Humanity faces three enormous, inter-related challenges in the 21st century: mitigating the impact of climate change, feeding the world’s population and preserving the integrity of the planet’s ecosystems.

These challenges are felt acutely in semi-arid Africa. In the search for solutions, the County Governments of Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet in Kenya invited the IofC program 'Initiatives for Land, Lives, and Peace' to partner with them in the organization of a 'Dialogue on Land and Security'.

The dialogue took place in Kabarnet, Baringo County, from 12-15 April.

It followed the participation of the Deputy Governors of Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet at the 'Caux Dialogue on Land and Security' in 2014 and 2015.

Click here to read the press release.

Building trust between all stakeholders of society is at the heart of the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation’s (CAUX-IofC) mission to bring global change through personal change. In a world led by business and the global economy, business leaders and decision makers set the tone for action and have the power to influence communities and society at large. By promoting ethical leadership, CAUX-IofC aims to encourage leaders to make decisions based on values of integrity and honesty, and to contribute to a more sustainable and humane world.  By embodying these values at a personal level and shaping the world in which they live in, leaders become catalysts for change in society.

In this context, Secretary-General Barbara Hintermann attended the Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) international conferences at Asia Plateau, Initiatives of Change’s (IofC) conference centre located in the scenic hills of Panchgani, India. The purpose of Ms Hintermann’s visit to India was to learn more about IofC India’s business and economy programmes, training courses and conferences and to discuss future collaboration between the Caux Conference Centre and Asia Plateau, its counterpart in India.

Established by the CAUX-IofC Foundation as an Initiatives of Change Programme focusing on business and industry, Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) has grown into a series of successful and highly effective conferences, round tables and seminars aiming to engage business people and decision-makers in honest conversations on global economic issues including environment protection and poverty reduction. Based on its view that it is possible to conduct business ethically and still remain competitive, CIB aspires to make business sustainable and humane by bringing IofC values to the workplace. This year, CIB’s leading theme ‘Making Business an Engine for Sustainable Growth’ laid the ground for inspiring exchanges on how to prompt key stakeholders into becoming effective values and purpose driven leaders of change.

Just as CIB originally drew its inspiration from the Caux Conferences, Ms Hintermann noted that there was much to learn from India. Many of IofC India’s programmes have already been extended to other parts of the world. CAUX-IofC will soon be launching in Switzerland the Heart of Effective Leadership training programme for business leaders which originated in India. Furthermore, the Dialogue on Just Governance held at Asia Plateau is run in collaboration with the Caux Conference Just Governance for Human Security.

Drawing inspiration from Ms Hintermann’s enriching and rewarding visit to India, the CAUX–IofC Foundation will continue to take action to strengthen links with the private sector, develop training programmes in ethical leadership for business leaders and  make ethical and values-driven leadership a priority objective.  

'The promotion of ‪‎just governance‬ is at the heart of our work for peace, rights, and well-being. Initiatives of Change is a strong partner in these endeavors. I have personally benefited from these inspiring exchanges at the Caux Conferences.'

Watch the inspiring video message shared by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Michael Møller during the Inauguration Ceremony of the 2016 Dialogue on Just Governance at Asia Plateau in Panchgani, India!

The Foundation hands down the archives of the former Caux-Palace hotel to the city of Montreux 

On Friday, 11 December 2015, the CAUX - Initiatives of Change Foundation (CAUX - IofC) officially handed down the archives of the former Caux-Palace hotel to the Municipality of Montreux.

These archives include all documents relating to the fascinating history of the former hotel from its construction until the end of World War II, when the Foundation purchased the hotel and turned it into an international conference centre.  

Mr Laurent Wehrli, Mayor of Montreux, thanked the Foundation for the trust placed in the city and was honored to receive this donation which reflects the strong link between the City of Montreux and the Foundation since its inception. 

Ms Barbara Hintermann, Secretary-General of the CAUX – IofC Foundation, explained that this donation demonstrates the Foundation’s commitment to making the archives available to the public for discovery and research. The archives are a key source of information for the study of the Belle Époque architecture and for the history of the hospitality industry in the Montreux Riviera region. They also provide valuable information about the history of World War II, since the Palace was requisitioned at that time to house Jewish refugees.  

The former Grand Hotel hosted among others F. Scott Fitzgerald and John D. Rockefeller and, since its conversion into an international Conference Centre, the Dalai Lama and Kofi Annan.

