when Thorvald Stoltenberg invited me to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of restrictions. There was room for action, even though there was great uncertainty as well. The Cold war had ended, but this was still a peak period for wars and crises.
At no time had the world seen as many armed conflicts as the year NORDEM was established.
Just think of the Balkans going up in flames.”
Skåre: “At that time I was an election observer through NORDEM. My first assignment was observ- ing the referendum in Eritrea. The country had gone through many years of war and conflict with Ethio- pia. Then there was a referendum, and Eritrea once again became an independent state. It was an important event in global history, even though the situation in the country gradually deteriorated afterwards. The following year I was in South Africa – another important event. Then I went to the Balkans on numerous occasions. This is merely what I took part in – lots more happened through- out the 1990s. But you mentioned opportunities:
I’m thinking about the Copenhagen document from 1990 where one of the obligations of OSCE states was to accept election observers from other mem- ber states. The commitments the states estab- lished then would probably not be agreed to today.”
SiRi SkåRE is Director of international programmes at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights.
with experience from working in NORAD and in the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she was one of the first to be sent on an election assignment for NORDEM (1993). Skåre was the Director of NORDEM from 2002 to 2010.
JAN EgElAND is Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. He has, amongst other posts, served as UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Political Adviser for the former foreign minister Thorvald Stoltenberg, State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General of the Norwegian Red Cross, and Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
“How did you actually get the idea for NORDEM, Egeland?”
“I came to Thorvald from voluntary organisations and was used to an action-oriented culture. After the Gulf war in 1991, when Kuwait was freed by, amongst others, American forces, the Kurdish refugee crisis showed that the humanitarian system was unable to react. Our contribution to strength- ening the international system was to establish NOREPS, which offered emergency relief materials sent from Norway, and NORSTAFF (now NORCAP), which deployed personnel. Suddenly we had both materials and staff on standby for humanitarian purposes. It was characteristic of the times that the OSCE, as well as other organisations, was very con- cerned about elections and democratic processes.
At the end of 1991 we were going to host a large- scale OSCE conference in Oslo. The idea struck me a few days before the conference: Shall we launch something new? Present a Norwegian initiative? we
had said we were going to ‘stop being a passive money bag and be a proactive contributor’. And this proactive player had to make a move. I scratched my head and wondered if we should create some- thing like NOREPS for demo cracy and human rights.
I asked Thorvald what he thought about the idea, and he said it was brilliant.”
Skåre: “It was a dynamic time.”
Egeland: “It was indeed, because Thorvald was a very positive person. we decided to stop asking
‘Can it go wrong?’ and instead ask ‘Can it be suc- cessful?’ Today we’ve perhaps gone too far in the direction of a society of audits and evaluations.
Are people again more scared of making mistakes than of creating something completely new? I think the answer may be ‘Yes’. So there are a lot of good ideas that never materialize. People rather ask
‘Can I be criticized for this? where’s the statutory authority? Shouldn’t all this be put out to tender?’
And how long will a procurement process take – six months? If we’d had similar procurement regula- tions 20 years ago we’d never have taken the initia- tive for what the OSCE needed – namely NORDEM.”
“How has NORDEM been viewed outside Norway, Skåre?”
“These were the first stand-by rosters that were established in the world. It was unique. And it remained so for a very long time. we were the role model for other countries for many years. A number of representatives came to visit us to see how Nor- way had set up its mechanisms. NORDEM became a sound and professional system that wasn’t part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Egeland: “The credit goes to those who have built up NORDEM over the years.”
“You left it to the experts to manage NORDEM themselves, Egeland?”
“Yes. In the Ministry there are relatively few people and a lot of ongoing tasks. we bought the skills we needed from the Institute for Human Rights within
an existing budget – the money was there.
what had happened before was that we sent a huge cheque to Geneva, Brussels or New York, and they did the job. Instead of this we then said ‘we can do this ourselves from Norway’.”
Skåre: “And the people NORDEM has sent out have come back to Norway with valuable competence.
That’s also a significant effect of this type of work.”
Egeland: “Another thing is that there aren’t only Norwegians in NORSTAFF and NORDEM– interna- tional experts are sent out as well.”
Skåre: “Yes, although the experts in NORDEM are mainly Norwegian. But when we can’t find the com- petence in Norway, then we seek it internationally.”
Egeland: “I recommend that you do more of that during the next 20 years. An important point is that it’s the global community that is to implement the standards. Most people agree with democracy, though I’d prefer to call it ‘people-oriented partici- pation in decision processes’. As we know, human rights are universally accepted – but they have to be universally implemented as well.”
Skåre: “And finally, Egeland, are you proud of your idea?”
“Yes. It’s great to be invited to this 20th anniversary celebration. At the time we thought we had to do something short term rather than just talking, but the concept and the project are still going strong.
NORDEM exists today because competent people have managed it over the years. The credit goes to them. Twenty years ago I thought it would perhaps be a five-year project, not that it would become an institution.”
All photos: Private
Siri Skåre and her observa- tion partner Albert, from former Zaire (now DR Congo), pictured during the UN observation of the Eritrean referendum on
independence.
The international community received a warm welcome from the local population.
Interpreter, driver, Head of the local elec- tion committee and Albert pictured outside a polling station.
THE fIRST ASSIgNMENT – referendum
for independence in Eritrea.
