Conference report published: National dialogues benefit from surrounding ecosystems

The National Dialogues Conference has become an international flagship of Finland’s peace mediation efforts. The third conference of its kind, held in Helsinki in April 2017, provided a space for in-depth discussion between experts and practitioners. Discussions centered on what happens around national dialogue processes, both regionally and locally, and how this affects these processes.

The key findings of the event are detailed in the newly published conference report and summarized here.

Regional actors in national dialogues: From non-interference towards non-indifference

 
Modern conflicts inevitably include regional drivers and impact, thus consequently, also the solutions must be region-wide. Regional actors can assist in bringing the opposing sides of the conflict around the same table and push them to an agreement paving the way for a dialogue process. It is possible for a state to find itself in a situation where a purely national solution to the conflict is by no means viable, as is the case in Syria.

It is essential for regional actors to understand and appreciate local context and knowledge, which comes down to time, resources as well as political will. A significant challenge in linking regional actors to national dialogue processes is the regional actors’ own political and economic interest also being at stake. To avoid this, dependency on regional actors should be diminished to ensure national ownership. However, regional organizations hold a critical responsibility to respond to emerging crises, be it by facilitating national dialogue or other means; there is need for a policy-shift from ‘non-interference’ towards ‘non-indifference’.

Local dialogues: From community level consultations towards sustainable results

 
Including local level actors in national dialogue processes creates hope and empowerment as well as maintains social cohesion. The inclusion of grassroots actors increases the sustainability of results; the solutions are owned by a broader set of relevant actors.

The support from external actors can be useful for local consultations but there are potential risks. As an example, even though the Central African Republic dialogue process provided new openings to local levels voicing their concerns, it can also serve as a cautionary example since many support actors in the process based their work on inadequate conflict analysis resulting in enforcement of a myth about a religious conflict. Without unity of purpose well-meaning support by several actors may result in harmful outcomes. It is important for a support actor to acknowledge that sometimes it is better to withdraw and practice self-critique. Support actors should continuously converse with the stakeholders about their trust and if it is lost, be humble enough to reevaluate their support.

Women youth and ethnic minorities: From ‘whom to include’ towards ‘how to include’

 
There is a great need for genuine inclusion in national dialogues; not only in words, numbers, official objectives or principles. Meaningful inclusion of wider groups, for example minority groups and ensuring gender equality, broadens the agenda of discussion and reduces the need of these groups to constantly justify their participation.

Inclusion in a peace process imposed by the initiative of external actors is a start, however the results are unlikely to be sustainable. To avoid this, the thinking should be shifted from solely ‘whom to include’ towards ‘how to include’. To avoid losing the achievements after the formal process, follow-up of inclusion aspects should be included already in process design.

The Third National Dialogues Conference was organized by The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland together with a consortium of NGOs consisting of Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), Felm, Finn Church Aid (FCA) and Common Space Initiative (CSI) in April 2017 in Helsinki, Finland.

National Dialogue Conference 2017 – regional and local influences affecting dialogue processes

The Third National Dialogue Conference of its kind, previously organised in 2014 and 2015, will once again bring together an international gathering of stakeholders, experts and support actors from the field of peacebuilding and national dialogues.

Taking place 5th-6th April at the historic House of the Estates in Helsinki, the Conference takes forward the discussions of past events through a range of thematic and practice-oriented sessions, while recognising also the value of networking among colleagues in the field.

This year’s theme revolves around influences to dialogue processes from the region as well from the local levels. The multiplicity of interests and opportunities in play in a given dialogue process avails itself to a range of actors that can both support and spoil. These dynamics will be the focus of the discussions in this year’s National Dialogue Conference.

More Conference material can be found from resources.

The Conference is by invitation only.

