TOT Program on Conflict Transformation & Peace-Building
As in any violent conflict, the present Nepalese crisis must be confronted at both the elite as well as the grassroots level. Civil society organizations in Nepal have a role to play but they often lack qualified personnel and willingness to cooperate. With the support of outside actors and resources they could make a vital contribution to the creation of an environment where peace and security are able to emerge.
Against this background, the National Peace Campaign in Nepal, with an assistance from international partners, has initiated a process to strengthen and build local capacity in peace-building through training and strategic collaboration. As part of the process, the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD) and the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution (IIMCR) and the National Peace Campaign (NPC) conducted Training of Trainers Program on Conflict Transformation and Peace-building in Dhulikhel, Nepal, from September 23 to October 4, 2002. The training team consisted of Ambassador John McDonald, Chairman of IMTD; Dr. Eileen Borris, IMTD Associate; Ruby Dilnewaz Begum, South Asia Programme Officer of IIMCR; Shiva Hari Dahal, Executive Director of the NPC and Dinesh Prasain, a freelance consultant.
Twenty-eight individuals, all of them leaders in their respective fields, ranging from political leaders, journalists, activists, lawyers youth activists, women's activists, human rights activists took part in the intensive 13-day session. The workshop took place in a resort forty-five minutes outside of Kathmandu, allowing participants to meet and learn in a secluded, peaceful and confidential environment. 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.
This training included lectures and interactive exercises on the following topics:
- Building conflict transformation skills
- Communication skills
- Dialogue
- Negotiations
- The role of a facilitator/mediator
- Tools for conflict analysis
- Reconciliation
- Peace-building
- Women and peace-building
Training of Trainers participants 2002
The workshop also dedicated a significant amount of time to brainstorming and planning future actions by participants. The participants were asked to formulate a vision for their organization's peace initiatives and discuss possible ways to work towards achieving that vision. Members of the workshop enthusiastically participated and showed relentless commitment towards peace. The group agreed to continue to meet and plan initiatives together following the training, gathering under an umbrella of peace movement. In cooperation with IMTD and IIMCR, NPC is developing plans for action to further the goals of peace building and multi-track diplomacy in Nepal.
The idea of the ToT program emerged out of a five-day workshop on conflict resolution and peace-building held in Dhulikhel in June 2001. The ToT program was conducted with the financial assistance from Misereor, a Germany-based foundation.
TOT Follow-Up Workshop
The participants of the ToT program have worked at the forefront in their respective localities to help the peace-process in whatever way possible. The participants have communicated with each other since October 2002, but on very informal and individual level. The opportunity for interaction among participants based in Kathmandu was much greater than for those based outside the valley. A two-day workshop in Dhulikhel, to follow-up on the progress, plans and problems of the ToT participants helped participants share their experiences, learn from each other and renew contacts. Almost all the participants of the October 2002 ToT were present at the follow-up workshop The workshop took place from 15-17 May 2003, at Dhulikhel.