DEMOcRAtiSAtiON AND StAtEBuilDiNg
The Norwegian prosecutor Nina Grande works in the EU rule of law mission (EULEX) in Kosovo.
The Norwegian prosecutor Nina Grande works in the EU rule of law mission (EULEX) in Kosovo.
Seated at a sidewalk café in Pristina, Nina Grande sips her morning tea from a glass and watches people hurry past.
“How does it feel to be here in Kosovo?”
“Good! My colleagues are generous and friendly.
It’s interesting that we have different backgrounds, because the legal framework differs from country to country. I’m learning a lot.”
Plains surrounded by mountains. Along Kosovo’s new roads lie villages with orchards, green hills and old industrial areas. Today’s Kosovo borders on Montenegro to the north-west, Albania to the south-west, the Macedonian Republic to the south and Serbia to the north and east. Kosovo is still only
partially recognised by the international commu- nity. According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS), Kosovo has 1.8 million inhabitants (2011).
The ethnic distribution is roughly as follows:
94% Albanians, 2% Serbs, 1.5% Bosniaks and Gorani, 1% Romani and 1.5% Turks. “It takes some months to get to know the culture and to really find out what’s what. I read a lot about the country before I came here, but the background to the war is complex,” says Grande.
The country formed part of the Ottoman Empire up to 1913. At the end of world war 1, and with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a Yugo- slav or Southern Slav state was founded called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. This took place on 1 September 1918, and Kosovo was part of this state.
The first Yugoslavia collapsed after being attacked by Germany and the other Axis powers in 1941. Kosovo was under Italian occupation during world war 2. A new Socialist Yugoslavia under Communist Party leadership emerged as a result of the resistance struggle during the war. In 1945 Kosovo was incorporated into the second Yugo- slavia as an autonomous province within the People’s Republic of Serbia.
It started as an internal affair and developed into a major conflict that shook the whole of Europe.
During the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Kosovo- Albanians wished to acquire the status of a repub- lic, but Belgrade wanted stricter control of the province.
THE PATHfINDERS
Prosecutor Nina grande and other NORDEM experts are helping kosovo develop a state based on the rule of law.
The whiteboard in prosecutor Nina Grande’s office gives a glimpse of the cases she is working on in Kosovo.
THE PATHfINDERS
EULEX supports Kosovo on its path to a greater European integration in the rule of law area. EULEX continues to concentrate on the fight against corruption and works closely with local counterparts to achieve sustainability and EU best practices in Kosovo. EULEX prioritises the establishment of the rule of law in the north.
FActS:
Current mandate expires 14 June 2014 Head of Mission: Bernd Borchardt Headquarters: Pristina
2 250 international and national staff
EulEX:
In 1989 the Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic revoked Kosovo’s autonomous status, and Kosovo came under Belgrade’s direct control. Kosovo put in place parallel – i.e. shadow – state structures.
In 1996, in answer to increasing Serbian repression, Kosovo-Albanian separatists started guerrilla warfare against the Serbs. In 1999 NATO launched a military intervention in Yugoslavia to prevent Serbian forces from committing war crimes against the Albanian civilian population. This was followed by large-scale bombing by NATO, while at the same time Albanians and Serbs continued their hostilities on the ground and large groups of the population fled.
Serbia lost the formal right to govern Kosovo after the NATO bombing, and the province then came under international administration. The UN opera- tion UNMIK was given responsibility for governing Kosovo until a long-term solution to the deadlock between the parties could be found.
On 17 February 2008 Kosovo declared itself an inde- pendent state. Europeans – with EULEX, the EU’s The EU’s rule of law mission – gradually took over some of UNMIK’s areas of responsibility from 2009.
Today EULEX has approximately 2,250 national and international employees in Kosovo. Their mandate is to help the country establish a permanent and accountable legal authority that is worthy of a dem- ocratic, multi-ethnic state.
Graffiti in the streets – the text reveals that EULEX is
not popular in all quarters.
A separate Act gives the foreign judges and pros- ecutors employed by EULEX the same formal pow- ers that local judges and prosecutors have. Nina Grande says:
“The Act regulates what cases we can work on – and when we can get involved. Since we are con- sidered impartial, we are given the most sensitive cases and ensure that they are heard. It’s difficult for the local public prosecutors to deal with some of the cases due to political interference and accu- sations of corruption.”
“About 1,700 persons are still missing after the war.
we’re still working on cases involving disappear- ances, but although we do the best we can, it’s almost impossible to find answers after fourteen years. Often we have to decide not to prosecute.
That’s difficult for relatives of the missing to accept.
But dropping these cases is also about being hon- est with them.”
The EULEX Mission consists of a main office in Pris- tina, and a large unit in Mitrovica in the north. Nina Grande works in the ‘Prosecution Mobile Team’ that is responsible for cases from the entire country.
“Cases involving wartime killings and missing per- sons have made an impression on me. we may have found bullets, but how do you prove who owned the gun that fired the bullets fourteen years ago?
Corruption is a major problem. There are still a lot of weapons in the area and it seems people don’t hesitate to use them. we also see cases of revenge killings.”
Grande sits in a NISSAN Pathfinder with EULEX license plates. In the back of the car there’s an unused bulletproof vest and a gas mask. She is driving north towards Mitrovica, one of Kosovo’s largest towns.
