The UCI Center for International Studies, UCI Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies (CGPACS) and UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) present:

“Information for Monitoring the Global Private Military and Security Industry: What Do We Know, What Do We Need To Know and How Can We Know It?”
Three-day conference

January 27-29, 2011
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Room 1321

Detailed conference schedule to follow.

Since the 1990s, a global private military and security industry has emerged and boomed. The industry offers opportunities for both state and non-state actors to pursue goals that require security services. It also raises concerns in many quarters that these forces operate outside of the law and inconsistent with the obligations of ethics and international norms. Despite the widespread use of this industry by both states and non-state actors in the last 20 years, the behavior of these forces (as well as those who hire them) is still opaque. Lack of systematic information about the industry poses problems for those researching it, for those attempting to regulate it, and for industry members seeking recognition for good behavior.
 
Developments in the last few years make this a good time to consider an effort to share and collect information about this industry. A variety of regulatory initiatives by the Swiss government, U.S. government, and United Nations have largely agreed on relevant categories of military and security services as well as the responsibilities of contracting states, home states, host states and companies under international law. Governments, industry officials, NGOs, and international organizations have also indicated interest in developing and supporting international standards for the industry – including the proposed “Code of Conduct” for private security providers. And a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations have begun collecting information about different elements of this industry.

This conference will bring together representatives of government, industry groups, academics, lawyers, NGOs, and journalists to discuss the following key questions:

• What do we need to know for effective regulation of the military and security service industry?
• What do we already know?
• Who has what information?
• What can be shared publicly?
• What is the best way to share that information?
• What is the best way to gather the information we do not have?
• What information might be useful to analysts in 10-15 years who want to take stock of the relative success of different regulatory efforts?

The conference will kick-off with the International Studies Public Forum panel discussion, "Monitoring the Global Private Military and Security Industry: An Outline of the Industry, its Clients and Current Regulatory Initiatives” at 3:30 p.m. in Social Science Plaza A, Room 1100.  Click here for more details on the talk.

For further information, please email mroesler@uci.edu.

Co-sponsors: Center for International Studies at University of California, Irvine; Center for Security, Economics, and Technology (CSET) at University of St. Gallen; Center for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF) in Geneva