http://www.gppac.net/ Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2538 Concerned Citizens for Peace (CCP) was officially launched by five peacemakers at a media conference held on December 31, 2007, just a day after the onset of the violence following the announcement of the contested presidential election results. The five initiators immediately established an operational base in Nairobi's Serena Hotel where they were joined in the following days by a corps of Kenya's peacebuilding community, including professionals, religious leaders and community organizers. For the next three months, the hotel became synonymous with efforts to save Kenya as it was chosen to host the official mediation process led by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.  In preliminary fashion, this new report by CCP, Nairobi Peace Initiative-Africa and GPPAC recounts the launch and the subsequent activities undertaken by the CCP in response to Kenya's post-election upheaval in early 2008. Presented here in story form, it is to be considered, firstly, a work in progress and, secondly, an invitation to participants in and observers of the CCP process to submit additional stories, impressions, activities, and analysis as part of an open-ended chronicle of Kenya's 2008 post election crisis experience. http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2538 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2534 The 2010 regional steering group meeting of the GPPAC network in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), will be remembered as a major milestone in the consolidation of GPPAC in this region. The meeting held in Beirut on 29th and 30th January, hosted by Permanent Peace Movement (PPM), as GPPAC's regional secretariat, brought together CSO representatives from different countries in the region including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, among others, as well as organizations based in the West Bank / Palestinian Authority area.  One of the key decisions taken during this conference was to transform the 'Arab Partnership for Conflict Prevention' into the MENA Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, MENAPPAC. This will allow room to include organizations from non-Arab countries who have expressed their interest in joining GPPAC, providing for a broader regional remit. During the meeting, the participants defined the main work priorities for the region and created different commissions to work in the areas of advocacy, awareness raising, knowledge sharing and training and conflict prevention. The idea is to align the work in the region with the strategies undertaken by the GPPAC programmes at the global level. Preparations are also starting for a regional conference on non-violence to be held next year.  Added on February 8, 2010   http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2534 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2529 The Istanbul Process Continues The August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia has altered the geopolitical situation in the Caucasus and has heavily affected a broad range of security issues in Eurasia. Since then, there has not been any visible progress in Georgia-Russia relations, which has resulted in further polarization of public perceptions between all sides involved in the conflict.   In November 2008, following the crisis in the region, a meeting of prominent independent political experts and opinion leaders from Georgia and Russia was organised by the International Center on Conflict and Negotiation (ICCN) within the framework of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). Held in Istanbul, Turkey, the symposium was entitled: "Georgia-Russia Relations: Ways Out of Crisis" . Participants analyzed the fundamental causes of the conflict and the key factors which triggered the eruption of violence and discussed the mechanisms to support the strategies to stabilize relations.   The members of this unique initiative have decided to continue their work together under the title of the "Istanbul Process". For this reason, a second round of dialogue meetings was organized in November 2009 with participation of the enlarged groups on both sides. Participants in the process assessed the current state of relations between Georgia and Russia, presented very detailed analyses of the root causes and possible scenarios of further geopolitical development in the region and have identified future steps that should be taken in order to overcome the crisis. One of the key messages that clearly came out of the meeting was that the dialogue process between Russia and Georgia has to be continued on different levels, and that civil society should play a more active role in this process.   Following the two day discussion on a broad range of issues the participants have come to the following conclusions:    Russia-Georgia relations have been experiencing a deep crisis, which was further heavily complicated by the August war in 2008, and which negatively affects a broad range of regional issues;There is no alternative to the development of Russia-Georgia dialogue if we desire to overcome the crisis;The dialogue on a broad range of issues related to Russia-Georgia relations should continue to be developed without any preconditions, and no topics should be excluded from the discussions;In order to achieve an impact on a broader public level, the dialogue needs to be continued on different levels and in different formats, with civil society playing a key role in this process;The dialogue needs to be developed based on a “step-by-step” principle in order to promote movement towards the main goal – stage-by-stage normalisation of Georgia-Russia relations;There is a prospect of a mutually acceptable resolution of the Abkhazia and South Ossetia issues, which should take place through peaceful means only and in accordance with the acknowledged principles of international law;  All sides engaged should promote and encourage the return of Internally Displaced Persons to their respective areas of origin; The continued militarization of the South Caucasus as a result of regional conflicts remains one of the principal threats; the public opinion should be mobilised in order to address this threat and in order to advocate for political decisions in this regard;   It is extremely important to