Yalta '99 Certificate Program in Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
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Yalta '99 Certificate Program in Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution |
Yalta '99, heldfrom October 12 to 21 in Ukraine, attracted some 30 participantsfrom 13 countries, including Kazakhstan, Russia, the Philippines,Ukraine, Canada and Australia. It marks the second time that theCanadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation hasoffered its Peacebulding and Conflict Resolution CertificateProgram.
CIIAN's first peacebuilding certificate program took place inAugust 1998 in Ottawa, Canada. This time, CIIAN decided to takethe program abroad - in part to add to the Institute'sinternational exposure and to make it easier for people to attendwho would have found it prohibitive to travel to Canada.
But also, CIIANknew that for potential participants from the West, theopportunity to study peacebuilding in a social and economiccontext so different from their own would make the experience allthe more educational and enticing.
Participants werehoused on location, at the Dyulber sanatorium on the Black Seacoast about 20 kilometers west of the city of Yalta. Consideredthe most beautiful of the many health spas in the area (where theatmosphere is known for its curative properties), the resort isan historical setting: the main palace was commissioned in 1895by an uncle of the last tsar of Russia. During the Red Armyinvasion of the Crimean peninsula, several members of the Romanovfamily were kept under guard here. Ultimately, their lives weresaved and they were permitted to leave the country. On April 10,1921, they boarded a ship sent for them by Britain. A year later,the Dyulber opened as a resort for government members andworkers. Today, it is owned by the Ukrainian government and opento the public.
Certainly, beingin such a picturesque environment, with its landscaped gardensand palm trees, the Black Sea at the front door, provided for arelaxing learning environment.
But why did CIIANchoose Yalta?
To be sure, theInstitute was attracted by the prospect of leading a seminar onpeacebuilding in a part of the world so strongly associated withpeace. It was at the Yalta Conference in 1945 that Stalin,Roosevelt and Churchill laid out the terms for the Soviet Union'sentry into the Japanese war, determined what Europe would looklike after the war, and reached the historic decision to createthe United Nations. But the primary pull to Yalta was arelationship between CIIAN and a Crimean NGO that was firstinitiated more than three years ago.
In 1996, CIIANco-founder and President Dr. Ben Hoffman was invited to conduct afact-finding mission with respect to a Soros Foundation plan ofaction for the Crimea, which had in recent years beenexperiencing increasing ethnic tensions. Since 1989, some 260,000Crimean Tatars deported by Stalin in 1944 and their descendantshad returned to the area (as had a smaller number offormerly-deported people of other ethnic groups.) It was duringDr. Hoffman's visit to the area in January 1997 that he made hisfirst links with the International Renaissance Foundation (IRF),one of the organizations funded by philanthropist George Soros topromote democracy in formerly "closed" societies. InDecember 1997, at IRF's invitation, Dr. Hoffman returned to theCrimea with another CIIAN representative to conduct workshops inconflict analysis and conflict prevention for journalists as wellas for representatives of Crimean NGOs. Yalta '99 came out of avisit to CIIAN's Ottawa office in 1998 by IRF Program Director,Oleg Smirnov and two other Crimean representatives, who at thetime were on a professional exchange program in Canada, funded bythe Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
Back in Ukraine,support was obtained from other Ukrainian and Crimean NGOs. TheRenaissance Foundation provided funding to cover costs for 18participants from Eastern Europe. The logistical planning for theconference, including arranging to meet participants inSimferopol, the nearest air link, and driving them to the Dyulbera few hours away, was done by the Integration and DevelopmentCenter, a body affiliated with IRF which took on the role ofofficial co-organizer.
The fact theprogram was a residential one meant increased opportunities tobuild relationships. Students shared rooms together, ate mealstogether, and despite a very intensive program, managed tosqueeze in some recreational time together. Over borscht orboiled chicken or cottage-cheese pancakes, participants could getfriendly briefings from fellow students on everything from thelegal status of Russians in Latvia to Australia's referendum onthe monarchy. Once the supper dishes cleared away, conversationsfrequently continued in the bar over a drink.
For manyparticipants, it was this opportunity to meet with people fromdifferent parts of the globe, to learn from each other, to nowhave a face to associate with a part of the world that comes upon the news, that helped to make Yalta '99 a particularlymemorable and meaningful experience.