During the war, corpses floated in the River Ibar.
Today only the occasional household trash bobs up and down in the water.
At the end of the war, the town was divided; the river separates the northern part from the southern part. Albanians are in the majority in the south and Serbs in the north. The situation has improved, but it is still tense. There is a lot of crime in Mitrovica.
The Ibar Bridge that separates the two parts is guarded by police officers and soldiers. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, and the graf- fiti in northern Mitrovica clearly shows that EULEX is unwanted. when Grande is in Mitrovica she is not allowed to move around freely in the northern part of town for safety reasons. She is obliged to stay mainly in the EULEX base in the south. If she has to attend court on the other side of the river, she is driven there in an armoured vehicle.
Every so often the Norwegian prosecutor drives to Peja in the west of the country, a town set in beautiful surroundings at the foot of the Bjeshket e Nemuna mountains.
Up two flights of stairs, past a secretary, and Grande arrives at the office of Agron Galani, Chief of the District Public Prosecutors Office in Peja. They discuss new incidents in Peja and developments in cases that are being handled jointly with local pub- lic prosecutors. EULEX is withdrawing from some of the cases they were working on earlier, and an Nina Grande works in a mobile team and tries cases
all over the country.
increasing number of legal areas are being trans- ferred to local public prosecutors.
Chief District Prosecutor Galani is feared by crimi- nals in these parts. He maintains that crime rates have fallen by 15 per cent over the last five years, and almost all murder cases are now being solved – largely due to help from the international experts.
“It’s extremely important that people see that we’re actually doing something to combat crime here in Kosovo. Yesterday, for instance, I arrested two senior municipal officials. when people see that everyone is equal before the law, they realise that they can trust us.”
“How is the collaboration with the lawyers from NORDEM?”
“The Norwegians have been active and helpful.
Their manner and approach creates positive com- munication with all the parties.”
“when will there no longer be any need for them?”
“we have a lot of very good people ourselves, but they’re not ready to take on cases where impor- tant, powerful people are involved. My guess is we´ll need EULEX for another four years,” says Galani, lighting a fresh cigarette.
He is known as one of the best prosecutors in Kosovo and is a member of the Kosovo Prosecuto- rial Council (KPC) – an independent body that ensures an overarching strategy for the country´s prosecuting authorities.
On his desk stands a miniature version of Kosovo’s flag. It is blue with a gold-coloured map of Kosovo in the centre. Above this appear six stars – one for each of the ethnic groups that live together.
Nina Grande also sees a small figure on the desk:
Lady Justice. She seems to fit right in.
Nina Grande enjoys lunch with her national counter- part, Chief Prosecutor Agron Galani, in scenic
surroundings near Peja.
The view from The ouTside The view from The ouTside
Big changes
“the Norwegian approach is different from that of others: we ask questions and seek dialogue. We don’t just go in and push for results that no one wants except us,” says Jan Braathu, the Norwegian ambassador to kosovo.
particularly important in countries where all actors in the political community try to ‘take the state hostage’.”
“How do Kosovo´s institutions function?”
“The answer to that is not quite as encouraging, but on the other hand we must remember that eve- rything has to be built from scratch here. what they’ve achieved since 2008 is impressive. And NORDEM’s experts have made a contribution. From the beginning of this century they were deployed first to the Housing and Property Directorate (HPD) and then to the Kosovo Property Agency (KPA). The displaced Serbs were to get their properties back, but the cases were difficult and badly documented from way back. It was politically sensitive, and the Serbs had to feel confident that decisions in prop- erty cases would be made impartially. The solution was to give the job to legal practitioners from abroad.”
“will Kosovo be successful?”
“It’s too early to say. It´s not easy to build a democratic system in a new country that has emerged from a state with an authoritarian regime and from a conflict that overturned everything.
A democratic form of government isn’t built in five years. The start has been promising, and there’s still a lot to do. But I’m optimistic: the population of Kosovo is young and the country is open in its approach to the outside world.”
Jan Braathu has worked on Balkan issues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1996. He served as ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina before taking charge of the Norwegian Embassy in Pristina in 2011. The first time he went to Kosovo was in 1996:
“Between 1996 and 1999 we were faced with an atmosphere of fear. There was a feeling of insecu- rity – even for those of us who were protected by diplomatic passports. It was not pleasant to see how Serbian soldiers treated Kosovo Albanians at the checkpoints. That terrible pressure is no longer there. Kosovo Serbs and other minorities have a better life today than they did some years ago.
This doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been difficult here for Serbs, but they no longer complain about the security.”
“Is it helpful that Norway sends experts to the country?”
“A local public prosecutor or judge doesn’t have it easy here: retaliation can affect their families.
So it’s an advantage to have international experts in certain positions. And it’s an example of what we can contribute without imposing our values on them. well – of course we do that to a certain extent, but it’s Kosovo’s legislation that is enforced, not Norway´s. Having international experts here provides their local counterparts with new discussion partners, and this generates an important dynamic. Plus, it means there’s someone there who can withstand the pressure. This is
The view from The ouTside The view from The ouTsideTHE vIEw fROM THE OuTSIDE
– What they have achieved in Kosovo is impressive. The Norwe- gian experts contribute in
a very positive way, says Norway’s Ambassador
to Kosovo, Mr. Jan Braathu.
