|
 |
     
|
|
|
AfP Releases Executive Report AfP has published and distributed an executive report which covers its recent programs, projects and activities. Please click here to download and print a copy of the report. Collaboration Connections Session on Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka On Thursday, June 12, 2008 AfP hosted Collaboration Connections on Sri Lanka. Peter Woodrow, Co-Director of Reflecting on Peace Practice Project, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects presented findings from their ongoing study “Cumulative Impacts of Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka”. The purpose of the meeting was to identify the organizations engaged in peacebuilding in Sri Lanka, conduct a colective analysis of the work being done there and the drivers of the conflict environment, and determine next steps that might be implemented to help move the conditions toward a peaecful resolution. The focus on Sri Lanka was particularly significant in light of the recent suspension of the ceasefire between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. The participants agreed that that it is important to evaluate peacebuilding projects and, particularly in the case of Sri Lanka, develop strategy to foster vertical connections between Track I, Track II and Track III efforts. A task force was created to develop a critical analysis of the elements of success and shortcomings in peacebuilding in Sri Lanka; to build support for a future peace process, and to develop strategic plans for a variety of possible scenarios in Sri Lanka. To be included in future mailings on Sri Lanka, please contact Zoë Cooprider: zoe@allianceforpeacebuilding.org. Collaboration Connections Session on Peacebuilding in South Asia
Scholar, author, and peace maker Mr. Tridivesh Singh Maini spoke at an AfP Collaboration Connections meeting on October 29, 2007. When discussing his book, South Asian Cooperation and the Role of the Punjabs, Maini spoke about the contribution of peace makers in South Asia who have done work on improving ties between countries. He also discussed the importance of faith and culture as tools in the South Asian peace process, and mentioned some of the problems and roadblocks peace makers face there.
Maini places great importance on building peace at the grassroots level so that local populations on either side of the border will embrace it. He emphasized that peacebuilding cannot be left up to the governments or English-speaking elites alone. Consequently, he endorsed several confidence-building measures such as opening up bus services and routes, and planning cricket matches where teams play in each other’s countries. Finally, he spoke about the potential role of AfP in South Asian peace making. Mani has worked with the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (an AfP member), and he sees significant opportunities for the peacebuilding community to achieve positive results in the region. Fifth Annual Retreat Focuses on the Integration of the Peacebuilding Community
Forty-five peacebuilders from the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland attended AfP’s fifth annual retreat on October 21-23, 2007, at the Shawnee Inn in Shawnee on Delaware, PA. Participants enjoyed an energizing and inspiring keynote speech from Haile Menkerios, Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs at the United Nations. Menkerios stressed the value of NGOs in peacebuilding while emphasizing the importance of preventing violent conflict. This year’s meeting focused on the integration of the peacebuilding community, bringing together AfP member peacebuilding organizations with representatives from the US Department of State, Department of Defense, the UN, and the relief and development community. Participants discussed their various peacebuilding roles, perspectives, resources and limitations in scheduled sessions and “open space” follow-up meetings. The addition of the open space forums provided attendees the flexibility to review specific concerns or ideas that had surfaced during morning sessions. The participants also engaged in a lively open discussion of challenging and controversial issues such as the proposed Department of Peace, the relationships among peace activists and applied peacebuilding, and the possibility of war with Iran. The building threat of this potential war generated extensive and intense debate, and a consensus emerged that AfP should develop and advocate for alternatives to war. Through the attendance of invitees from peacebuilding-related disciplines and increased opportunities for on-the-spot collaboration and problem solving, the 2007 retreat proved fruitful in strengthening AfP networks and multi-faceted, results-oriented approaches towards violence prevention. The Washington Group's Early Warning/Early Response Mechanism Is Presented at the GPPAC International Steering Group Meeting A special team known as “The Washington Group” has been meeting by conference call for several months to develop a mechanism that connects early warnings of possible violence with an appropriate response. Eileen Babbitt, Director of the Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at the Fletcher School, is chairing the group. Heinz Krummenacher of Swisspeace is developing the organizational structure to house the mechanism, and Michael Lund is the prime consultant on the project. The concept was presented in early October 2007 at the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) International Steering Group meeting in Soesterberg, Netherlands, and at the AfP Retreat in late October as well. To find out more, please contact Chic Dambach at chic@allianceforpeacebuilding.org. Collaboration Connections Session Generates a New Horn of Africa Forum AfP held a Collaboration Connections session in July 2007 to explore the dynamics of the conflict environment in the Horn of Africa region—in particular, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. Complex conditions and issues continue to drive the region into conflicts that sometimes become violent, and the threat of large-scale violence is always present. Several organizations active in the region participated in the session and agreed that the creation of a special forum of NGOs engaged in