Since 2013, activists, experts, farmers and leaders have come together at the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security to explore the potential of land restoration in peacebuilding. This year, from 27 to 30 June, the focus was on governance, the environment and finance. The conference was filled with plenaries, workshops, dialogue groups and times for reflection.

The opening plenary on Thursday 27 June began by retracing the history of Caux and inviting reflection on future initiatives to protect the environment. Antoine Jaulmes, board member and former president of Initiatives of Change Switzerland, linked the organization's historic mission of reconciliation with theme of land  restoration. ‘Human security depends on soil security,’ said Luc Gnacadja, former Secretary General of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Attention then shifted to Kenya, with a presentation from Mukhtar Ogle, the Executive Officer of the President of Kenya, and then to India. Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of the state of Meghalaya, and Chris Evans, farmer and IofC worker, described how Meghalaya gained independence from Assam without the anticipated violent conflict. Deepak Jadav gave his perspective as an activist engaged in Grampari, the rural development and environmental centre of Asia Plateau, IofC’s centre in India.

The themes of environment and governance were central in speeches and workshops. Elisabeth Labes described how the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation works with communities to protect orangutans. Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, showed how the ambitious guiding principles of the 2015 Wales Act, relating to  environment, culture and well-being, can inspire other legislation.

The second day’s plenary focused on the concept of resilience – the ability to adapt to new conditions – in the context of climate change. Sue Riddlestone spoke of the experience of her organization, BioRegional, in promoting sustainable lifestyles on the local level. Roger Leakey, Vice Chairman of the International Tree Foundation, focused on agroforestry and land rehabilitation on a larger scale.

Peter Bucher, Officer in the Agriculture Development Programme of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), shared his passion for the soil and highlighted our connection to it. ‘We are part of nature and we have a role to play in it,’ said Christian Shearer, CEO of Regen Network, which uses blockchain to connect farmers and businesses.

The third theme of the conference, finance, was discussed in the plenary on Saturday, which focused on how to value and protect ecosytems. Louise Brown, Senior Climate Change Expert of the African Development Bank, described the potential of the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism (ABM) which helps to certify and value the social, economic and environmental benefits of projects to adapt to climate change. It provides an effective and innovative tool for mobilizing new funding from both the public and the private sectors.

‘We can shift from an extractive economy towards a regenerative economy,’ said Alan Laubsch, CEO of Generation Blue, explaining how to grow an Earth Positive economy.  

At the heart of this discussion was the idea of attracting investment by rewarding conservation and regeneration activities. Such new technologies as Blockchain, which directly connects individuals and investors, offer transparency and efficiency.

During the final plenary, the speakers reflected back on the conference and the two programmes which had run parallel to it: the Emerging Leaders Programme and the Summer Academy on Land, Security and Climate Change. The Summer Academy is organized in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).

The coordinator of IofC’s International Farmers' Dialogue, Claude Bourdin,  emphasized the link between personal and rural development. ‘It's not just a question of techniques, it's also a question of commitments of motivation,’ he said. He spoke alongside Pierre Lokeka, a farmer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, demonstrating how CDLS  creates opportunities for passionate people to meet and discuss change.

The best technology for fighting climate change is not technology, but collaboration and the sharing of knowledge, said Anna Brach, co-director with Alan Channer of the Summer Academy. Two of the Academy’s 18 participants, from Kenya and Syria, spoke of what they had gained from it.

The programme for next year’s Summer Academy is already being prepared, and participants are returning home to apply what they’ve learned in their communities. Networks are being created and collaborations have begun.  

• Discover more photos of CDLS 2019 and the Summer Academy on Land, Security and Climate Change
• Watch the video on CDLS 2019.

Is Trustbuilding a forgotten factor in today’s world? With this question in mind, about 80 participants listened and reflected as the Opening Ceremony on the afternoon of 26 June kicked off the 2019 Caux Forum. Trustbuilding as a soft skill is often overlooked despite its importance as a determining factor for human relationships and for successful humanitarian, peace and development work which is why it is at the centre of the 2019 Caux Forum.

The ceremony began with a tribute to the late Mohamed Sahnoun for his involvement with Initiatives of Change and a short piano recital by Oana Dinea.

Laurent Wehrli, mayor of Montreux, then formally opened the ceremony and took the opportunity to remind the audience of the importance of Initiatives of Change’s work.

It was then the turn of Christine Beerli, President of Initiatives of Change Switzerland; Stéphane Rey, Deputy Head of the Human Security Division in the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; and Jitka Hromek-Vaitla, Director of the Caux Scholars Program, to offer their reflections on the different aspects of trust.

Rey explained that in human security trust is the foundation for discussion between parties in conflict. In this way communities, not states, are at the centre of any peace efforts. In response to Beerli’s questions as to why parties in conflict would trust Switzerland, Rey highlighted the historical role of Swiss diplomacy and its natural tendency to be transparent without any hidden agendas.

Trust has a very personal dimension. ‘Is knowing each other the beginning of trustbuilding?’ asked Beerli. During the Caux Scholars Program, led by IofC US, the diverse participants question their stereotypes ‘in order to start to understand the other’ explained Hromek-Vaitla. She talked about an Azerbaïdjani and an Armenian girl who grew up with strong stereotypes of each other’s countries and people. By sharing their story and realizing that the Armenian had lost her parents in the city where the Azerbaïdjani now lives, they found they could relate to each other.

In a wider perspective Beerli explained that ‘trust is a condition for our coexistence, without it our society falls apart ’. Indeed, in distrust we stop taking action, we don’t open the dialogue and we feel failed by the government.

In the afternoon a human library session was held where young people from the Caux Peace and Leadership Programme and the Caux Scholars Program told their personal stories. Nora Abdalaal from Canada, founded a non-profit organisation that will soon open its third chapter. She shared her experience in volunteering with refugees and immigrants and highlighted that she could only help these families because they trusted her with their most intimate stories. For her there is only one pre-requisite to help someone and care for them, and that is that they are a human being.

Tinotenda Mhungu shared how he became an activist for social and economic justice in Zimbabwe after being imprisoned for organising demonstrations and other actions against the government. Through Initiatives of Change he realized that spreading hate was not the solution for changing his country. He now aims to build bridges between polarized political communities by creating trust between them. 

The day ended with a cup of tea on the sunny terrace and a guided tour of the Caux Palace. The 2019 Caux Forum is now ready to welcome speakers and participants for the summer conferences.

• Click here for more photos of the 2019 Opening Ceremony.
• Watch the video of the 2019 Opening Ceremony

By Nicole Walther