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
feels a
connection
“I’ve always felt that I have a connection to the area,”
says legal adviser Ermina Avdic.
Ermina Avdic normally works in the field of refugee and asylum law at the Immigration Appeals Board in Oslo. One of her colleagues tipped her off about NORDEM.
Now she’s on her fourth week in Kosovo.
“I’ve always felt that I have a connection to the area. My parents are from Montenegro. Even though I grew up in Norway, I was born in Macedonia. And my father worked in Kosovo in the 1980s. In addition, I speak Serbo-Croatian.”
“what’s it like working in the field of property law here?”
“It’s exciting to work on new sub- jects and legal areas. But I’m a bit impatient. I have to tell myself that I need time to familiarise myself with the situation before I can accom- plish as much as the others who’ve been here for a long time.”
He came to Kosovo four weeks ago and is still trying to find his bearings. The experienced judge has been allocated an office in the EULEX base in Mitrovica, as well as another further north.
He lives in Mitrovica and must adhere closely to the security arrangements. Stensland also has experience from Georgia, but more in an advisory capacity. Now, for the first time, he will work as a judge in another country.
“I’m looking forward to working as a judge here, and to col- laborating with local colleagues. I will be dealing with more or less ordinary criminal cases, in addition to war crimes. My expecta- tions? Partly of a professional nature. Getting to know a complete- ly different system may give me a much better understanding of the system at home. For many years, I’ve lectured in criminal law at university, and I think this experience will be useful in teaching as well. Also, there’s the culture, a new environment and new colleagues.”
Developing professionally
“getting to know a completely different system may give me a much better understanding of the system at home,’’ says vidar Stensland, a judge in the criminal court in Mitrovica.
The Norwegian lawyer Ermina Avdic works as a legal adviser
in Kosovo.
Judge Vidar Stensland has previously worked in Georgia.
Now he is based in Mitrovica in Kosovo.
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
Toning down the warlike atmosphere
“I made some mistakes in the beginning,” says Judge Tore Thomassen.
He came to Kosovo via NORDEM in 2011. And as he says himself: “I didn’t get the full picture at the start.” He goes on to explain: “when it comes to property cases, there’s a special procedure. There were a few judges who had taken over some cases and had made mistakes by not following this proce- dure. I thought to myself: ‘Don’t all judges make mistakes – that’s why we have an appeals system.’
I didn’t understand that they had done this deliber- ately to evade the special procedure. And that it was corruption. It’s such a sensitive issue.”
Previously, Tore Thomassen served as a member of the Court of Appeals and of the Supreme Court of Kosovo. Following a reform that took effect on 1 January this year, he ended up in the Appellate Court where he is one of three international judges.
“You have the most sensitive cases?”
“Yes, a lot of them are related to war crimes, corruption and people with power. The more every- day crime is increasingly being transferred to local judges.”
“Can you give some examples of cases?”
“One was related to the war in the summer of 1999. People in a village that included fifteen Serbian families received threats. They had to gather in a house and were the victims of an attack by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that lasted all night.
In the morning, the Serbian families gave in and came out of the house. The women and children were sep- arated from the men. And the men have never been seen again. Charges were brought against some of those who took part in the attack.”
“There have also been a number of cases related to the assassination of Albanians who weren’t active in the KLA. But it’s complicated. For many people the defendants are war heroes. Just think about it:
After world war 2, Norwegians would never have accepted that the members of the resistance move- ment could be charged with war crimes.”
The judge – who is also a theologian and has been a clergyman, in addition to having a military back- ground and lengthy experience in the oil industry – has now learned that reality can actually be worse than imagination:
“For example, people have earned money by selling the organs of people who’ve been killed.”
“Someone might seek revenge against you.
Are you frightened?”
“No, I’m old. I live an anonymous and cautious life. But there’s an abundance of weapons – includ- ing in the courtroom, where the parties often have armed guards. But I’m trying to tone down the war- like atmosphere little by little.”
“Are you learning anything?”
“I’m acquiring a totally different approach to our own legal and political traditions; I see how fragile western secular liberal democracy actually is.”
“Is it difficult to get people to testify?”
“Yes, they’re offered immunity and protection, but people changing their testimony in court is a common problem. And to prevent undue influence, we have to underline clearly in the decisions that the authorities must keep their distance.”
Judge Tore Thomassen works in the Appellate Court, where he is one
of three international judges. He is pictured here
discussing with colleague Nina Grande.
The view from The ouTside The view from The ouTside
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
People are just people
“we get people to talk to each other,” says Siv-Katrine Leirtrø.
“It’s important for me not to be too “preachy”.
I like people to feel free to say what they think.
This isn’t my country, I can leave whenever I want to,” says Siv-Katrine Leirtrø. when she’s out on the streets of Pristina, almost everyone greets her. She speaks fluent Serbian and a little Albanian, and has lived in Kosovo for four and a half years.
“The most important thing we do is getting peo- ple to talk to each other. we talk to everyone – also about Norway’s role. Keeping in mind that ‘people are just people’ is absolutely fundamental to me – I always make this part of my approach.”
Ms Leirtrø has studied political science and com- parative politics, and majored in Serbo-Croatian.