The remaining historical records from 1946 on are stored in Lausanne. They have also been made public and are currently used for research. In light of the celebration of its 70^th anniversary in 2016, the Foundation is pleased to share the history of this unique place and to make it available to a wider audience.

Discover the history of the Caux-Palace and the inventory of the archives.

Historical Treasure Hunt in the Caux Palace

The CAUX - Initiatives of Change Foundation hosted six historical treasure hunts in the Caux Palace during the Montreux Christmas market. Over 60 participants attended the treasure hunts this year which took place over two weekends in November and December.

Groups consisting of children and adults of approximately 10 participants discovered the rich and fascinating history of the Caux Palace during the Belle-Epoque and how it became the international Caux Conference Centre. Through this journey, participants explored the corners of the splendid Maharadja room, discovered hidden pathways and places, and wandered down the countless hallways of the former luxury hotel in search of clues that would lead them to the treasure.

The historical treasure hunts will take place again during the Montreux Christmas market next year. Make sure to check our website in 2016 or subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about our activities!

PHOTO EXHIBITION AT CAUX Expo EXTENDED

Undine Groeger's photo exhibition, which can currently be visited at the CAUX Expo, has been extended from 16 January to 31 March, 2016 to allow more visitors, including schools in the region, to discover "Within my Walls and Beyond".

The exhibition represents a personal journey towards understanding Germany’s past. It includes three generations that experienced the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, and, in parallel, opens a window onto life in a place that can be reminiscent of former East Germany, Transnistria, a post-Soviet frozen conflict zone between Moldova and Ukraine.

Within My Walls and Beyond was first exhibited in November, 2014 to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was initially made possible through the support of the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, private sponsors, and collaborators.

Discover more videos on the exhibition on Youtube:

In line with its focus on sustainable living, the CAUX – IofC Foundation is replacing its Conference Centre’s oil-fired boiler with a new and more ecological wood-fired one.

Installed in the 1960s, the old heating system was entirely powered by oil that had to travel from the middle-east, needed refinement, and produced a lot of CO2 emissions. The new heating system will be 80% wood-fired, the other 20% remaining oil-fired. That represents a reduction of about 590 tonnes of CO2 emissions due to fossil fuel per year. The new system also has economic advantages as the price of wood is much more stable than the one of oil and it will prevent us from paying carbon taxes that could be introduced in the future. At last, by buying Swiss wood, we will support the local economy and avoid carbon emissions due to oil transportation.

The Foundation is pleased to give another proof that more sustainable options have often both environmental and economic advantages.

Read the article (in French) published in the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures

CAUX CONFERENCE ALUMNAE INITIATES PROJECT ON DIALOGUE FOR REFUGEES IN CALAIS

Célia Demoor is a French citizen and peacebuilder from Calais, North of France. In 2014 she made a video called 'United Voices for Migrants in Calais' in which she united voices from around the world to defend the rights of all people to dignity and respect and raise awareness about the situation of migrant people in Calais. 

In the summer of 2015 she participated in the Caux Conference called Impact Initiatives Challenge. Since then, she has founded DEEP France, the French branch of the DEEP (Dialogue, Empathic Engagement, and Peacebuilding) Network. She is now working on the creation of community-based dialogue-oriented projects in Calais. Concurrently she is partnering with Initiatives of Change France on the organization of dialogue-based conferences around the integration of refugees and the co-construction of society between newcomers and locals. 'United Voices for Migrants in Calais' is now one of the nine finalists of the United Nations Plural + Festival running for Public Award with a chance to be screened at Times Square, New York City!

If you want to support this project by voting for the movie 'United Voices for Migrants in Calais' please visit http://pluralplus.unaoc.org/winning-videos/audience-choice-award/.

THE ROLE OF FORGIVENESS IN CREATING PEACE

On 23 September, in celebration of the UN’s International Day of Peace, Initiatives of Change UK hosted an evening screening the Beyond Forgiving documentary and a panel discussion with two local peace-builders.

Partner to the event, Junior Chamber International (JCI) London is a voluntary, world-wide personal development organisation for young professionals and entrepreneurs. For the first time they organized ‘Peace Week’, a week of events that ‘contribute to world peace, distinguishing between the ideological and the pragmatic, the global and the local level’, of which this collaboration with IofC was one event during the week.

