WISCOMP
invites applications for a South Asian Peacebuilding Workshop titled Enriching
Democratic Practice in South Asia:
Possibilities from the Field of Peacebuilding on the 30 – 31 of
October, 2010 in New Delhi. Click
here for details.
Annelise Ebbe and Ila Pathak, Whither Women’s Rights? A Report from Kandhamal, WISCOMP (2009)Navanita Sinha, Democracies in Transition: Opportunities and Challenges for Nepal- A Report, WISCOMP (2010)
At
the fifth workshop held in October 2006, WISCOMP brought together
a select group of the Conflict Transformation program alumnae to envisage
a future course both for WISCOMP’s India-Pakistan peace initiative
and for the larger peace processes in South Asia. The workshop employed
the framework of Multi-track Diplomacy to facilitate discussions on
the Indo-Pak peace process and cooperative security in South Asia.
The goals of the workshop were to:
Review
and consolidate cumulative lessons learnt from the earlier workshops,
and build on a shared understanding of the sources and dynamics
of conflicts particularly in the context of India-Pakistan relations.
Foreground
participants’ personal experiences in the field of peacebuilding
their concerns and aspirations.
Provide
a space for the sharing of knowledge and experience in order to
create a community of peacebuilders who have the ability and willingness
to think “out of the box.”
Envisage,
encourage and initiate joint partnerships for research, advocacy
and grassroots peacebuilding.
Further
the understanding of multi-track processes and how the working of
different tracks can be synergized for optimum results in peacebuilding.
Transcend
nationalist understandings of identity to further a “South
Asian” identity while recognizing the influence of inter-state
and intra-state dynamics on peace in the region.
Identify
challenges to forging trust and cooperation between countries in
South Asia, and engage with ways to overcome them.
Facilitate
critical reflection on contemporary understandings of diplomacy,
mediation and dialogue.
The
workshop program included discussions on the themes of regional security,
women’s initiatives for peace, building synergies between track
one and two, and “out of box” possibilities. Through multiple
formats – roundtables, panel discussions, films, simulations,
workshops, visual presentations and group work – the participants
engaged with varied issues and perspectives. A significant highlight
of the workshop was a face-to-face with Mr. Shiv Shankar Menon, India’s
Foreign Secretary. The participants also interacted with Mr. Shyam Saran,
Prime Minister’s Special Envoy – Indo-US Nuclear Deal; Mr.
Javed Jabbar, Former Federal Minister, Pakistan; Prof. Narayani Gupta
of Jamia Millia Islamia; Prof. Sanjay Chaturvedi, Center for the Study
of Geopolitics, Panjab University; Prof. S.D. Muni, faculty member,
Jawaharlal Nehru University; Dr. C. Rajamohan, Strategic Affairs Expert,
amongst others.
In
the course of the workshop, the participants offered recommendations
for progressive change for peace in school curriculum and pedagogy in
India and Pakistan, and put forth a timeline for resolution of the Kashmir
conflict.
Wiscomp
was established as part of the efforts of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility
to build a culture of coexistence and nonviolence that is gender-sensitive
and inclusive. A not-for-profit, non-sectarian, non-denominational organization,
the Foundation promotes universal responsibility in a manner that celebrates
a diversity of beleifs and practices, and that contributes to a global ethic
of nonviolence, coexistence and gender equity. The work of the Foundation
is global in its reach and transcends nationalist political agendas.