"I would saythat the world became more revealed for me," said Azerbaijanpsychologist Alexander Cheryomukhin. "My view is wider thanbefore. Before I would have said >what can someone from thePhilippines or Singapore say to me and why should Ilisten?'"
"Now I knowthat people are different and that, whatever your background, itis interesting, exciting and challenging to try to see things theway other people do and to let them have their own point ofview."
The Peacebuildingand Conflict Resolution Certificate Program aims to delivertheoretical knowledge and practical skills in negotiation andmediation to middle-range actors in peacebuilding, includingpeace activists, NGO representatives, diplomats andprofessionals. Participants came with varying degrees ofexperience to Yalta '99. They included a psychologist workingwith Serbian refugees in Yugoslavia, workers inconflict-resolution centres, the editor-in-chief of a Ukrainiannewspaper for lawyers and a consultant in internationalrelations. The program also attracted several recent universitygraduates who wanted to learn more about a field they felt haspromising potential.
The course wasgiven by CIIAN's Ben Hoffman and Flaurie Storie, with a thirdexpert, Caroline Ford, engaged to teach two days of internationallaw.
Throughout the 10days, students were encouraged to share ideas and some of theirown experiences with issues of conflict. Significant time was setaside for in-class discussions and small-group exercises. Variousexercises involved students getting together in small groups andpreparing presentations for the class.
The programcovered three components of peacebuilding: conflict analysis;negotiation and mediation skills; and systems design. Systemsdesign, which CIIAN makes a special point of including in itsprograms, refers to the designing of mechanisms and activities toreduce conflict and handle complaints more effectively. Thedispute-resolution field has made significant advances inencouraging the use of mediation as an alternative to retributivejustice systems. But CIIAN feels strongly that much too littlehas been done to establish structures for bringing disputesbefore a mediator - for building legitimate capacity withinsocieties for the non-violent resolution of conflict.
The conflictanalysis portion of the program looked at various models that canbe useful in trying to understand a conflict's development. Themain peacebuilding model presented was one developed by Dr.Hoffman in the course of his own doctoral work. Peacebuilding waspresented as something that includes peacemaking and peacekeepingbut that goes beyond these by working to eradicate the rootcauses of conflict with the central role of power featured.
Dr. Hoffman'speacebuilding framework was developed on the basis of variousfield experiences as a mediator, including Canadian aboriginalland claims and capacity-building in Romania, but particularly inMostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He went there in 1996 with theintention of supporting development of a constituency of peacethrough dialogue between members of the Muslim and Croatiancommunities. But after substantial work, he concluded that theabsence of even minimal security guarantees for representativesof the two warring communities rendered this kind ofpeacebuilding unfeasible. Despite the presence of United Nationspeacekeepers, "the situation on the ground was virtuallyanarchical. Despite the Dayton Accord, there was tit-for-tatrifle fire in Mostar; tension was mounting." Dr. Hoffmansays. "It was frightening. It showed the fall of power inits violent form and pointed to the importance of rule oflaw."
His experiencewith open violence in Mostar led Dr. Hoffman to conclude that theconflict-resolution field "lacked the tools and methodologyto deal with the raw stuff." Whereas peacebuilding had tothat point focused largely on the transformation of conflict, Dr.Hoffman concluded that the real challenge was to transform powerfrom violent forms to peaceful forms. To date, most of theconflict-resolution theory that has been posited has focused on"contact hypotheses" - the idea that conflict can bereduced by getting groups traditionally opposed to each other tosit down together and take part in activities together so thatmutual understanding is increased. "I believe thatpeacebulding also includes building the machinery for theresolution of conflict-building systems that deliver justice, ifyou will," Dr. Hoffman said.
Dr. Hoffman's mainpremise is that true peace requires transforming power from itsviolent form to its peaceful form. Incorporated into this is theidea that there are different levels of peace. "Negativepeace," a term often used in the literature, refers to thekind of basic peace that exists at the end or in the absence ofviolent hostilities. This level of peace, barely present inMostar, depends on a legal and justice system able to enforce it,Dr. Hoffman pointed out.
