Suggestions:

Session 1 – Introduction to Conflict Transformation

I. Introduction

Why conflict transformation

Discuss statistics in Diagram 1

· What could be some of the reasons that Asia-Pacific accounts for almost one-third of all the armed conflicts in the world?

· Where are some of the hot spots in Asia and what are the issues involved?

Definitions and terminologies

Exercise 1:

Define peace, justice in your own mother tongue.

If possible, give examples of how the words are used.

* Small group discussion (15 minutes)

* Report to plenary (15 minutes)

*Select some of the words on peace in different language to make the song “Pray for the Peace of Community”

What is conflict?

(Open exploratory discussions with the group using diagrams at the end of the section)

• Different types of conflict.

Why is it a negative word?

Does àß represent conflict?

Does ß à represent non-conflict?

What is the opposite of conflict?

• What are its causes? (Diagram 2)

immediate – triggered by a certain event or action

underlying – pre-existing conditions and situations

• What are its dynamics?

Issues involved in conflict: resources, ideology, religion, identity,

• How do conflicts develop? (Diagram 3)

• Is conflict always destructive? (Diagram 4)

• How can conflict be resolved?

• what does the `peaceful resolution' of a conflict entail? (Diagram 5)

What is peace?

Hot-peace

Hot-peace is defined as the absence of war or direct physical violence; it is a condition in which armies are not engaged in violence against foreigners or against people at home.

Just-peace

This is a much more comprehensive concept, including the absence of direct physical violence but adding to this the absence of indirect forms of harm such as structural violence, and including the presence of social values and institutions which positively maintain a state of peace. It is peace in this much fuller, more complex sense that is implied by the concept of conflict transformation. This can be understood by examining several other meanings of the term peace:

Working with Conflict…

Conflict Management-realistic approach – conflict cannot be removed but can be managed through force or legislation, etc. (e.g. Malaysian New Economic Policy)

Conflict Resolution– working to have conflicting parties to compromise and

changing their positions (e.g. Management-union negotiations)

Conflict Transformation seeks out the root cause of the conflict by studying the history and culture of the conflict. (e.g. religious and ethnic based conflicts is difficult to manage or resolve because of long historical and cultural and doctrinal roots. Such conflicts need to be transformed into more positive)

Transformation is a particular approach which aims to recognise the grievances, needs and issues of all the parties. It focuses on the processes by which conflict develops into violence, rather than focusing exclusively on how to bring a violent conflict quickly to a ceasefire or settlement. It addresses the structural reality of inequality, rights and injustice in the society(ies) involved, and offers alternative ways of addressing those realities. This approach aims to transform a conflict from violence and destruction into a constructive force which produces social change, progressively removing or at least reducing the conditions from which the conflict and violence have arisen. The peace which develops can then be well-founded and sustainable.

Sustainability depends on changing the structural conditions which gave rise to the conflict, and on discovering that those changes can be achieved without violence. For peace to be sustainable, effective means of managing conflict non-violently must be rooted in the social structure, in the form of strong civil institutions, the rule of law and impartiality of police and judiciary, representative government and effective participation of the people in public life, for example.

Exercise 2:

Tell stories of how conflict is being dealt with in your own communities. What are the traditional wisdoms and laws being practiced in your cultures?

* Share in small groups (15 minutes)

* Report to the plenary. (15 minutes)

A Holistic Vision of Peace Education

The importance of developing peace education in all contexts
Peace education needs to be created through multiple levels and contexts.

In other words, it is a vision, a process, and a struggle that needs to happen simultaneously in all dimensions of life.

Peaceful pedagogy
The values and skills of critical and creative thinking need to be promoted throughout the educational process. This should be empowering for everyone, with teachers seeing themselves equally as learners. One of the main pedagogical challenges is to develop the capacity, the will and the courage for responsible and deep democratic action.

Transcending cycles of violence and counter-violence
People need to understand the root causes of the cycles of violence and counter-violence in order to truly resolve them by getting out of these cycles.

The great need to dismantle “globalisation from above” and to build “globalisation from below”
Current trends of “globalisation from above” need to be countered and are being resisted by “globalisation from below”. Many grassroots people’s struggles for development are relying on indigenous knowledge and resources, so that people can have the space to make their own histories rather than being squeezed and contained by the debt trap, and by economic decisions about what they can grow or should not grow.

