Workshop on Conflict Resolution & Peace-building
National Peace Campaign proposed a roundtable workshop with selected key members from a wide-range of sectors in the society to discuss possible solutions. The Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution (IIMCR), in conjunction with the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD), responded to the appeal from NPC and agreed to assist the organization in its efforts to initiate a dialogue, build consensus and introduce the discipline of Multi-Track Diplomacy. Misereor, a German Foundation, provided a grant to pursue the project.
From 25 - 29 June 2001, the National Peace Campaign in collaboration with IMTD-IIMCR, both from Washington, conducted a Workshop on Conflict Resolution and Peace-building in Dhulikhel, Nepal. The training team consisted of Ambassador John McDonald, Chairman of IMTD; Dr. Eileen Borris, IMTD Associate; Colleen Malone, Projects and Operations Director of IMTD; Marcel Smits, Executive Director of IIMCR; and Shiva Hari Dahal of the NPC.
The workshop took place in a lodge forty-five minutes outside of Kathmandu, allowing participants to meet and learn in a secluded and peaceful environment. Twenty-eight individuals from a wide range of professions and different parts of society joined the training. Political leaders, journalists, activists, lawyers and others participated in the intensive five-day session. While formal sessions were held during the day, discussions continued into the more informal setting of the dining room at the end of the day, as well as during lunch hours and breaks. Participants were able to form and strengthen relationships in a setting far removed from the regular work environment.
The workshop included lectures and interactive exercises on the following topics:
- Building conflict transformation skills
- Communication skills
- Dialogue
- Negotiations
- Tools for conflict analysis
- Reconciliation
Participants of 5-Day Workshop on Conflict Resolution & Peace-building, 2001
The workshop also dedicated a significant amount of time to brainstorming and planning future action. The participants were asked to formulate a vision for Nepal's future, and discuss possible initiatives to work toward that vision. All members of the workshop participated fully, and showed commitment and energy. The group agreed to continue to meet and plan initiatives together following the training, gathering under the umbrella of a network. In cooperation with IMTD and IIMCR, the group is developing plans for action to further the goals of Peace building and multi-track diplomacy in Nepal.
This workshop was an initiative of three Nepalese organizations – CESOD, INSEC and NPC – with the assistance of IIMCR and IMTD. Representative from a wide range of civil society organizations and political parties participated in the workshop. As a direct result of the workshop, participants were invited to unite under the umbrella of Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), collectively founded by CESOD, INSEC and NPC, to promote the active participation of civil society and the common people of Nepal in efforts to build peace.