peacebuilding in the Horn of Africa would be valuable. The forum will share information and perspectives while developing collaborative and multifaceted strategies to address the drivers of conflict. The East Africa Regional network developed by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) provides a direct connection with local NGOs, and AfP is building the forum with participation from the international community to link with the local NGOs in the region. For more information, please contact Chic Dambach at chic@allianceforpeacebuilding.org. The Global Peace Index Is Launched in London and Washington, DC On May 30th the Global Peace Index (GPI) was launched in London and Washington, DC. GPI ranks 121 countries by their levels of peacefulness. Norway came in first and Iraq last in the rankings, which placed the United States near the end of the list in 96th place. The top five were rounded out by New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland and Japan; while the bottom five included Nigeria, Russia, Israel and Sudan. The Index demonstrated a clear link between prosperity and peacefulness. It also suggests that nations that become more peaceful have a much better prospect of achieving economic progress. The Economist Intelligence Unit created and designed this innovative project, which was initiated and funded by Australian philanthropist and entrepreneur Steve Killelea. A team of prominent CPR experts provided oversight for the development of criteria and the data analysis. According to Google, three of the five top stories globally on the launch day were on the index. Over 100 countries covered the index and it is estimated that 1 billion people either saw or heard about the index. The launch event in Washington was covered live by C-Span, and GPI continues to generate substantial attention worldwide. By now there have been over 11 million hits on the GPI website, and a Google Search will produce nearly 500,000 connections. In the second sentence of a major recent report to the public, the President of Ghana referred to his country’s GPI ranking. AfP and member organization the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy worked closely with Killelea to help engage dozens of organizations and policy makers, including members of Congress, with the Index. AfP is working with USIP and others to further develop strategies for application of the Index to advance an understanding of and support for peacebuilding. In recent months, AfP worked with the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum (CPRF) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) to help produce and present two symposiums on the Index and other studies. A documentary based on the Index is scheduled for release in the fall, and the second edition of the Index will be presented in the spring of 2008. To see the complete rankings and find out more information about the Global Peace Index, please visit www.visionofhumanity.com. Dr. Lisa Schirch of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (EMU) Speaks About Reducing Security Threats Posed by Nuclear Weapons and Global Warming On October 12, 2007, the Stanley Foundation, the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies, and Physicians for Social Responsibility sponsored “Securing our Survival: Meeting the Threats of Nuclear Weapons and Global Warming” at the University of Pittsburgh. Featured speaker Dr. Lisa Schirch from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University discussed 3D Security and the ways in which violence and conflict prevention efforts can address the security implications of climate change and nuclear terrorism. To watch Dr. Schirch's presentation, please visit http://tinyurl.com/26cg2b. To find out more about 3D Security, visit www.3Dsecurity.org. SAIS Hosts Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum on Global Peace Index on June 12 Project on U.S. Engagement with the Global Muslim Community Launched In early January 2007, a distinguished and multifaceted group of American leaders met to launch a two-year project to catalyze a national dialogue leading to action in regards to U.S. relations with Muslim countries and societies. The Leadership Summit on U.S. Engagement with the Global Muslim Community was convened by AfP member Search for Common Ground and the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program, two nonprofits with expertise in bringing together unusually diverse leadership groups to tackle difficult public issues. Former AfP board member Shamil Idriss, Acting Director of the UN’s Office of Alliance of Civilizations, and William Ury of the Harvard Negotiation Project co-facilitated the summit. Among others, the project team featured former AfP board members David Fairman and Paula Gutlove, along with current board member Nancy Bearg. The bipartisan group featured the following: former members of Congress; Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious and cultural leaders; philanthropists; business leaders; and experts on foreign policy, the Middle East peace process, public opinion, conflict resolution, and the psychology of extremists. Participants included former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; author Stephen Covey; Vali Nasr, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Chair of the Cordoba Initiative; Daniel Yankelovich, Chair of Viewpoint Learning; and John and Susan Collin Marks of Search for Common Ground. For two days they delved into the core questions of where relations now stand, the obstacles to improving them, how those obstacles could be overcome, and how the Project on U.S. Engagement with the Global Muslim Community could best contribute to progress. Members of the group committed to engage the American public and leaders in education and dialogue, address geopolitical conflicts, and promote broad-scale economic development and job creation in Muslim communities. The project team is now working with members of the Leadership Group to refine the project and bring other leaders into the dialogue they have begun. For more information please contact project co-directors, Robert Fersh (rfersh@sfcg.org) or David Fairman (dfairman@cbuilding.org). International Negotiation Journal Features the Alliance for Peacebuilding AfP Board Chair