21 new people to IofC watched the impactful documentary that tells the story of two South-Africans trying to move beyond their pain towards forgiveness. The screening, of the post-Apartheid film was followed by a panel discussion with two young women, passionate about peace-building after experiencing conflict in different corners of the world. Amina Khalid a British Somali and Angharad Thain from Northern Ireland, told the engaged audiences about their work and life story.

Angharad is a Project Coordinator at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Peace & Reconciliation. She supports the delivery of their Conflict Coaching courses, one being the Community Reconciliation training. Angharad is passionate about the role of the Christian faith in transforming conflict and in furthering the narrative of peace that is so important for our times. She previously worked as a Peaceworker for Quaker Peace and Social Witness.

'We are all wounded healers' Angharad stated in her opening remarks, agreeing with Ginn Fourie protagonist of the documentary. Angharad discussed, from her experience, the importance of honesty in conflict resolution, which both IofC and St Ethelburga’s address and encourage through their work.

Growing up in Northern Ireland, Angharad’s journey took her to work in conflict resolution at a community level; listening and building relationships. This early experience drew her to the work of St Ethelburga’s. 'Aspects of faith drive me – everything is already reconciled through Jesus Christ’s work. We can all be redeemed; we are already forgiven so we can therefore forgive.'

Amina Khalid, a young British Somali woman set-up Peace Begins at Home, a local not-for-profit organisation that grew out of IofC’s Agenda for Reconciliation programme. It focuses on inter-generational and conflict resolution dialogue, particularly between African diaspora communities.

'In Somalia, peace and reconciliation used to be at the heart of everything – now this is not the case.'  Amina talked about losing family members in the conflict in her home country, fleeing to the UK as a refugee and starting a new life in London. She faced bullying and as a result moved schools four times. 'It was a traumatic time for me. At some point, I realised that I have two choices – burry my head in the sand or stand up and do what is right.'

Fuelled by her need to comprehend war and conflict, she took courses and began learning about the process of peace. 'I realised I could tell my story and that it might help others. There is a power in story-telling and I wanted to use it to help my local (Somali) community.'

Amina talked passionately about her work and the fact that it was the London riots that motivated her to take action. Her non-for-profit organisation have run trainings in six boroughs across London, training over 300 people in conflict management and family reconciliation methods.

The audience then had the opportunity to ask the two women questions. One gentleman asked how they deal with people who haven’t had a ‘transformation’ or do not have a sense of forgiveness within their conflict resolution work. 'I hope that through sharing my story and pain it will inspire others', Amina answered.

'What is your vision for the world?' was another question asked. 'Everyone letting go and opening their heart to change so we can all move towards peace', answered Amina. Angharad highlighted ‘interconnectedness’ and the need to 'see our neighbour as the same as us, despite where we are geographically from.' She also touched on the interconnectedness we have with the planet that gives us life.’

The conversation flowed to the importance of relationships and the need for people to work for peace at all levels – from the ground to the policy level. 'Our challenge is to each find our role within this sphere', stated Angharad. Amina followed 'global change takes time. I think it is because we are afraid to look inwards and make steps towards individual change that we need to make for the benefit of our family, community and world.'

The evening concluded that peace building is long-term and challenging work. Although ‘peace treaties’ have been signed in South Africa, Northern Ireland and Somalia – each country is still walking their journey towards realised peace. 

We gain inspiration and hope from peacemakers such as protagonists Ginn and Letlapa and these two women that took to the stage this evening. 

Amina ended with a Rumi quote for the audience to reflect on during their journey home - 'The wound is the place where the light enters you.'

By Talia Smith

TEAM AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Workshop for students working on social innovation

On 25 September 2015, the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation was invited to deliver a workshop on team and intercultural communication to about 50 students engaged in Just Innovate’s Collaborate for Social Impact (C4SI) Challenge 2015, an experiential education programme which challenges students to engage innovatively with social issues.

The C4SI programme connects students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and helps them to come up with creative social solutions to real-world challenges provided by leading international affairs and development organizations.  

CAUX-Initiatives of Change specially designed the workshop to meet the needs of the students. In intercultural teams, they will work on the C4SI challenges over the next ten weeks. On the basis of a practical exercise using the students diverse backgrounds and experiences, the workshop leaders facilitated dialogues on team processes, communication and intercultural challenges to prepare the students for their upcoming work. We wish them much inspiration and excellent team work and hope that their projects will generate innovative actions with real impacts!