|
|
Is Peace Possible?
A Summit of Peacemakers on Today's Frontlines
Oct. 23 to 24, 2007
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
San Diego, CA.
The Women PeaceMakers Program at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ) celebrated its fifth anniversary. Each fall, this unique program hosts four heroic women and documents their stories of working to end conflict and build just and sustainable peace. As the IPJ welcomed four new peacemakers in 2007, it also invited previous IPJ Women PeaceMakers to return to San Diego for a summit on Oct. 23 to 24.
A series of panel presentations provided the opportunity for the peacemakers to share how they are handling some of the treacherous obstacles to peace, as well as illuminate any potential to bring greater healing to their societies and the rebuilding of their communities. The Women PeaceMakers were joined by international policymakers and experts who highlighted gender concerns and inclusion in conflict resolution, peacekeeping operations and long-term peacebuilding efforts such as reconciliation and accountability in the Distinguished Lecture Series event,"
International Strides for Inclusive Peacebuilding."
Final Report
Summaries of summit panels and interactions
Women PeaceMakers Summit Flier
Summit Agenda
Summit Participant Bios
Official Press Release
San Diego Union Tribune article
Tuesday, Oct. 23
Welcome to the Fifth Anniversary Summit
"Peacemaking: Persevering in the Face of Conflict"
Panelists presented the complexities of real-world conflict mitigation and peace negotiations in their respective countries. Reflecting on the current obstacles to their past initiatives to cross conflict lines and create the conditions for peace, women on the frontlines shared their perspectives and updates on the recurring challenges and possible improvements they encounter in their work.
"Seeking Human Security: Crossing Conflict Lines"
In entrenched conflicts, dehumanizing perceptions of the "other" must be called into question. These speakers discussed their on-the-ground work to dispel politically-motivated myths through education, policymaking, grassroots activism and cross-border communication. By working across conflict lines these women demonstrate and model methods to achieve and foster inclusive human security in communities, nations and regions scarred by ethnic conflict, identity politics and discrimination.
Women Building Peace: What They Do, Why It Matters
Sanam Anderlini, author of Women Building Peace: What They Do, Why It Matters offered a comprehensive, cross-regional analysis of women's peacebuilding initiatives around the world. The book traces the evolution of international policies in this arena and highlights the endemic problems that stunt progress. Anderlini’s astute analysis, based on extensive research and field experience, demonstrates how gender sensitivity in programming can be a catalytic component in the complex task of building sustainable peace, and provides concrete examples of how to draw on women's untapped potential.
Joan B. Kroc Distinguished Lecture Series: "International Strides for Inclusive Peacebuilding"
International policymakers and experts highlighted gender concerns and inclusion in conflict resolution, peacekeeping operations and long-term peacebuilding efforts such as reconciliation and accountability for war crimes, particularly gender-based human rights violations. Speakers included Joyce Neu, executive director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace & Justice; Priscilla Hayner, director of the Peace and Justice Program at the International Center for Transitional Justice and author of Unspeakable Truths; and Lt. Gen. Joseph Olorungbon Owonibi of Nigeria, former force commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and international expert on peacekeeping operations.
Wednesday, Oct. 24
"Peacebuilding: Fostering Civic Trust"
Steps toward peace and security remain tentative without gender-inclusive governance and policies. With a stable peace on the horizon, a range of issues must be addressed at each level in society following periods of mass atrocity and gross human rights violations. Women are often at the forefront of these efforts, whether at the grassroots level to restore relations or in the national arena to create a climate in which institutions are reformed. From building the capacity of civil society to ensuring good governance, women have a key role to play.
“Media as a Tool for Peacebuilding”
Today's emerging information and communication technologies have the potential to connect the world as never before. New media tools can enable us to share peace-building solutions, strengthen cultures, educate communities (no matter what the level of literacy), monitor peace processes, promote civic empowerment and create new levels of accountability and transparency in governments and corporations around the world.
|
Advocating to protect women's rights.
Working on the frontlines to ensure human security. Enlarge.
Seeking paths to gender justice. Enlarge.
Organizing women to raise their voices against the violence. Enlarge.
Establishing patterns of good governance and democracy. Enlarge.
Using media as a tool for peacebuilding. Enlarge.
|
