Mandate
Reconciling the international community's responsibility to act in the face of massive violations of humanitarian norms while respecting the sovereign rights of states poses a unique challenge. The Commission was an independent international body designed to help bridge the two concepts. Its one year mandate was to build a broader understanding of these issues and to foster a global political consensus on how to move towards action within the UN system.
Relationship to the United Nations
ICISS was an independent body intended to support the UN. Its work was intended to complement efforts already undertaken on these issues in other contexts. The Commission completed its work during the 2000/01 Millennium Assembly year and reported back to the UN Secretary-General and the international community in December 2001.
The Commissioners
The Commission Co-Chairs were Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia, and Mohamed Sahnoun, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General. The ten additional members of the Commission were distinguished people from diverse national and professional backgrounds, bringing a wide range of perspectives to these complex and controversial issues. (See biographical information)
The Advisory Board
An Advisory Board of prominent politicians and dignitaries served as the political reference point for the Commission and helped to build broad political support for the Commission's work. It also helped to build the political momentum and public engagement required to follow-up on its recommendations. Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy was the Chair of the Advisory Board.
Research and Consultation
The Commission's research builds upon and complements the many efforts already undertaken on humanitarian intervention and state sovereignty by research institutes and individual governments. Commissioners draw on the record of debate and discussion at the UN as well as the vast body of existing research on this topic. The ICISS research directorate is based at the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York (CUNY) and led by Professor Thomas G. Weiss of CUNY and Stanlake J.T.M. Samkange of Zimbabwe. A series of papers and studies were also specially commissioned for ICISS.
Secretariat
The workplan of the Commission was administered by a small Canadian secretariat, provided as part of the Canadian government support for ICISS. Housed within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa , the Secretariat undertook the necessary fund-raising, organized the roundtable consultations and Commissioners' meetings, managed the publication and distribution of the Commission's report and background research, and spearheaded diplomatic efforts to engage governments and build political support for the debate.
Funding
Several international foundations, including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Simons Foundation, lent strong political and financial support to the Commission. The Government of Canada provided US$1 million to support the work of the Commission, and financial contributions were also received from the Governments of the United Kingdom and Switzerland.