Critical empowerment and how we move from despair to hopefulness
Thinking and learning about all the conflicts and problems of the world is overwhelming. The challenge is to move from critical thinking to empowerment, in order to take constructive and courageous actions and practices. Here, we need focus on the stories that evoke tears, empathy, outrage and joy. These stories reflect the many incredible examples of people at the grassroots: the rural people, the urban poor, the women, the indigenous peoples, the street children, the child workers, and the migrant workers, who are organising and mobilising for justice, human rights and sustainability, despite many obstacles. We don’t hear about them because the media do not tell us about them. We have to search for them, and this one for the advantages of information technology.

The need to build national and global civil society
The role of civil society is at a very crucial and momentous point in human history. We are seeing that ordinary people can organise themselves to think about issues critically and to challenge, where appropriate, policies that re handed down by their governments and by the powerful organisations of the world; they are finding ways to access information and to network for the purpose of deliberating about existing laws and institutions, and are finding ways of holding organisations accountable for their actions it is possible to build a global civic culture and a sense of global citizenship.

Global solidarity
The work of building and educating for a culture of peace all over the world needs global solidarity. We need to make links across borders and regions, because the root causes of many forms of violence originate outside for the places concerned. There are, of course, local causes, but there are also global root causes, so this needs to be worked on at the global level.

Healing and reconciliation
Where there are divisions and conflicts, we need active, nonviolent healing and reconciliation. Given that the root causes of conflicts are structural, conflict resolution needs to deal with structural changes and transformation as well.

Spirituality
In educating for a culture of peace through formal or non formal education programs, it is crucial to reawaken the values, virtues, principles and wisdoms for peace and nonviolence that are present in all civilizations and in all groups of people, in all parts of the world. In relation to values such as compassion, justice, love, sharing and forgiveness, different civilizations, faiths and spirituality traditions may use different words. Nevertheless, when we dialogue about it, we see that there are really no differences. At the same time, of course, we need to be aware of, and be willing to acknowledge, the contradictions that can happen within the theory and practice of faiths and broader civilizations.

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

Causes of Conflict

Diagram 3

Diagram 4

Diagram 5

Session 2 – Seeking common ground

1. Acknowledging our differences

Exercise 1:

Web of Connections or Barriers of Differences

Individually – 10 minutes

Group of 4 – 10 minutes

Whole group – 20 minutes

1. Construct your "Personal Web of Connections" using the diagram provided on the next page.

2. Begin by writing your name in the center circle.

3. In the small circles, write the names of 5 groups with which you personally identify. Refer to the list provided below the web diagram to help you. You may add extra circles if you wish.

4. Take turns describing your web diagram to the members of your group.

You should address the questions below:

· Was there a time when you were very proud to be a member of a certain group (circle)?

· Was there a time when you felt marginalised or discriminated against because you belonged to a certain group (circle)?

· Have you felt both pride and discrimination because of your membership in any of these circles?

· What is one thing you wish people would never say about one of your groups?

· Can you think of factors within yourself or your society that might lead you to discriminate against others? To what extent are these factors within your control? To what extent are they embedded in society?

· What would you have to do to change society and/or yourself to change discriminatory behavior, e.g., behaviour towards people of other faiths?

5. Do you and members of your group share a similar circle? If so,

write your name in the other group member's or members' matching circle.

Ensure that you share a similar understanding of the meaning of the category you have in common.

You may also want to alter the name of a category that you have in common so that the names are the same.

A critical step in developing the capacity to understand conflict is to examine our personal notions of rights and values. We often assume that our own viewpoints and priorities are shared by everyone, and we rarely find the time in the crisis situations in which we work to reflect on these basic assumptions.

Each of us must recognize that our understanding of how things should work is based on a personal value system, which reflects the culture and region from which we come, as well as our experience in the many different circles of identity, such as gender, class, religion, and family status, to which we belong. If we are not aware of our own assumptions, we may presume that we can speak on behalf of everyone. If we are unaware of how diversity affects human interactions, we may fail both to appreciate its potential richness and anticipate its inherent problems.

Only by acknowledging our differences can we find common ground on which to work together.

Within any group there is as much invisible diversity as visible diversity. Differences, whether minute or great should be viewed as a resource rather than a hindrance or an obstacle. To know each other in our diversities requires working at becoming aware of significant "invisible" territory. The Web of Connections activity provides us with the opportunity to acknowledge the diversity or multiplicity within ourselves and others, and to explore how to deal productively with multiplicity. The activity also invites us to explore how our circles of identity can affect or inform our perspective or action in different situations.

