Activities

MENA: Conflict Sensitivity Presentation to U.S. Government Agencies

The Center visited Washington, D.C. to deliver a presentation of conflict sensitivity in Yemen to U.S. government agencies. Audience participants included representatives of the following offices: USAID; Office of Conflict Mitigation and Management; Office of Transition Initiatives; Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation; Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance; Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance; Office of Food for Peace; Middle East Bureau; State Department; Bureau of Near East Affairs; Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.

MENA: International Dialogue on Community Safety in Yemen

The goal of this dialogue in Amman, Jordan was to develop a joint understanding of: 1) existing approaches to community safety in Yemen; and 2) short, medium and long-term needs for enhancing support for community safety projects.

MENA: Coordination Workshop on Local Government Aid in Yemen

The Center facilitated a coordination workshop on local government aid in Yemen in Amman, Jordan. In attendance were 67 participants from 31 UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, think tanks, donors and embassies working in the local governance and development sector. The workshop covered: 1) present local government situation; 2) mapping of local government support in regards to types of aid by geographic location, the actors that the Center works with locally, how the Center works with them and how coordination occurs and could be improved; and 3) lessons on effective delivery from past experience, with a strong focus on conflict sensitivity.

MENA: Supporting Conflict Sensitivity and Saudi Aid to Yemen

Center conducted a mission to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to engage with KSA donor agencies on their aid into Yemen, including: 1) bilateral meetings with SFD and KS Relief; 2) tailored training in conflict sensitivity for KS Relief staff; 3) training session in conflict sensitivity and stabilization for Saudi officials; 4) working group session with SDRPY team on Yemen; and 5) presentation of platform to KSA Ambassador to Yemen.

MENA: Consulting with Lebanon on Preventing Violent Extremism

The Swiss FDFA HSD are, together with UNDP, funding a national Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) process under the Lebanese Prime Minister. The Center for Peace and Conflict Studies was brought in to provide expertise on how dialogue processes can play a key preventative role. The support consisted of a day spent with the Inter-ministerial PVE unit; and two days provision of expert input into a consultative process involving government agencies, security forces and community leaders. Information on the national Lebanese process to prevent violent extremism can be found at: http://pvelebanon.org/. 

MENA: Peacebuilding in Yemen through the Economy Workshop

From August 6-10, 2019, CPCS held a workshop in Amman, Jordan with five Yemeni academics from the Economic and Social Development Research Center (ESDR) to develop an innovative approach to researching the two-way relationship between economic changes and the conflict in Yemen. This project is innovative as it will attempt to identify ways in which the economy can act as a bridge across conflict divides during periods of open violence. The workshop was facilitated by Professors Joseph Huddleston and David Wood, with support from a student Research Associate, Mohamed Shedeed. The project is implemented through the program ‘Peace Process Support for Yemen: Improving the capacities for non-violent conflict resolution in Yemen;' funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU) and managed by GIZ. 

MENA: Launch of Conflict Sensitivity Facility

In June 2019, the Yemen Conflict Sensitivity Facility was officially launched by UK State Minister Andrew Murrison, at the annual Search for Common Ground Awards Ceremony. Beginning on June 20, 2019 and funded by the UK Department for International Development, this facility will be delivered in partnership with Amman-based Search for Common Ground and will persist through May 19, 2021.  

Mentoring and Training: Swiss Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In May 2019, Professors Zheng Wang and David Wood facilitated a training for the Swiss Federal Ministry of Foreign Affair's (FDFA) Human Security Division on ‘Effective Peace Programming.' The training brought together 20 Swiss officials who work globally to help  design the Swiss Government's support for countries experiencing social conflict. Training goals focused on skill development based on contemporary best practices in analyzing conflict and peace dynamics, establishing change objectives, developing peace programs and measuring impact. This is the first phase of an ongoing collaboration between the School's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies and the Human Security Division. Next steps include development of a toolkit for Division staff, mentoring of teams working in more complex conflicts, and an annual training. Because the Swiss Government is one of the main supporters of mediation and peace processes around the world, this collaboration supports the Center's goal of making a practical difference in international efforts to build peace.