create an adequate informational space, resources and tools to further develop a public discourse on the above mentioned issues and directions.For more information about the Istanbul Process please contact  Dr. George Khutsishvili, Director,  International Center on Conflict and Negotiation; GPPAC Regional Initiator for the Caucasus: george@iccn.ge   Zahid Movlazadeh, Regional Coordinator for the Caucasus, Central Asia, Western CIS, Middle East and North Africa, ECCP: z.movlazadeh@conflict-prevention.org    Added on November 19, 2009    http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2529 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2526 Please click here to read older news articles. http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2526 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2524 GPPAC members from Latin America and the Caribbean assembled in Panama City during the first week of November 2009 for a number of meetings. During this week, there was no shortage of relevant issues and topics: the political crisis in Honduras, the tensions between Colombia and Venezuela, developments in UNASUR, the influence of a new US administration, but also on the agenda were action plans and context analysis for the network in the region. The GPPAC regional secretariat, CRIES, had organised the meeting in Ciudad del Saber, in the shadow of many huge sea container vessels, passing by through the Panama Canal right next door. GPPAC's programme manager for Early Warning and Early Response (EWER), Frank Boerhave, represented both the GPPAC global secretariat and the EWER programme. Prior to the Regional Steering Group (RSG) meeting, a workshop was organized for local level Central American organizations, dealing with environmental and climate issues that often result in unrest and sometimes in conflict. The participants, often struggling with complex local issues, had a chance to not only share experiences, but also benefited from presentations and support materials. During the RSG meeting itself, several current topics such as the Honduran crisis and the stance civil society could take were discussed, and plans were made for activities in Bolivia, Cuba, Paraguay and several Central American countries. In the light of the development of GPPAC's Preventive Action strategy, the creation of a work plan for the second phase of the Mobilizing Early Response Project (MERP) in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua was an exciting step from the assessment to an Action Plan. In a way, it forms a first example on how to bridge the gap between Early Warning and Early Response in the GPPAC network. The work plan was drafted in a workshop, during an open discussion and developed in more detail by two separate working groups. Another exciting element was the workshop on Context Analysis. During the work on the Assessment Report, the first phase of MERP, the capacity for analysis was identified as an area of improvement. Peacebuild in Canada provided a capable expert, who led a day-and-a-half-long exercise providing background and methodologies on Context Analysis. Honduras formed the most dominant topic throughout the week. The developing topic on the complex political conflict was often used as an example in the different sessions and workshops. It found a climax in a round table discussion on Honduras, facilitated by Frank. The discussion ranged from frustration over not foreseeing the coup to the role civil society can play and the implications for neighboring countries. It showed once again that civil society still has a lot of work to do in preventing conflict.Added on November 10, 2009 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2524 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2523 FemLINKPACIFIC 's partners in Bougainville, Buka based Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency is gearing up for the local launch of the regional women's network's 2nd annual policy document "Women, Peace and SecurityPolicy for Peace in Our Pacific Region" and the DVD "The Thirteen 25 report" on Friday 6th November 2009. Aside from the President of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), James Tannis, other members of the ABG will be present alongside civil society partners including the Bougainville Inter-Church Women's Forum, Catholic Family Life, and Bougainville Aids Council as well as development partners NZAID, UNDP and AUSAID. Representatives of the Bougainville Police Department, the Council of Chiefs and churches will also attend. By Suzanne Jimbul. Buka, Bougainville (PNG)  To read full article click here Added on November 02, 2009 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2523 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2502   From GPPAC / Initiatives for International Dialogue DAVAO CITY - After more than 25 years of armed conflict, the civil war in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009.  The military victory of the Sri Lankan government over the rebel Tamil Tigers is now touted by hardliners and hawks as a model for resolving festering armed conflicts in the world. In fact, some government and military officials in the Philippines have been advocating the same "Sri Lanka solution" in ending the armed insurgencies in the country.  But did the conflict really end in Sri Lanka? A gathering of peacebuilders from all over the world meeting in Davao City this week believes that this solution is not applicable nor even workable. In fact, it would spell disaster if applied in the Philippine or Mindanao contexts.  Representatives from the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) met with peace advocates from Mindanao for learning sessions on peacebuilding amidst ethnic differences, and experiences with early warning and early response at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao.Sri Lankan Professor Amal Jayawardane said that the Sri Lankan solution should not be a model for other nations seeking to achieve peace.  Jayawardane, the Executive Director of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, GPPAC regional secretariat for South Asia, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka said that the conflict ended neither as a military victory nor with a successful peace agreement.  