She has worked extensively with questions related to the Balkans previously, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and through NORDEM in the Euro- pean Union Monitoring Mission. Today, she works as a Project Manager at the International Management Group (IMG), seconded through NORDEM. Norway
provides funding for several of the IMG projects.
The keywords are democracy building, human rights, corporate development, gender equality, education, youth, minorities, reconciliation and dialogue. Norway has also provided financial sup- port for the development of a visa system in Kosovo adapted to Schengen requirements.
“I get the impression that the foreigners who come here have a tendency just to socialize with each other in their leisure time. why do they do that?”
“Maybe because they’re a bit sceptical to the
‘dangerous’ Kosovo-Albanians? But by failing to get to know the local population, you’re caught in an international bubble.”
“So it helps to speak the language?”
“That’s obvious, and then you’re invited to peo- ple’s homes, you establish better contact and get to know the culture better. You have to learn to listen.”
Siv-Katrine Leirtrø’s office is located near the Zahir Pajaziti square in Pristina. She is pictured here with Adrian Zeqiri, Executive Director of the European Centre for
Minority Issues in Kosovo, one of the partner organisations she works with. In the background:
A picture of the legendary President Ibrahim Rugova
who died in 2006.
The view from The ouTside The view from The ouTside
In the stairway up to Mayor Bojan Stojanovic´s office hangs a photograph of him and Hillary Clin- ton. His municipality, which is situated just outside Pristina, was established in 2009 in line with the Ahtisaari Plan.
“we’re a miracle. A miracle! Gracanica is one of the smallest municipalities – but it’s the one that’s most talked about,” says Stojanovic, surrounded by a cloud of cigarette smoke. Before he became mayor, he chaired the parliamentary committee for minority groups. He was born in Pristina.
Now he relates:
“Pristina wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea of establishing our Serbian municipality.
If it weren’t for the international community, Gra- canica wouldn’t have existed today. And we would have been in a much worse position.”
He has a lot on his mind.
“It’s a fact that if Albanians could choose a Kosovo without Serbs, that’s what they would pick.
The situation isn’t easy. we’re between a rock and a hard place. Between Pristina and Belgrade.
Belgrade regards us as ‘Thaci-Serbians’ (Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s current prime minister and leader of the Kosovo Democratic Party; former political leader of the KLA). Serbs in the whole of the former Yugoslavia have lost their identity as a people because Belgrade has been allowed to govern by remote control.”
“There are fewer and fewer Serbs in Kosovo.
To have a national strategy, there must be two parameters: 1) reconciliation and 2) children must be born in the area. The policies adopted in Serbia will result in a Kosovo without Serbs. what pros- pects can you have when you live in isolation and solitude? How can three small municipalities sur- vive in isolation? And there are no universities for our young people here; they have to travel to Serbia for higher education. They have no future
prospects.”
“Language is a problem. In Kosovo, you know what ethnic group people belong to. If we didn’t have the international community in Kosovo…” Stojanovic stubs his cigarette and lights a new one. “I don’t know if I’m able to describe just how important it is for us to have them here … If it hadn’t been for peo- ple like Siv-Katrine Leirtrø, you might just as well discard the whole Ahtisaari plan.”
Between a rock and a hard place
“I’m convinced there wouldn’t be any municipalities here today without the international community,” says Bojan Stojanovic, the Serb mayor of gracanica.
The Mayor of Gracanica, Bojan Stojanovic, vividly recounts everyday life in the Serb enclave.
The view from The ouTside The view from The ouTside
The experts play a key role
“we don’t need money, we need good advice,” says Kosovo’s Deputy foreign Minister Petrit Selimi in fluent Norwegian.
It was former uN mediator Thorvald Stoltenberg and the Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide who discov- ered the multi-talented Petrit Selimi. The teenager received a grant to allow him to attend a Norwegian upper secondary school and university, and Petrit learned the Norwegian language. Back in Kosovo he founded a newspaper while pursuing his university studies. He worked as an adviser for Statkraft and Telenor. And with his connections to both countries, he has contributed to Norway’s understanding of Kosovo. In 2008 he went into politics, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Today he is a deputy foreign minister at the age of 34.
He meets us for a hurried lunch at a sidewalk res- taurant in Pristina. Devouring a hamburger while we speak, he explains:
“Kosovo as a state is only five years old. People pay tax; we’ve built roads and 120 schools. But we need investment. And good advice. The Norwegian experts are hardworking. They also play a key role since they deal with the most sensitive cases.”
When Petrit Selimi returned after completing
his studies in Norway, he established the «post pessi- mists», a network of youth NGOs.
He also established a newspaper and a cartoon café. Today, he is
the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
thE viEw fROM thE OutsiDE thE viEw fROM thE OutsiDE
Tools for protection
“I’m involved in developing tools that can be used by examining judges and other judicial practitioners in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” says witness protection expert Hanan Talbi.
The objective of the Belgian-Moroccan legal practitioner Hanan Talbi is to strengthen the capacity of Congolese institutions to protect victims, witnesses and court staff during trials.
NORDEM sent her to DR Congo to work in
MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping operation there.
MONUSCO´s mandate emphasises the protection of civilians, not least with regard to sexual and gender-based violence against women. Talbi works both on ensuring that protective measures are in place in selected high-profile trials which could set a precedent for other cases, and more generally on capacity-building and advocacy.