Some circles might be:

Religion

Ethnicity/race

Gender

Age

Social status

Profession

Caste

Belief/ideology

Abortion - yes/no

Capital punishment - yes/no

Sexual orientation

Ban pornography - yes/no

Ban prostitution - yes/no

Most important ingredient for peace

Special status for certain people - yes/no

Main cause for poverty

Violence - yes/no

2. Understanding the other

Exercise 2:

Town Planning

i) Rules and directions

a. Form groups of 3s or 4s

b. Hold one pen or pencil together in such a way that everyone is able both to write and draw with it.

c. On the given piece of paper, everyone should participate together in drawing a layout plan of a small town and when drawing is completed, label the different parts of your own drawing.

d. All keep silent during the drawing and writing

ii) Discussion

e. Next, each group who have drawn together, sit together for about 10 minutes and discuss:

i. What were your feelings and reaction during the exercise?

ii. What helped you and hindered you during the exercise?

f. Next, two groups come together to form a larger group and discuss:

"How does this relate to our life and work together now?" Discuss this for about 15 minutes and then share in the whole group.

Lessons from this exercise:

Sometimes we think we are working with other people, when in fact we are controlling the whole process without realising it.

In the process of trying to execute our own ideas we often become insensitive to the others.

Session 3 – Role of youth and student movements

Exercise 1:

Dividing 17 camels.

Long ago, an old Bedouin died and left an inheritance to his three grown sons. His will stated specifically that his first son should get half of his estate, his second son should get a third, his third son should get a ninth. Unfortunately, the man's entire estate consisted of 17 camels, so that the division could not be made without slaughtering at least one of them, which none of the sons wanted to do.

Can you help the three sons resolve their dispute?

Exercise 2:

The Fish Head

There was once a young man who had to leave his home to seek work in another city. While he was away, his young bride lived with his mother

in a small house. After being away for almost a year, the young man returns home for a visit. There was much excitement in the house and a big feast was prepared to welcome home the husband. However, during dinner, the son noticed that his mother was not eating and there were signs that she was unhappy. After dinner, the son went to his mother’s room to find out what’s wrong. The mother brought out a bottle full of small stones and showed it to her son and said “All these time while you were away, I have been mistreated by your wife. Whenever we had fish, your wife would eat the body and I would be given the head. Inside each fish head is a small stone and I have saved all these stones as a proof that I have had nothing to eat but fish heads.”

This is a classic story of mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law. Discuss how this young man could balance his role as a loving son and faithful husband.

Lessons from this exercise:

· Neither the camels nor the fish head should be the focus

· For effective mediation, the role of the mediator must be accepted

· It is possible for solutions to come from outside the context

· Most of the solutions suggested are possible – only that all parties need to agree and abide by them.

Etc. etc.

Exercise 3:

Read the story below and answer these questions:

Who are the most and least honourable characters and why?

Who are the most and least powerful characters why?

* Work in pairs (5 minutes)

* Work in groups of 3-pairs (10 minutes)

* Sharing at plenary (20 minutes)

The Fatal River Story

Once upon a time, a young woman named Leit and a young man named Han lived on either side of a great river that ran wide and swift and deep. They met when their villages came together for fairs and

festivals, and soon they fell deeply in love and promised themselves to each other in marriage.

One night Leit received a message from Han's family "Come at once. Han is gravely ill and may not live. He is asking for you." However, that same night a terrible storm washed away the bridge that connected the two villages so that Leit could not cross.

Greatly upset, Leit went to ask Roni, who owned the only power boat in her village, to carry her across the river. He agreed but only on one condition: she must go to bed with him. She angrily refused.

Leit went to her friend Anik to explain her dilemma, but Anik did not want to be involved in her dilemma and would not offer her advice.

Desperate to reach Han, Leit felt her only choice was to accept Roni's terms. She fulfilled her part of the bargain with Roni, who then delivered her safely on the opposite shore that very night.

When Leit finally reached Han, she found his condition had greatly improved, and in a few days she was able to tell him about the hardships she experienced to reach him. When Han heard what Leit had done, he cast her aside, declaring he would never marry such a woman.

Heartbroken Leit returned to her village. She turned to her older brother Raon with the story, and in anger he gathered a group of her male cousins. They laid a trap for Han and beat him severely.

When she heard about the beating, Leit laughed.

Further discussions for the plenary.

Discuss the experience of coming to consensus.

· Did anyone find that they changed their minds as a result of discussion? Why?

· Were any groups of four unable to achieve consensus? What factors prevented consensus?

· What were the principal shared values that shaped consensus?

· What were the principal differences of opinion that made consensus impossible?

The following questions focus more specifically on the gender dimension of the story.

· Would you change your opinion about who is honourable or powerful in the story if Leit were a man and Han and Roni were women? If yes, why?

· Do terms like justice, honesty, power, or honour have different meanings when applied to men or women?

· How do factors like culture, tradition, law, belief, and perception of justice affect one’s judgment in this story?