The Government of Sri Lanka declared victory in May this year over the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) when they captured the last remaining LTTE stronghold and killed their leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, ending decades of bloody civil war. However, the defeat of the LTTE did not address the root causes of the conflict. It is essential to find a political solution for these urgently, Jayawardane said.Other areas dealing with conflict can learn from the experience of what happened.  The disengagement of the LTTE from the negotiations, left no other option for the government than an all-out military response. Jayawardane warned legitimate revolutionary armed groups in Mindanao, "If you want to prevent what happened in Sri Lanka from happening to you, it is essential to continue to engage in dialogue." He at the same vein said that government must also leave room for the same. The learning session was attended by participants from Burma, South Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam. GPPAC South Asia, Caucasus, Western Balkans and West Africa and the GPPAC Global Secretariat also took part in the session with members of the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), an organization of civil society groups in Mindanao and Manila active in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.  The Davao-based IID is the Regional Initiator of GPPAC in Southeast Asia. From September 30 - October 7 the different peacebuilders of GPPAC met to update each other and plan activities for the coming years. Part of this work is learning from each others' experiences. The GPPAC delegates visited conflict-hit communities in Central and Southern Mindanao, local government and military officials and armed groups.  Added on October 6, 2009 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2502 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2503 Armed conflict is devastating on many levels. Protracted violence leaves peoples traumatized and wounded, with civilians forming the vast majority of casualties. Many of these are women, who are killed, tortured, raped, and left behind to survive in a world of destruction.  Yet, women are much more than victims. They play an active role in how conflicts evolve. Sometimes in their escalation or prolongation, but more often in their prevention and resolution. The enormous importance of the role that women play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding has long been recognized, amongst others through UN Security Council Resolution 1325 . In 2010, 1325 will celebrate its 10th anniversary. A moment to reflect and review the effectiveness of the resolution. GPPAC has always recognized the role of women and has affirmed its belief in the importance of 1325.  Close to sixty GPPAC peacebuilders from all over the world came together from September 30th to October 7th in Davao City and Manila, the Philippines, and worked on developing new strategic directions and plans for the coming years. The group also met with different parties and actors involved in the armed conflicts that continue to destroy lives, especially in Mindanao.  During these meetings the importance of the role of women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding came up again and again: the Mindanao Commission on Women stated that 'gender equality is an important goal in itself and a crucial factor for achieving sustainable peace'. In meetings with representatives of various Negotiation Panels, discussions touched upon the importance of women's participation in official peace processes and the change in dynamics such involvement brings to a peace process.  Taking all of these developments into account, GPPAC re-emphasized its recognition of the importance of gender equality. During its strategic planning process, the network agreed upon a renewed gender framework and appointed Ms. Sharon Bhagwan Rolls of FemLINKPacific as the new Gender Liaison Person of the GPPAC International Steering Group.  GPPAC believes that the suffering and destruction of war and violence can be prevented. Yet, for peace to be sustainable, it is essential to ensure the involvement of women at all levels of conflict prevention and peacebuilding work. Together we can make peace possible. Added on  October 14, 2009 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2503 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2520 Celebrations for the 21st of September, the United Nations International Day of Peace, were held all over the world. Like every year GPPAC collected news of celebrations everywhere, giving voice and a global echo to people and organizations commemorating the event all around the world. If you would like to have a look at how the International day of Peace was celebrated in different countries of the world you can have a look here .  Furthermore, this year, for the first time, GPPAC also promoted a global campaign for the International Day of Peace, aimed at involving people in the international call for peace. People were asked to send us a picture of themselves symbolizing that "Peace is possible", along with a short sentence or a slogan. We have created a video out of the pictures collected, which gives a visual idea of how big the global call for peace is. You can have a look at the results of our campaign here:     We would still love to hear how you celebrated the 21st of September. If you would like to share the news of your event and to have it posted on our People Building Peace website, send a short report - with pictures if you have them - to People Building Peace at pbp@conflict-prevention.net Added on October 26, 2009 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2520 http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2383 GPPAC South Asia in partnership with Young Asia TV, and funded by Ars Donandi, has produced a new short documentary. Focusing on a Sri Lankan rural community, that against all odds has managed to learn to live together despite of being from different ethnic groups, the documentary shows a different image of the country that has so long suffered the effects of war. With the uncertainties of the current situation all around them, these people have chosen to live instead and have managed to find their own peace, a Peace in Practice. Watch the video below, or visit GPPAC's Youtube channel . http://www.gppac.net/page.php?id=1#par2383