"Positivepeace," on the other hand, is a more holistic kind of peace.Positive peace means the absence of social systems and structuresthat oppress one or more groups in a society. Positive peaceinvolves a justice that is reconciliatory and restorative.
While power can beand is often used to oppress, it can also take on a more peacefulform. At one end of his power-dynamic continuum, there is"power over." In the middle, intersecting with"negative peace," is "power through," as in"power through rule of law." At the other far end,along with "positive peace," is "power with."
"Powerwith" is achieved when parties work in partnership to createit and give it legitimacy. "Power with" goes togetherwith a justice that is restorative and reconciliatory."Power with" aims to create a "positive,"holistic peace that removes the structures of violence insociety.
A positive,holistic peace may be the ideal, but to even the best-intentionedof peacebuilders, it can easily seem far too idealistic. Variousexamples raised in class were reminders that positive peace issomething that may take generations to achieve, through littlebaby steps. Students were also confronted with some of the moraland ethical dilemmas confronting those who believe in peace. Forinstance, there was mixed opinion on the issue of the recentarrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet - (will itultimately help or hinder national reconciliation in Chile?).Another example was the extreme brutality of rebels in SierraLeone - (should one agree to share power with thugs if this cansave lives?)
Participants whoare personally close to conflicts in their own societies alsohelped to drive home the complex task facing peacebuilders. Hurtscan be deep, and corruption and the lack of a sound socialstructure can create huge roadblocks.
A central part ofthe Yalta '99 Peacebuilding Program was skills-training ininterest-based mediation lead by experienced mediator and trainerFlaurie Storie. Mediation was positioned as a valuable tool forresolving differences between parties in a dispute. First,students were given a grounding in interest-based negotiation,starting with an explanation of what exactly is meant by"interest-based."
Traditionally,parties to a dispute will take positions and dig in their heelswithout a full and open discussion of the issues and withoutexploring the widest possible range of options. They mistakenlyassume that one party's "win" is the other party's"loss."
The interest-basednegotiator understands that what is important is not so much theother party's position but the interests that underlie thatposition. Once the interests are understood, the parties cantogether explore options that have the potential to meet bothparties needs.
Unfortunately,individuals often fail to clearly identify even for themselveswhat the fears and concerns are that have led to their position,or they may be reluctant to voice them. In these situations, amediator can help. The mediator serves a variety of functions,including helping get disputing parties to come to the table,providing a structure for the meeting, helping to bring outcontent and ensuring that all parties have equitable voice.
Students practicedsome of the skills of mediation in various simulated meetings.The conflicts at hand ranged from clear fantasy (King Retbo ofChiboulaka meets Mr. Fichi, president of Marilaka, to discussamong other thing the harvesting of the Obo tree) to the morerealistic case of two contingents of peacekeepers who findthemselves in a situation of escalating violence.
This practicalskills part of the program wrapped up with a simulatedmulti-party, multi-issue, mediation session centered on thescenario of a camp for internally-displaced persons. Variousproblems must be resolved, including a lack of food and thethreat that the host government will close the camp.
By the end of tendays of classes, students had earned their stripes. After a fewwords from each participant, Ben Hoffman, Flaurie Storie and OlegSmirnov of the co-sponsoring organization, the Integration andDevelopment Center, presented each with a certificate. Acelebration dinner was held at a Crimean Tatar restaurant, asymbolic place to end two weeks that had been focused ontransforming violence to peace.
A main goal of theprogram was to teach skills to become a third-party mediator -this in the belief that peace can best be created when people aretreated as equals and power is shared.
CIIAN attempts tomodel this value in its teaching style.
For instance, atthe end of each day, students were asked to get together in"home" groups and give feedback. A representative ofthe group then brought the comments to the instructors.
In response tocertain issues raised in the home groups, the instructors madeadjustments to the program the following day. One logisticalchange was altering the timing of the lunch hour. In anothercase, several students asked that some provisions be made tofacilitate understanding for those who had difficulties withEnglish.
This led tosmall-group discussions as to what measures might be taken. Amongsuggestions implemented was that those fluent in English agreedto hold back to some degree on responding to questions.
