Katharine Mote's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

When I first started travelling, I was fascinated by other cultures, languages and ways of life. Although I enjoyed immersing myself in other cultures, I recognized that many people did not have the basic necessities or protections that I took for granted, and I wanted to do what I could to right the injustices I witnessed.

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Before coming to Japan, I spent two years working for Peace Brigades International (PBI) in Indonesia. With PBI, I worked to protect human rights defenders who were being threatened because of their work. I also organized peace education trainings for Indonesian organizations that mediated in local conflicts and worked to promote positive peace in their communities. Initially I was based in the highlands of Papua, but I later moved to Banda Aceh, where the 2004 tsunami helped to create the opportunity for a ceasefire agreement to be signed between the Government of Indonesia and the separatist Free Aceh Movement.

In 2005 I worked on a joint United Nations Development Programme/International Alert project that focused on involving the private sector in promoting peace in Sri Lanka. From my office in Colombo, I traveled to many of the diverse regions throughout Sri Lanka, interviewed project participants and documented the impacts of the project thus far. I was also an International Election Observer in the 2005 Sri Lankan presidential elections, for which I spent two weeks in Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil region in the North of Sri Lanka.

My experiences in Indonesia and Sri Lanka introduced me to peace and human rights work in the field. Now I am studying for my Master's as a Rotary World Peace Fellow (Class VIII, 2009-2011), during which I aim to analyze peace building theories and methods more academically.

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

Peace Building and Human Rights Field Experience: Sri Lanka, Indonesia

Non-Field Experience: Germany, UK, Russia, USA

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

Japan

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Rotary World Peace Fellow at International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan. Studying: Peace Studies, International Relations and Public Administration

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://N/A

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.ewi.info/

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://bpa-srilanka.com/

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Conflict Resolution, Dialogue, Diplomacy, Facilitation, Human Rights

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Advocacy, Capacity Building, Communication, Research, Training

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

Previous research has focused on peace building and human rights in Aceh, Papua and Sri Lanka. I intend to research topics related to diaspora communities and high-level peace negotiations during my Master's studies.