NGO in peace building

The NGO sector cannot ‘mediate with muscle’ nor can it enforce solutions to problems. Its strength lies in other areas. It has flexibility, and an ability to respond to human suffering without being politically constrained.

In relation to the transformation of violence and the promotion of just peace it can forge partnerships with locals in conflict zones and respond to the immediate suffering while catalysing discussions & dialogues with those in conflict about ways in which they might resolve their differences, solve their problems and satisfy their human needs. It can and does use its micro knowledge to try and influence the macro policy decisions of donors and multilateral organisations in relation to economic development and decisions about promoting human security.

Sometimes the NGO role is catalytic, facilitating communications between conflicting parties. Other times its role is much more analytical and the processes much more deliberate and prescriptive (e.g. as in interactive problem solving workshops). In all of these activities the basic aim, however, is the same. Most conflict transformation NGOs/academics seek to build on

the unifiers rather than the dividers in society on the assumption that strong and resilient communities are the fundamental pre-requisites for human existence and security.

It is clear, however, from preceding arguments, that resilient and tolerant communities are a necessary but not a sufficient condition for conflict transformation and just peace. Because of their dispersed and fragmented character, communities have difficulty mounting effective or sustained critiques of organised economic and political power. In those areas, however, where economic and political power is itself disorganised a little community organisation can be highly effective.

In order for the well intentioned, altruistic aspirations of humanitarian NGOs to realize their purpose there is a much greater need to have clear and coherent strategies which are linked much more deliberately and explicitly to other official and unofficial Tracks. The challenge facing all those concerned to find effective ways of dealing with violent conflicts and promoting just and sustainable peaceful relationships in conflict zones is that of sharing analyses, communicating these to all relevant actors, and seeking higher levels of synergy between all peacebuilding actors.

To develop better analytic and effective peacebuilding processes, it is absolutely essential that there be a process of radical and critical dialogue between the development and conflict transformation communities since neither can deliver stable and lasting peace acting alone and neither can resolve the differences between themselves by subsuming the interests of one in the other. In other words, it is not just a question of adding a development or justice dimension to conflict transformation work or a conflict transformation perspective to development and justice work. Rather development and conflict transformation theorists need to sit down with each other in order to identify the comparative analytic and process advantages of both perspectives and ways in which the theoretical and practical contributions of each might be enhanced. This might produce contributions that are more informed and wiser thereby aiding individuals, organisations and movements working for social and political change, structural stability and stable peace.

The task that conflict transformers and development specialists set themselves in trying to transform violent relationships while helping catalyse processes aimed at challenging structural violence and injustice is a formidable one. The challenge is nothing less than that of devising ways and means of empowering citizens and societies so that they can transform violent relationships while ensuring that economic, political and social institutions are developed and or changed (when they are demonstrably incapable of achieving their purposes) in order to minimize the prospects of violence in future and to guarantee these processes through time.

To do this effectively, it is paramount that there be more hard headed discussions between development and conflict transformation specialists about ways in which some negative economic processes such as neo-patrimonialism, or clientelist political networks (which benefit certain groups and disadvantage others) can be challenged and changed. These distorted economic processes generate malign social and political outcomes which increase frustrations and thus dispose those in power to consolidate their increasingly untenable positions by violent means or force marginal groups to consider violent options. Too little attention is devoted to these issues in most conflict transformation activities.

To facilitate such discussions, however, requires higher levels of collaboration between development experts and conflict resolvers than exists at the present moment. Instead of leaving such issues to the World Bank or bilateral donors, it is vital to incorporate civil society stakeholders as well because this will help focus attention on who is included and who excluded from the allocation of scarce national resources. How to place such issues on the negotiating agendas so that they can be talked through and discussed is the central challenge facing those seeking not only to stop the violence but also to generate a just and lasting peace.

Although reducing fear, building trust and restoring confidence are all critical elements of any move towards a cessation of violence, they are not sufficient. This requires a much more active politicisation of the Track II conflict resolution process but it requires a different kind of politics as well. It de-

mands a less adversarial problem solving orientation to politics. Perhaps this is the major contribution that the conflict resolution community can make to transform corrupt deficient state systems. It can begin modelling political processes which are collaborative rather than competitive, unconditionally constructive rather than adversarial and where the interests of all are placed at the heart of the political process. This may sound rather utopian but it is essentially where most of the major development donors are moving.

Exercise 4:
In small group, discuss:

1. Role of NGOs, Youth and Student movements

· conflict prevention

· conflict transformation

2, Entry points for the SCMs in peace building and conflict transformation:

· School

· Community

· Church