Andrea Strimling and former board member Susan Allen Nan of George Mason University recently guest-edited an issue of International Negotiation: A Journal of Theory and Practice entitled “Coordination in Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding: Perspectives from Scholars and Practitioners involved with the Alliance for Peacebuilding.” This issue focuses on AfP practitioners’ and theoreticians’ concerns and practical insights about coordination and collaboration among organizations working to build peace. AfP board members Susan Hackley, Eileen Babbitt, and other AfP members including Ron Fisher, Marlett Phillips, Melanie Greenberg, and Paula Garb contributed to this issue. AfP wishes to express thanks to Martinus Nijhoff Publishers (an imprint of international academic publisher Brill) for providing permission to post this link to International Negotiation Volume 11, Number 1. AfP Members Attend Fourth Annual Meeting in October 2006
AfP held its fourth Annual Meeting at the Shawnee Inn in Shawnee on Delaware, PA, on October 22-24, 2006. At the opening night reception Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary kicked off the proceedings by performing classic songs and new favorites for a highly appreciative audience of AfP members. The next morning AfP President & CEO Chic Dambach presented the many changes and accomplishments of the previous year, which included the renewal and repositioning of the organization through a new name and mission statement, in addition to an increased focus on action to promote multi-faceted and results-oriented peacebuilding projects. Participants in the event discussed the retreat’s three main themes of communication, collaboration, and capacity-building. Attendees also enjoyed catching up with each other while drinking in the beautiful fall foliage and peaceful surroundings. A great time was had by all! The International Peace and Prosperity Project Is Presented at the United Nations
On September 8, 2006, Dr. Ben Hoffman of the Canadian Institute of International Applied Negotiation (CIIAN) and Mr. Josué Gomes de Almeida of the World Bank spoke about their experiences working on the IPPP at a United Nations session dedicated to prevention. Dr. Hoffman and Mr. de Almeida talked about the value of working through local leaders and addressing tough security issues while providing peacebuilding programming. Since the IPPP is still a work in progress, they noted that it remains critical for political elites to allow the government to govern properly so that it can build international confidence in the country. They also discussed how the IPPP convened leaders of local civil society organizations, organized an electoral task force that helped promote peaceful elections, and helped mitigate the possibility of conflict within the army. Afterwards organizers convened a broader meeting that gathered government officials, army brass, civil society representatives, NGO representatives, and members of international institutions such as the World Bank and the UN. At this meeting members created a National Action Plan for political and economic development that continues to receive support from local and international organizations and governmental organizations. Sponsored and organized by CIIAN and funded by the Alliance for Peacebuilding through the contribution of board member Milt Lauenstein, the IPPP has focused for the last two years on peacebuilding in a country that was initially on the verge of erupting into violent conflict. Under Dr. Hoffman’s direction the project continues to make measurable strides in alleviating tensions in-country through the direct participation of the Guinea-Bissaun citizenry. Alliance Members Talk to the Media On September 19, 2006, Susan Hackley of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard was interviewed by CNN’s Paula Zahn about the value of engaging in dialogue and diplomacy instead of war. Here are the link to a video clip and the transcript:
Lisa Schirch of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University was interviewed on Air America through the Mainstream Media Project on September 9 and 12, 2006. She spoke about the importance of alternative security strategies and peacebuilding. In addition, Lisa appeared on the Fox News program “Heartland with John Kasich” in August.
On September 5, 2006, Lisa Schirch of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University gave an introductory address to the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) at the United Nations. Representing GPPAC (the Global Partnership to Prevent Armed Conflict), Lisa first spoke about civil society’s unique contributions towards building a culture of peace. In discussing how the PBC integrates strategies previously scattered among different UN agencies, she noted that it has the opportunity to form a bridge between the UN and outside players such as international financial institutions, local and regional government institutions, and civil society. In closing Lisa emphasized the pressing need for more partnerships and coordination mechanisms that can help peacebuilders better realize their goals. Coexistence International publishes "Barometer Report" Following two events in March and April 2006 that utilized their "Peacebuilders Barometer Exercise," Coexistence International has published a new report synthesizing findings about the possibilities and limits of collaboration in the coexistence field. This report presents data and analysis on the commonalities and differences within the field and between coexistence and related fields. It offers unique insights and a chance to initiate conversations about the opportunities and challenges of a complementary approach to coexistence. Please view the report and findings at www.coexistence.net.
In addition, Amy Smith is writing a Handbook for International Mediators. The book will be a tool for mediation practitioners based upon many disparate resources. It will provide a framework of questions to guide and orient mediators as they assess a conflict and identify paths for mediation. The writing is to be completed by the end of October and it will be published soon thereafter.
|
|
 |
|
||||
|
Home | About Us | Our Work | Members | News | Get Involved | Contact Us |
|
 |
|