“we’re making progress, but it takes time,”
she says.
She ran her own law firm in Brussels but felt she would rather work on human rights issues. Initially she found a job as a lawyer in a humanitarian organ- isation, but she soon realised that she would prefer to contribute positively to a country’s long-term process of change. So she contacted NORDEM.
“I feel very privileged. when we implement protection mechanisms for victims, I can see the actual results of my work. I’m grateful for that.”
Building a state governed by the rule of law
“Even though the challenges are overwhelm- ing and the resources meagre, I do think we have a positive influence on South Sudan´s overall development,” says Justice Officer Magnus forberg Andersen.
Since February this year Forberg Andersen has been assisting the authorities in South Sudan to protect the civilian population through the gradu- al development of a state governed by the rule of law – with a particular focus on combating arbitrary detention. He is seconded to the UN operation UNMISS. He and a colleague are tasked with the UN’s work in this field in warrap State, which has 970 000 inhabitants.
“The number of illegal detentions has been reduced. By facilitating the creation of mobile courts in the districts, we have strengthened the administration of justice. These are some of our contributions,” he tells us.
There are numerous challenges: too few judges and lawyers, overfilled prisons and police cells.
Electricity is a rare luxury, and the roads are impassable. Everything is in short supply – from printer paper to vehicles. On top of this there are the security challenges: tension between Sudan and South Sudan, rebellious militias and internal tribal feuding. But Forberg Andersen knows what is required of a peacekeeper. The key words are realism, patience, diplomacy and persistence.
Guts. And a focus on finding solutions.
Photo: Private
Photo: P
rivat
e
The Belgian-Moroccan barrister Hanan Talbi has worked on cases in Burundi and DR Congo since 2010.
Magnus Forberg Andersen conducts training for local partners in South Sudan
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
“what strategy were we to adopt when selecting cases for investiga- tion? It was a difficult choice,” says Siri Frigaard.
She arrived in Dili, the capital of Timor Leste, at the beginning of January 2002. And as the “Deputy General Prosecutor for Serious Crimes,” she had the responsibility for leading the work on investigating and prosecuting crimes against humanity committed in the period up to 25 October 1999 – when the UN intervened and assumed control of the country. She was in charge of a group of 134 experts.
Frigaard decided to focus on hunting down the perpetrators:
“The indictment that attracted most attention was that of eight high-rank- ing officials, all of whom were in Indo- nesia. These included wiranto, a gen- eral and former minister of defence, as well as Abilio Soares, a former governor of Timor Leste. But, to my great disappointment, Indonesia refused to cooperate. As of today, none of the eight have been put on trial. Nor is there any international pressure to achieve this.”
Before Frigaard embarked on legal studies, she worked for a period of time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she heard about NORDEM for the first time. Later she submitted her CV and was deployed on a number of assignments.
In addition to being Chief Public Prosecutor, Frigaard is currently director of the Norwegian National Authority for Prosecution of Organised and Other Serious Crime. She deals with cases such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as terrorism, data crime, online sexual abuse of children and organ- ised crime.
when she looks back, the strongest impression she retains after a year and a half in Timor Leste is this:
“The surviving women who had lost their husbands and sons, who looked at me with sad eyes that mutely asked the question: ‘why is the person who killed my loved ones not in prison?’”
Headed the investigation
“Should we concentrate on those who had taken part in the killings and who were still
in the country? Or on the people who had organised the murders but who were in Indonesia?”
asks Chief Public Prosecutor Siri frigaard. In 2002, she was deployed to Timor Leste.
Photo: Private
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
The trial against the former Ethiopian head of state Mengistu Haile Mariam began in 1995. He played a leading role in the military coup that deposed Haile Selassie in 1974. In 1987 Mariam became president; four years later he went into exile in Zimbabwe. Mariam and others in the Derg (the Ethiopian Armed Forces Coordinated Committee) were charged with crimes against humanity committed during the Red Terror in the 1970s. NORDEM sent Frode Elgesem to Ethiopia on several short assignments to observe the court pro- ceedings. The trials took place in the capital Addis Ababa and at local courts in several other parts of the country.
“The fact that the judicial proceedings progressed slowly and had major defi- ciencies was particularly serious since it was highly likely that the prosecu- tion would seek the death penalty against Derg officials. The proceed- ings claimed a large part of the
resources of the judiciary, which was already understaffed and drowning in cases. It created a hopeless situation for the judicial system,” says Elgesem, who is currently a partner in the law firm Thommessen.
He was working on human rights cases for the Office of the Attorney General of Norway when he was asked if he would join NORDEM’s standby roster.
“Knowledge of the conditions that colleagues in countries like Ethiopia work under gives me a healthier perspective on the everyday life of Norwegian lawyers. I’ve seen how similar our thought processes are, and it’s exciting to be part of a com- munity of legal practitioners who have grown up and work under very differ- ent cultural and material conditions.
It offers many opportunities for valu- able collaboration.”
Knowledge of the conditions that colleagues in countries like Ethiopia work under gives me a healthier perspective on the everyday life of Norwegian lawyers.
Photo: CF-Wesenberg/
kolonihaven.no
A healthier perspective
“The judicial proceedings against the Derg regime progressed at a snail’s pace and had serious inadequacies in regard to human rights standards,” says business lawyer frode Elgesem.