The Third Conference on National Dialogues

5-6 April 2017
The House of the Estates, Helsinki

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

8:30–9:00 Registration

9:00–09:40 Opening and Welcoming remarks
• Special Representative of the Foreign Minister on Mediation, Mr. Pekka Haavisto
• Masters of Ceremonies: Ambassador Kai Sauer and Ambassador Sirpa Mäenpää

09:40–10:30 Leadership for change: experiences from Namibia
• President Martti Ahtisaari, Finland
• President Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, Namibia
Moderator: Juliette Foster, BBC

10:30–11:00 Coffee/Tea break

11:00–12:45 High-level panel: Regional dynamics, political
leadership and complexity
• Minister Vadym Chernysh, Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs, Ukraine
• Amb. Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
• Honorable Astrid Thors, Former High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE
Moderator: Juliette Foster, International broadcaster

12:45–13:45 Lunch

13:45–15:30 Parallel thematic sessions 1

a) Regional dynamics of National Dialogues in the Middle East
Room: 15 (Plenary room)
• Dr. Yasar Qatarneh, Senior Adviser, Crisis Management Initiative (Moderator)
• Mr. Marwan Ali, Principal Adviser to the Special Envoy to the Secretary General on Yemen
• Dr. Karam Karam, Regional Adviser, Emerging and Conflict Related Issues Division (ECRI), UN-ESCWA
• Mr. Abdulnaser Al-Muwadea, Author and Researcher, Yemen
• Mr. Oliver McTernan, Director, Forward Thinking
• Ms. Minna Saarnivaara, Syria Initiative Project Manager, Felm

b) Youth in national dialogue processes: resolution 2250 an entry point
Room: 23 (Round table)
• Ms. Marie Makweri, Peace and Reconciliation Advisor, Finn Church Aid – South Sudan (Moderator)
• Mr. Mir Mubashir, Project Manager, Berghof Foundation
• Ms. Irena Grizelj, Independent Researcher and Consultant – Youth, Peace and Security
• Ms. Irene Limo, Coordinator, Peacemaking Unit, ACCORD

• Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Professor, School of International Service, American University & Senior Adviser, KAICIID (Concluding comments / Respondent)

c) Reconciliation and Transitional Justice
Room: 3 (First floor)
• Mr. Jeff Seul, Chairman of the Board, Peace Appeal (moderator)
• Ms. Mandira Sharma, Human Rights activist, Nepal
• Mr. Bishnu Sapkota, Board Member, Nepal Transitions to Peace Institute
• Ms. Valentina Erazo, Peacebuilding and Participation Coordinator, Presidential Counsellor’s Office for Human Rights, Colombia

15:30–16:00 Coffee/Tea break

16:00–17:45 Parallel thematic sessions 2

d) Local dialogue in the absence of National Dialogue in MENA
Room: 15
• Mr. Mahmoud Ramadan, Common Space Initiative/Syria Initiative (Moderator)
• Ms. Raeifa Samie, Member of the Women Advisory Board of UN special envoy for Syria Mr. Stefan de Mistura
• Ms. Eva Ziedan, COSV
• Mr. Maruan El Krekshi, Head of MENA, Crisis Management Initiative

• Mr. Martin Griffiths, Executive Director, European Institute for Peace (First Commentary)

e) Regional organisations’ support to national dialogue processes
Room: 23
• Mr. Itonde Kakoma, Head for Sub-Saharan Africa, Crisis Management Initiative (Moderator)
• Dr. Alhaji Sarhoj Bah, AU Peace and Security Department, Head of Division for Crisis Management, Post-Conflict and Reconstruction
• Amb. Hamuli Baudouin Kabarhuzato, Director for Political Affairs and Early Warning, ECCAS
• Dr. Aleu Garang Aleu, Coordinator, IGAD Mediation Support Unit
• Dr. Brown Odigie, Program Officer, Mediation Facilitation Directorate, ECOWAS
• Ms. Stella Sabiiti, International Consultant and Expert on APSA

• Ms. Yvette Ngandu, Coordinator, AU Peace and Security Department (Commentator)
• Amb. Corentin Ki-Doulaye, Crisis Management Initiative Senior Adviser (Commentator)

f) Land Reform and Local Governance
Room: 3
• Mr. Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj, Senior Coordinator, Syria Initiative, Common Space Initiative (Moderator)
• Ms. Shirley Moulder, Chair of the Board, Peace Appeal Foundation (Moderator)
• Mr. Anas Joudeh, President, National building Movement
• Ms. SiuSue Mark, Political economist for Land Governance, Erasmus University

• Mr. Tommi Tenno, Technical Director, Niras (Commentator)

17:45–18:00 Reflections of the day and comparative lessons from the field
• Dr. Thania Paffenholz, Director, Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative at The Graduate Institute
Masters of Ceremonies