Mentoring and Training: Libya Conflict Dynamics

As part of its mentoring activities and relationship with international aid agencies, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) program conducted a mentoring session on April 8, 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany. Participants included German Government's development agency (BMZ) employees who were coached on conflict dynamics in Libya. Professor of Practice David Wood used the results of the Peace and Conflict Analysis Libya report to present possible avenues for gainful intervention and violence management. Other areas explored included division with the East both at the institutional and public levels as well as Germany's added value and its role in the European Union.

On January 6, 2019, Professor Wood facilitated a coaching session in Berlin, Germany for the BMZ staff  working on Libya. It focused on the main drivers of fragility, conflict and violence in Libya, and proposed principles for ensuring the conflict sensitivity and effective assistance in the region. The session's key elements included conversations around a possible paradigm shift in both the conflict and how aid is delivered, and the probability of including the East through possible cross-divide connections under German bilateral assistance restrictions.

MENA: Presentation of Peace and Conflict Assessment Libya Report

From January 20-23, 2019, Professor of Practice David Wood presented the Peace and Conflict Analysis (PCA) of Libya findings to 18 international community representatives in Tunis, Tunisia. Those in attendance included representatives from the EU, UK, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Austria, Spain and Sweden. The presentation included recommendations for how aid could help to reduce violence and promote peace and stability in the country.

On November 15, 2018, Professor of Practice David Wood presented the Peace and Conflict Analysis (PCA) Libya findings to Germany BMZ staff and senior officials in Bonn, Germany. Funded by Germany GIZ, this report detailed conflict dynamics in the country, the challenges to  implementing the Libyan Political Agreement and the relationship between the political conflict and local instability. The analysis-based presentation explored the potential for transition and a possible political agreement, and the role that aid could play in promoting an agreement.  

The U.S.-China Maritime Security Dialogue: Conference

The U.S.-China Maritime Security Dialogue Conference was conducted during December 11-13, 2018 in Beijing. Over 20 high-level attendees from both sides, including several retired American and Chinese naval commanders, researchers, academicians, and think-tank heads attended this conference. This dialogue conference aims to assist American and Chinese policy communities in understanding each other's perspectives on the maritime security issues and to promote mutually beneficial conflict analysis and management. Professor Zheng Wang Served as co-convener and co-facilitator of the conference. The U.S. participants also visited think tanks and universities in Beijing. 

MENA: Consultation Workshop on Yemen Conflict Sensitivity Assessment

In October 2018, Professor of Practice David Wood conducted a workshop in Amman, Jordan to consult on the provisional Yemen Conflict Sensitivity research results, produced in partnership with Search for Common Ground, with funding from the UK Government. Twenty-one representatives from 14 agencies participated in this workshop that began with a summary of the key concepts of conflict sensitivity and international learning to date. It explored participants' understanding of the key conflict risks facing aid in Yemen and identified recommended actions to enhance conflict sensitivity at three levels – inside individual agencies, between agencies, and strategically. The workshop helped to demonstrate the wide diversity of the understandings of conflict sensitivity and individual and institutional perspectives on the balance between humanitarianism, development and peace aid (the Nexus), and how Stabilization fits into this Nexus.

Reconciliation Through Dialogue: Contested Memories and Reconciliation Challanges Conference

In March 2015, the CPCS, in collaboration with the Wilson Center's Asia Program, Kissinger Institute and the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, hosted "Contested Memories and Reconciliation Challenges: Japan and the Asia Pacific on the 70th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War." This groundbreaking conference addressed the upcoming challenges and opportunities in the Asia Pacific with respect to identity politics and historical issues. Scholars from China, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. discussed why Japan's apologies regarding its actions during World War II have not been enough to assuage its neighbors, and proposed policies that could lead to a breakthrough in the deadlock. View more>>