Civil Society Leads Track II Diplomacy Efforts with North Korea

In July 2013, it will be 60 years since the Korean War Armistice was concluded, but there is still no peace in the Korean Peninsula.  In November, 3P Human Security and the Alliance for Peacebuilding hosted a roundtable discussion on civil society engagement with North Korea featuring Peter van Tuijl, Executive Director of the Global Secretariat of GPPAC (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict) Secretariat.  Van Tuijl reported on a high-level Track II diplomacy effort in Pyongyang, Beijing, and the region undertaken by members of GPPAC’s North East Asia network over the last two years, including the most recent trip in October. GPPAC’s efforts are currently focused on promoting dialogue and building trust between Six Party countries in order to help create the conditions for moving the peace process forward even while political diplomacy is stalled at the Track I level.  Following the roundtable discussion, Van Tuijl headed to Capitol Hill where he lead a briefing on civil society diplomacy with North Korea with staff from several Congressional offices.

GPPAC’s delegation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was hosted by the Korean National Peace Committee (KNPC) in Pyongyang.  The GPPAC delegation included members from Australia, China, Ghana, the Netherlands and Japan. A reflection on the visit was published in the China Daily, and can be found here.

Peter van Tuijl leads a Capitol Hill briefing on North Korea.

Peter van Tuijl is Executive Director of the Global Secretariat of GPPAC (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict)in The Hague, a world-wide civil society network that works to promote conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In between 2000-2007, he lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, and worked as a  Civil Society expert with the UNDP-led Partnership for Governance Reform and as a Senior Technical Advisor for a project to combat corruption in the Indonesian National Police, under the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), United States Department of Justice. Earlier, Peter worked as a Senior Advisor with OxfamNovib, concentrating on NGO advocacy capacity building, and served as Executive Secretary to the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID). He has published a number of articles in Academic Journals and other media, on the role of NGOs, transnational civil society, human rights, NGO accountability as well as on social and political developments in Indonesia. He is co-editor with Lisa Jordan of “NGO Accountability, Politics, Principles and Innovations“ (Earthscan 2006).

3P Hosts Expert Panel on Conflict Analysis for Peacebuilding Impact

After safely weathering Hurricane Sandy, 3P hosted a panel discussion titled "From Conflict Analysis to Peacebuilding Impact: Lessons from the People’s Peacebuilding Perspectives Project" that featured experts from Saferworld and Conciliation Resources on October 31 at the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation.  The panel presented new research from the People's Peacemaking Perspectives project that illustrates the benefits, success criteria and challenges to taking a participatory approach to conflict analysis. Rigorous conflict analysis is essential for all actors operating in settings of violence and social conflict. Many different assessment frameworks are in use by various international non-governmental and governmental institutions working in development, peacebuilding, and governance sectors, including US agencies. But analysis tools and the manner in which assessments are conducted vary widely, with mixed results. 

The People’s Peacemaking Perspectives project was a joint initiative implemented by Conciliation Resources and Saferworld. From October 2010 - May 2012, 18 studies were conducted across a range of conflict contexts. Three of the studies looked at Kenya, West Africa, and Liberia and Sierra Leone. The project provided analysis and recommendations based on the opinions and experiences of local people, and sought to reflect the perspectives of those most closely affected by conflict through participatory approaches. It was financed under the European Commission's Instrument for Stability.

Event Speakers:

Zahbia Yousuf, Peacebuilding Editor and Analyst, Conciliation Resources
Janet Mohammed, West Africa Programme Director, Conciliation Resources

Teresa Dumasy, Head of Policy and Learning, Conciliation Resources

James Ndung’U, Project Manager, Saferworld- Kenya

Robert Parker, Director of Policy and Communications, Saferworld

A Comprehensive Peace Process in Afghanistan

February 20, 2012 

Lisa Schirch presented her research on the design of a comprehensive peace process in Afghanistan with researchers Bart Klem and Jonathan Goodhand on 20 February at London's Chatham House. The Chatham House Presentation was titled "Ptifalls of Peace: Negotiating Settlements in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan", London.  

Click here for a link to the event.

 While in London, Lisa also participated in a panel at the the London School of Economics. This event was titled "Designing a Comprehensive Peace Process in Afghanistan" and focused on the importance of including Afghan civil society in a comprehensive peace process. Lisa presented alongside the US State Department adviser to the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Rina Amiri, Conciliation Resources Director Andy Carl and Open Society Institute staff Fatima Ayub in a discussion on the importance of including Afghan civil society in a comprehensive peace process.  

Afghan Peace Process in Comparative Perspective

November 29, 2011

Designing a Comprehensive Peace Process for Afghanistan
3P presented research at the US Institute of Peace (USIP) and at private briefings at the Pentagon and State Department.  The panel discussion event at USIP focused on a recent USIP PeaceWorks report, “Designing a Comprehensive Peace Process for Afghanistan.”  Presenters included Lisa Schirch from 3P, Nilofar Sakhi who also contributed to the same paper.  Other panelists included Hamish Nixon, Project Coordinator USIP, Peace Research Institute Oslo and Caroline Hartzell, USIP Jennings Randolph Fellow.
 

Research on this topic was undertaken by 3P during five trips to Kabul, Afghanistan, and one trip to Pakistan between 2009 and 2011. This report, sponsored by the Center for Conflict Management at the U.S. Institute of Peace, draws on comparative research literature on peace processes to identify lessons applicable to Afghanistan and makes recommendations to the international community, the Afghan government, and Afghan civil society for ensuring a more comprehensive, successful, and sustainable peace process.