18:00-20:00 Cocktail event
Hosted by Under-Secretary of State Anne Sipiläinen, MFA Finland
Location: House of the Estates

Thursday, 6 April 2017

9:00–9:10 Opening of day 2

9:10-9:30 Keynote: Peace from a different perspective – Dialogue of a million people
• Professor Timo Honkela, University of Helsinki

9:30-10:00 Coffee/Tea break

10:00-12:00 Parallel thematic sessions 3

g) Dialogue in CAR: Historical pathways, local dynamics and the role of regional influence
Room: 15
• Mr. Pekka Haavisto, Special representative of the Foreign Minister on Mediation (Moderator)
• President Catherine Samba-Panza, Former President of the Central African Republic
• Imam Modibo Bachir Walidou, Deputy Imam of the Central Mosque in Bangui
• Amb. Hamuli Baudouin Kabarhuzato, Director for Political Affairs and Early Warning, ECCAS
• Mr. Caesar Poblicks, Projects Manager for East and Central Africa Programme, Conciliation Resources

h) Building peace architecture in the Middle East
Room: 3
• Amb. Nureldin Satti, Crisis Management Initiative Senior Adviser, retired Sudanese diplomat and former senior official at the UN and UNESCO (Moderator)
• Amb. Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
• Dr. Seyed Hamzeh Safavi, Director, Institute for Islamic World Futures Studies
• Mr. Cengiz Çandar, Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies

i) Grassroots participation in the Myanmar peace process
Room: 23
• Ms.Thuzar Thant, EBO Programme Manager (Moderator)
• Mr. Sai Sai Ngin, Director, White Benevolence – Environmental Research and Education, Shan State Common Space
• Mr. Min Htay Aung, Mon State Civilian Ceasefire Monitoring Committee Member, Mon State Common Space
• Ms. Nan Mya Thida, Director, Research Institute for Society and Ecology, Karen State Common Space
• Ms. Nang Phyu Phyu Lin, Gender Advisor to the CSO Forum + Gender Equality Network

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-14:45 Parallel thematic sessions 4

j) Lessons in process design and potential for self-mediation (UN advisory and policy)
Room: 23
• Mr. Hannes Siebert, Senior Technical Advisor, Common Space Initiative (Moderator)
• Mr. Andries Odendaal, Senior Associate, Centre for Mediation in Africa, University of Pretoria
• Ms. Roxaneh Bazergan, Senior political affairs officer, UNDPA
• Ms. Luxshi Vimalarajah, Programme Director, Berghof Foundation
• Mr. Jonathan Harlander, HD centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

k) Women shaping the agenda in National Dialogue processes
Room: 15
• Dr. Thania Paffenholz, Director, Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative at The Graduate Institute (Moderator)

• President Catherine Samba-Panza, Former President of the Central African Republic
• Ms. Nang Lao Liang Won (Tay Tay), Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) & Women’s league of Burma (WLB)
• Ms. Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, Yemeni Writer and Researcher
• Mr. Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj, Senior Coordinator, Syria Initiative, Common Space Initiative

• Amb. Ann-Sofie Stude, UNSCR 1325 National Focal Point, MFA Finland (First commentary)

l) History and narratives in conflict
Room: 3
• Dr. Timo R. Stewart, Researcher (Moderator)

•Dr. Erkki Tuomioja, Former minister, Member of Parliament, Finland
• Dr. Marko Lehti, Academic Director of Master’s Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research, University of Tampere

Ms. Paula Gaviria, Presidential Counsellor on Human Rights of Colombia (Video Greeting)

14:45-15:15 Coffee/Tea break

15:15-16:40 High-level panel: Activating the local level potential for national processes
• H.E. Mme Catherine Samba Panza, former President of Central African Republic
• Ms. Anne Sipiläinen, Under-Secretary of State, MFA Finland
• Mr. Antti Pentikäinen, Executive Director and Convenor, Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers
• Ms. Rina Amiri, Senior Mediation Expert, UN
• Moderator: Ms. Tuija Talvitie, Executive Director, Crisis Management Initiative

16:40-17:00 Reflections and Learning for Future
• Consortium closing remarks: Tuija Talvitie, Executive Director, Crisis Management Initiative
• Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Closing remarks: Under-Secretary of State Ms. Elina Kalkku
• Masters of Ceremonies