This power-sharingapproach as well as the introduction students received to some ofthe skills used in mediation and system design could also bepractised with each other. For instance, on various occasions,students were asked to organize into small groups to jointlyprepare class presentations, which meant ensuring everyone had achance to contribute.
In a few cases,students worked together to present a case study of a conflict,even though the students themselves were members of the opposingethnic groups involved in the conflict.
Although theprogram was intense Yalta '99 wasn't all work and no play. Therewas opportunity for site seeing and the Integration andDevelopment Center, Yalta '99's co-organizer, made sure thatparticipants got a taste of some of the local culture.
Two evening eventswere held at the Dyulber for Yalta '99 participants - a music anddance presentation by a local folklore troupe and a quartetconcert of Russian and Ukrainian music.
As well, specialarrangements were made for the works of Crimean Tatar artists tobe on display at the Dyulber during participants' stay.
On the one daystudents had off between the two five-day periods of teaching,Yalta '99 participants were taken on a tour of the Livadiapalace, the historic meeting-place of Stalin, Churchill andRoosevelt. After visiting a second palace, the tour bus then tooka break in Yalta for a few hours, where participants were free tostroll the boardwalk or wine-taste at the Masandra winery.
Yalta '99attracted close to 30 participants from 13 countries. More thanhalf the participants were from countries in Eastern Europe,principally countries formerly part of the Soviet Union,including Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Other countriesrepresented included Singapore, Australia, Japan, United States,the Philippines and Canada.
The Peacebuildingand Conflict Resolution Certificate Program aims to give studentsan introduction to theory of peacebuilding all while making useof the knowledge and diverse backgrounds of students in theclass.
Some of theconflicts highlighted by students during in-class presentationsincluded:
- Fighting inAzerbaijan and in neighboring Armenia related to the disputedterritory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Discriminationfacing members of the Uygur ethnic group in northwest China andthe presence of Uygur refugees in neighboring Kazakhstan.
- The return since1989 of formerly-deported Tatars to the Crimean peninsula in theUkraine.
- The peaceprocess in the Philippines after the Marcos regime.
- Land-claim andother grievances of aboriginals in Australia.
As well, someparticipants brought with them knowledge related to their ownprofessional work which they presented in class.
A former executivein the government peace office in the Philippines spoke about thehistory of that country's peace process.
And twoparticipants from Singapore, a husband and wife team ofconsultants in cross-cultural relations, led a mini-workshop oncultural norms and values and another one on different types ofpersonality styles.
Comments fromGraduates:
"This coursedoesn't give answers, but it does leave you with a lot ofquestions. These questions are imperative."
Lada Zimina, Centre for Conflict Management, Kazakhstan.
"Thanks forhaving the courage to develop a system of peacebuilding. I hopeand I dream that everyone will pick up the work."
Michael Laurie, student, Canada.
"The simplemodels work very well in clarifying complicated situations."
Andrey Girnyk, President, Ukrainian Conflict ResolutionAssociation, Ukraine.
"For some ofus (without a local network of people working on peacebuildingissues), sometimes we need to take a break and spend time withpeople who see things through different eyes."
Alexander Cheryomukhin, Azerbaijan Psychologists Association,Azerbaijan
"For a personwho has been involved in (peacebuilding) work, it was veryhelpful. It helped me to reflect on many of ourexperiences."
Maria Lorenza Palm-Dalupan, former administrator in thepeacebuilding process in the Philippines under the governments ofCorazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.
"It's givenme a framework to think about problems in a new way."
Gordana Mijalkovich, psychologist working with Serbian refugeesin Yugoslavia
"The coursewas much more valuable because of the realities of the otherparticipants: they have to find answers to ongoing conflict,which they can see on a daily basis."
Jill Ryan, teacher, Japan.
The generalscope of the Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Certificateprogram encompassed several inter-related themes, including:
Bridging the Peace Nurturing Culture Gap
Bridging the Knowledge Gap
Restructuring Power
The Search for Reconciliation.
The overallobjective of the Peacebuilding and Conflict ResolutionCertificate Program was to collectively learn from the expertiseand experience of both program instructors and participants whorepresent a broad range of subject knowledge and awarenessrelating to peacebuilding.
Specificobjectives include the following:
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