He was in Ethiopia in the 1990s.
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
The Head of Mission
“I feel I was doing something meaningful and that I achieved something, even though there is still a long way to go. It was a fantastic time,” says Ivar vikki. He was one of NORDEM’s secondees to the OSCE for many years.
Russia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan.
Ivar Vikki, who is now retired, has extensive experi- ence in countries that previously formed part of the Soviet Union. People have asked him how he could bear to work abroad for so long – often under difficult political and social conditions. He replies that the many varied, exciting and challenging assignments fired him with new enthusiasm each time. Quite simply, he feels he did something meaningful.
Although English Literature was the main subject of his second degree, he has spent almost all his working life in the field of international relations.
Initially in the intelligence service, where he chiefly analysed politico-military issues. But he left the service when the Soviet Union collapsed, and con- tacted NORDEM to become an election observer:
“I was deployed to the Balkans, Russia, Armenia and Georgia to observe elections. In 1998, after a period as director of the Norwegian Refugee Coun- cil in North Ossetia, I took the job of deputy head of mission for the OSCE in Georgia. This became the largest mission in the Caucasus, with more than 300 employees, including international observers on the border between Georgia and Chechnya.
In 2003 I was appointed head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Georgian break-away republic of Abkhazia. Then for four years I was head of the OSCE in Kazakhstan, followed by a year in Turkmen- istan for Statoil where my main task was to estab- lish a presence. After that I was head of the OSCE in Tajikistan from 2009 until February this year.”
As opposed to several other missions which in practice are purely project offices, the mandate of the mission in Tajikistan is to assess the political situation in the country. This became a balancing act for Ivar Vikki:
“On the one hand I had to maintain correct and constructive relations with the host country author- ities, while at the same time not losing sight of the principles and commitments of the OSCE. It was difficult. As head of mission I had to be an actor in the internal political arena but without our work being perceived as interfering with domestic affairs – which in practice would have completely para- lysed our activities. So it was important to build confidence with the host country authorities. Then I could also pass on notifications of concern directly to the relevant authorities – such as allegations of police brutality against groups or individuals. And in several cases the authorities followed these up.”
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
“what achievements are you most pleased about?”
“In Tajikistan it’s the work of promoting a free press through practical support measures. And the work that was done through twelve so-called resource centres located around the country, training wom- en in rural districts. During the parliamentary elec- tion in 2010 the women’s network was used to spread information on people’s voting rights, and voter turnout increased in the areas where these centres were involved. we set up a group across
party lines, with women from all parties. Also, the OSCE Border Management Staff College, which was established in 2009 and forms part of the mission in Dushanbe. Last year 600 students from more than 30 countries graduated from the college.”
Still, for Ivar Vikki, it’s the memories from everyday life that are most powerful. Meeting people, par- ticularly out in the countryside. Always an open door. Always an open mind.
…maintain correct and constructive relations with the host country authorities, while at the same time not losing sight of the principles and commitments of the OSCE.
Photo: Private
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
Like a clenched fist
“NORDEM changed my life,” says Ingunn-Sofie Aursnes, who is now director of the Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board.
People touring the white marble roof of the Oslo Opera House look tiny from up here. Beyond lies the Oslo Fjord, smooth as a mirror. Standing by the panoramic window, Ingunn-Sofie Aursnes lifts her gaze and looks out over the horizon.
She was appointed director of the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) a year ago and has just moved into a brand new office. The framed photographs from Afghanistan have yet to be hung on the walls.
She reflects:
“More than 45 million have been forced to leave their homes. So many people are on the move around the world. And Norway – far from every- thing, here at the edge of the North Sea – sees only a fraction of all this. I’ve worked in many countries and I’ve had first-hand experience of the issues created by war and conflict. So what have I learned?
well, we have to understand that what we call the
‘immigration issue’ in Norway is in fact part of a global pattern of migration.”
Photo: Pia Skjelstad Lahnthaler
NORDEMERs iN thE fiElD
Over a ten-year period, NORDEM sent her on a series of assignments. One of the responsibilities of the UNE is to rule on appeals from asylum-seek- ers whose applications have been rejected. How does Aursnes use her NORDEM experience in prac- tical terms?
“working on attitudes is important in my job.
In many of the cases we get, it’s a question of cred- ibility. Some people don’t tell the truth. That’s just the way it is. And it’s a big challenge for our deci- sion makers. But even though UNE may conclude that the criteria for asylum have not been met in a given case, we still have to respect the fact that people have packed their belongings and left their homeland. That they make hard choices in their lives. I’m not saying that my colleagues don’t have this respect, but I talk about it a lot at work: That we have to be careful not to become contemptuous of asylum-seekers. And it’s NORDEM that’s made me like this.”
Ingunn-Sofie Aursnes has a degree in law and her work experience is mainly from public administra- tion. She has been a deputy judge. She headed the Municipal Administration Department and then the Legal Department of the County Governor of Oslo and Akershus. She has been Chief Administrative Officer in Jevnaker Municipality and an adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council´s Legal Aid Project.
She has worked for UNE as section manager at and then as head of an appeals board. Last but not least, she has served as director of the County Social welfare Boards, which make decisions in regard to child welfare and protection.
