Archive: September, 2010
From the field When Will the Nepalese People Get a New PM?
Unfortunately the seventh round of elections for the position of Prime Minister of Nepal has once more failed to produce a result. (See my previous posts for coverage of earlier rounds in this process). One change however is that the the candidate of Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), Mr. Puspa Kamal Dahal, has declared his withdrawal from the race to be PM. Mr. Dahal has made this decision following the three-point agreement with the Chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML). The both parties have also asked the Nepali Congress (NC) to withdraw its candidacy of the PM post too. They have claimed that for the national consensus government, both parties have to withdraw their candidates for the PM post. The three-point agreement focused on a way to break the deadlock in the PM election process and the formation of the national consensus government. Read more >>>
From the field Peace through health in DR Congo
‘Peace through health’ (PtH) is a relatively new movement in the world of peacebuilding, but according to a new study of an organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it’s one that has potential to make a real impact in regions affected by conflict. Healing Africa? Reflections on the peace-building role of a health-based NGO operating in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, by Nicole D’Errico, Chris Wake and Rachel Wake was published this year in the journal Medicine, Conflict and Survival, and looks at the work of the organisation HEAL Africa. Chris Wake kindly agreed to discuss the article with Insight on Conflict, and Nicole D’Errico generously provided the photos used. Read more >>>
From the field Walking Barefoot for Peace in Uganda
Several thousands of people around the world took off their shoes and walked bare foot for kilometres to advocate for peace in northern Uganda and all areas affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The walk was to mark the International Day of Peace and was organised by the International Refugee Trust and local peacebuilders in northern Uganda. The UN in 1981 declared September 21 as an International Day of Peace to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace within and among all nations and people and a day of global cease-fire and non-violence. Read more >>>
From the field Bangwe-Makobola Seminar for Peace
On Wednesday 1 September 2010, a seminar was held for the benefit of the victims of the Makobola massacres in Eastern DRC. The seminar was organized by the Association of the Makobola Massacre Survivors (ARMMK) in collaboration with five other Congolese peacebuilding organizations. Having met at the Goma Peace Exchange , the organisations decided to form a platform/network, of peacebuilders in order to consolidate the effectiveness of their conflict work and this was their first major joint undertaking. Read more >>>
From the field 18th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution
We have recently added a new organisation to our Sri Lanka section, the National Peace Council (NPC). I took the opportunity to ask the Director of the NPC about the big debate in Sri Lankan politics at present – the 18th Amendment to Constitution, which has just been passed in Parliament. In this video, Dr Perera gives his perspective on the Amendment, and some of the dangers it represents. Read more >>>
New PeaceTalk Newsletter
Dear Colleagues, Read PeaceTalk # 16 The Beyond Juba Project proudly announces the sixteenth issue of PeaceTalk, a newsletter targeting Ugandan teenagers. Issue # 16 (Vol.3 Issue 4) has been published today, 20 September on our website www.beyondjuba.org/peace_talk.php The theme for this edition is Youth, Peace and Development. This Issue celebrates the International Day of Peace, [...] Read more >>>
From the field Is the LRA Call for New Peace Talks in Uganda Genuine?
Leaders of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have allegedly written to the UN Secretary General to revive the stalled Ugandan-LRA peace process, in order to end the 24 years conflicts. Is this letter and request genuine? Are the LRA now committed to a peaceful and direct negotiation to end their rebellion? What challenges will the next phases of peace talks between the LRA and the current government of Uganda face; if talks are to resume, how credible will they be? According to the Ugandan government owned newspaper-the New Vision Monday 13, 2010, “in a September 6 letter, the LRA supporters asked the UN boss to take urgent steps to bring peace talks back on track.” The letter was signed by Justine Labeja who claimed to be acting leader of the LRA peace team. Read more >>>
From the field WISCOMP: Disaster and dialogue in Kashmir
On August 6, 2010 the Himalayan town of Leh in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir on the Indian side was struck by torrential rains which completely destroyed some of its roads, bridges, hospitals and communication lines. Hundred of people were killed and many are still missing. The tragedy shocked the nation and the Jammu and Kashmir and Central governments ensured that relief and rehabilitation, including the evacuation of international and domestic tourists, was immediately enacted. Read more >>>
Scholarships at UPeace for Asian Peacebuilders
The United Nations-mandated University for Peace has announced how to apply for scholarships for its Asia Leaders Programme. This 19-month scholarship programme is being funded by The Nippon Foundation – Japan. As a dual campus programme, it is run at their main campus in Costa Rica and at the Ateneo de Manila University, and its partner university in the Philippines. Read more >>>
From the field Civil Society Organises for the 2011 Elections
In an unprecedented advocacy effort, a coalition of civil society groups has convened a ‘High Level Stakeholders Dialogue’ to galvanise support for the prioritization of transitional justice and sustainable peacebuilding in Uganda. They also wish to make the recovery and transformation of conflict affected areas an election issue for all candidates vying for public offices in the forthcoming general elections in Uganda. This dialogue, to be the first in a series, was held on 2 August 2010 at the Bomah Conference Hall in Gulu: one of the districts most affected by over two decades of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda. Uganda holds crucial local government, parliamentary and presidential elections early next year. Read more >>>
