IPF 2015: Non-Violent Conflit Transformation: Dignity, Participation and Inclusion

Today marks the opening of the 2015 International Peace-Builders’ Forum (IPF), which is organized in cooperation with the Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (ICP) at the Caux Palace! The forum aims to provide a platform for the exchange of information, experiences, challenges, and best practices in order to increase interagency and inter-sector coordination. Over the next three days leading peace-builders will speak on the theme “Non-violent conflict transformation: dignity, inclusion and participation.”

Tomorrow morning will open with a panel discussion featuring Catriona Gourlay of PeaceNexus, Ajsa Hadzibegovic of Civic Alliance, Daphrose Ntarataze Baramapama of Creators of Peace, and Koenraad Van Braband of Interpeace. The panelists will discuss their experiences of current practices in non-violent conflict transformation and the implementation of the principles of dignity, participation, and inclusion. 

The afternoon session will hear Abbas Aroua of the Cordoba Foundation speak about Islamic and Arab perspectives on non-violent conflict transformation, leading participants into an interactive session to discuss how they bring their own backgrounds into their work in peace-building.

Saturday’s programme will open with four workshops, each addressing a different aspect of applying the principles of dignity, participation, and inclusion in the practice of non-violent conflict transformation. Tanja Mirabile of the Institute for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding will lead a workshop on effective dialogue processes on women’s participation in Egypt. Ajsa Hadzibegovic of Civic Alliance will lead a workshop titled “The implications of identified ‘enemy’ on the (dis)empowerment of youth.” Simon Fisher of Oxford Brookes University will lead a workshop titled “Values and our practice: whose peace are we working for?” Jean Brown and Shoshana Faire of Creators of Peace will lead a workshop about the international experience of Creators of Peace Circles as an approach to peace creation.

The afternoon session on Saturday will create a space for interaction among participants to discuss how they can develop and improve active non-violence in their own work.

The forum will conclude on Sunday after a morning of active reflection about the insights that have emerged as a result of the conference and how the participants can incorporate these insights in their future work.

Each morning of the conference will open with a meditative activity, and each evening will conclude with a group activity, creating further opportunities for participants to get acquainted with one another. Additionally, every afternoon includes a block of time for participants to visit exhibition stands, network with fellow actors in the peace-building field, and hold informal discussions among themselves.

We look forward to an exciting three days of peace-building dialogue at IPF 215!