She heard about NORDEM in 1998, while she was chief administrative officer in Jevnaker.:
“I was appointing a new Chief Municipal Educa- tion Officer, and I interviewed, and I interviewed Jan Erik Larsen for the job. He told me he was on NORDEM’s roster and might be sent on election observation assignments. I said it was surely a good idea to have someone in the post who was prepared to be sent abroad on such assignments, and I hired him. The following year he encouraged me to apply to NORDEM. I did, and was accepted.”
In 1998 – three years after the Dayton Peace Agree- ment was signed in Paris and the Bosnia war had officially ended – Ingunn-Sofie Aursnes was sent on her first assignment. She was seconded to the OSCE as an international adviser during voter registration in Banja Luka in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“It hit me like a clenched fist – the refugees who had returned home after the ethnic cleansing.
Afterwards I wanted to quit my job as Chief Admin- istrative Officer. I couldn’t show any interest in potholes in the roads of Jevnaker any more, though I could understand that the people of Jevnaker needed an administrative officer who did!”
Aursnes was then 46. The youngest of her children was 22 and the three others had already left home.
In addition she had, as she puts it, a husband per- fectly able to take care of himself.”
She was deployed to several countries in the Balkans from 1998 to 2008. Her work there included building democratic institutions; human rights and ceasefire monitoring; and good governance. She has also worked in South Africa, Serbia, Afghani- stan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
“I learned a lot about people. I realised how easy our lives are here in Norway compared to else- where. A friend and colleague in South Africa put it this way: ‘The most difficult thing a Norwegian goes through in life is being born – after that everything’s easy’. And that’s how it is for most of us in Norway.
I’m also happy that I’ve made friends in other parts of the world. It acts as a corrective.”
“what have I contributed? These may seem like big words, but I felt I made a difference. with my experience of Norwegian public administration as part of my luggage, I could hold my own. I knew about access to public information, transparency, division of power, the rule of law. The concepts and rights which Norwegian society is built on proved useful out there.”
“On the other hand I also experienced great personal growth. I arrived alone in the places I was sent to – I wasn´t part of a framework or in a rela- tionship as I am at home. There was only me, and this helped me to grow as a person. working for NORDEM made me a wiser woman.”
Facts about
iNtERNAtiONAl
ElEctiON OBSERvAtiON
International election observation entails observing the whole election process, including electoral laws, election administration, media, com- plaints mechanisms, voting, counting, tabulation, and announcement of results and follow-up in the post-elec- tion phase.
The experts in the “core team” arrive in the country six to eight weeks prior to the election day. Shortly after, teams of two and two long-term observers are deployed throughout the country. Close to election day the mission is strengthened with several hundred short-term observers that observe and report on the election procedures. Based on the reports received, an evaluation of the election implementation is prepared and announced shortly after the election day.
International election observation aims to evaluate election processes in line with international, regional and national standards for election imple- mentation and to provide recommen- dations in line with these in order to promote democratic development in the country concerned.
ElEctiONS:
OBSERvAtiON AND SuPPORt
Hejdar Alijev (picture) was the President from 1993–2003. His son, Ilham Alijev, enters his third term of office after this year’s elections.
Mission
AzERBAIJAN
it isn’t the election result that long-term observer Rune Hauger
concentrates on, but the actual election process. He is also responsible for the short-term observers.
On 9 October this year presidential elections took place in Azerbaijan. Through the Office for Demo- cratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE sent more than 300 international election observers to the country, which is situated in South Caucasus.
Norway provided two long-term observers and nine short-term observers through NORDEM. The day after the population had cast their votes, the OSCE summarised the election in a press release sent from the capital, Baku: “The election in Azerbaijan was undermined by limitations on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association that did not guarantee a level playing field for candidates and significant problems on election day…”.
President Ilham Alijev received 85 per cent of the votes. The runner-up, Jamil Hasenli, received five per cent. As he entered his third term, Alijev thanked the people for their support. He said that the presidential election in Azerbaijan were a triumph for democracy.
It is Saturday 5 October, and Rune Hauger is in a meeting room in Hotel Qafqaz in Baku. The interna- tional long-term observers are sitting around the oval table. They have all delivered reports on their latest observations from the ongoing election cam- paign, and the reports are summed-up. One of the observers says:
“At an election meeting for the opposition party we saw a man going round taking photos of people.
I asked if he was a journalist. ‘No,’ he said. when I asked whether he was photographing or filming those who were there he said he was photograph- ing the building. ‘So perhaps you’re an architect?’
I then asked. To which he said ‘Yes’ and left.”
There are some wry smiles among the meeting participants. The head of the ODIHR election obser- vation mission, Tana de Zulueta from Italy, is attend- ing, and listens to what is said. To her left sits Harald Jepsen from Denmark, deputy head, and to the right the long-term observer coordinator – Masa Janjuse- vic from Serbia. Along with several other experts, these three form the mission’s ‘core team’.
One long-term observer states:
“People tell us that the police write their names down at election meetings. Many of those we talked to also claim that they’re filmed. It’s obvious that some attend the meetings just to observe people.”
Another tells us about a journalist who was knocked down. Others have also heard stories about journalists being beaten and imprisoned. One long-term observer reports on construction materi- als, bull-dozers and the like being set up as obsta- cles to stop people going to the opposition’s
