Expert Advice
Page 2
Peace-Culture Consciousness
Page 3
Role of Trainers
Page 4
The Actors
Page 5
Education and Information Campaigns
Pages 6
The Difficulties
Page 7
SUMMARY
The following summary is based on a synopsis of consultations by 19 international specialists at the request of the UNESCO Culture of Peace Action Programme (see LIST OF EXPERTS).
1. Cross-conflict participation is a new approach that combines the techniques of conflict resolution with the traditional methods of human development projects. Two types are discussed here: cooperative projects of NGO's from different sides of conflict in the country; and teams of individuals who come from opposing sides and who work together on a project of human development. In each case trainers who have been trained and are skilled in conflict resolution help them to overcome their differences, find common values and succeed in achieving success in the project.
2. The approach of cross-conflict participation can be essential to the process of peace-building. It directly addresses the need for inter-group activities of reconciliation and cooperation without which peace-building cannot succeed. Although military peace-keeping, conflict resolution techniques, and projects of human development are all important aspects of peace-building, by themselves they are not enough. Instead, they need to be integrated by cross- conflict participation.
3. The purpose of cross-conflict participation is to develop a consciousness of peace culture in the participants as they work together on a common task. This is a long-term process involving at least seven steps of development.
4. Trainers are essential in order to help each cross-conflict team and joint project to overcome their differences and achieve peace culture consciousness in the course of their work. The trainers must be recruited and trained locally, using an "elicitive method" of training, in order to ensure the necessary cultural sensitivity.
5. The actors (i.e. participants) should include both leaders (e.g. public officials, religious leaders, media people) and non-leaders (youth, women, people involved in production, past victims of structural violence). There needs to be a variety of people in each cross-conflict team.
6. Education and information campaigns for peace culture should be based on the concrete experiences of cross-conflict participation. In this way the peace culture consciousness developed by the teams and joint projects can be extended to the rest of the country.
7. Even under the best of conditions, the procedure will be difficult. Certain of these difficulties and possible solutions are considered by the experts.
8. A number of resources are listed below and are already available to help with the establishment of cross-conflict participation.
The address of this page is http://www.culture-of-peace.info/annexes/crossconflict/summary.html.
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