Peace and Collaborative Development Network
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10 Actions for Peace in 2010
Hi Everyone I hope that 2010 will be a wonderful, successful and happy year for each of you and more peaceful for the world. I wanted to put together a list of 10 possible recommendations to help make the world more peaceful and encourage others to contribute their own lists.This list has been revised from earlier postings.
1) Examine how to create more peace in your personal life - If we do not have some degree of peace in our own internal lives, there is the question of how effective we can be in helping to build peace in our organizations, communities, societies and the world. There is no recipe for building peace, but there are many options that people have explored such as mediation, yoga, exercise, writing, reflecting, building community and more.
2) Share your experiences and hopes for peace, as well as frustrations around conflict - This site is intended as an open resource where people can share both their success stories of helping to address conflicts around the world, and also ask questions/inquiry about ways to improve practice. If you have a particular success story, please share it with others. If you have questions/challenges that you would like input on please feel free to post it on this site and of course on other social networking sites)
3) Support Organizations working to effect change in the world - There are thousands of dynamic organizations around the world working to address conflict, build community, foster economic development and more. There are many ways you can support organizations such as contributing financially, volunteering, and more. I do not want to endorse specific organizations, but some resources that can be helpful in identifying opportunities include the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Interaction, GuideStar, among others.
4) Advocate for Preventing and Ending Conflicts - One of the challenges in conflict prevention is that often policymakers, NGO professionals, academics and others may have information about the potentially negative direction of conflicts. However, translating this information to effective policy changes often requires extensive advocacy campaigns by individuals, NGOs, religious groups and the larger civil society. Advocacy can mean anything from writing a legislature, talking with policymakers, taking direct action and more. For some useful examples of Advocacy Approaches see the International Crisis Group, Women Thrive Worldwide and the Genocide Intervention Network.
5) Mainstream a Conflict Sensitive Approach into your organization/company - Many organizations and companies around the world are beginning to look at how they can integrate a conflict sensitive approach (see the work of International Alert) throughout their external and internal operations. This means examining how an organization's internal hiring, procurement and other policies, as well as the external interactions and services can help to potentially reduce conflicts.
6) Get Additional Training - There are many different paths to pursuing a career in international conflict and related fields. If you feel like you might benefit from additional training there are many academic options, professional training programs, summer institutes and more that can help provide additional training and skills.
7) Join an Existing Network - There are many academic and professional networking organizations that exist around the world that focus on conflict related issues. In the United States, the Association for Conflict Resolution is a network of practitioners, the Alliance for Peacebuilding is a network of organizations, the Peace and Justice Studies Association is a network of academics and activists, the International Conflict Management Association has an annual conference.
8) Engage in Productive Dialogue with Others - One of the keys of addressing conflicts is building understanding and connections between people with diverse perspectives. There are many organizations working on facilitating and engaging communities in dialogue, conversation and discussion. Find an organization in your community, or start your own process. Some great resources in this area include the Public Conversations Project , the Kettering Foundation, and the World Cafe.
9) Foster Sustainable Economic Development - One of the key ingredients in building peace in post-conflict societies is to help create sustainable economic opportunities for communities. This can be done through a variety of means, international development, social entreprenuership, socially responsible investing, lobbying for changes to foreign assistance programs and more.
10) Build Community in your Own Life - There are many ways to build community in your own personal and professional circles. If you don't know your neighbors, invite them over for a party or gathering, start a new group to gather people around a common interest, look for exiting volunteer opportunities (see www.volunteerweb.org), contribute time and resources for helping others, etc.
Please feel free to add your own suggestions and lists for a more peaceful 2010.
Comment
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Comment by Catherine Akurut on January 17, 2010 at 6:27am - Thank you for the posting. I will definitely be working on No. 7
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Comment by Priscilla D. Valmonte on December 29, 2009 at 10:56pm -
My own suggestion/s for a more peaceful 2010? :
1. Accept the uniqueness of every individual and that each one has her/his own perspective in life.
2. Seek for the Ultimate Meaning in a pattern of relationships, that one may arrive to the Ultimate Truth.
3. Accept that no one living creature is perfect even as one seeks to live that perfection in one's own state of life.
4. No one is a monopoly of virtues, but one can live virtuous lives.
5. Accept that the other person can be better and one need not feel threatened by what one sees in the other, but rather, together, work for harmony.
6. Never stop searching for a balance in one's life, for this process can make one's journey more meaningful and exciting.
7. Never severe that friendship, that relationship with the One who is the Source of our Life, our Peace and our Truth. He is the only faithful friend we have who is unceasingly calling us personally to be his faithful and trusting friend.
8. A person who is at peace with himself/herself can contaminate others, and all created things as well.
I hope these random thoughts can make us experience the fullness of life amidst chaos and turmoil that can make one feel hopeless; and maybe the year 2010 can be a better year for us.
Thanks again Craig for this opportunity.
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Comment by Mangneo Lhungdim on December 28, 2009 at 2:12am - Dear Craig and friends, this is a great 10 'commandments' for peace 2010 I would keep. Thanks
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Comment by Franca Gargiulo on December 16, 2009 at 1:40pm - Thank you for this thoughful and action oriented reflection for 2010!
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Comment by Priscilla D. Valmonte on December 13, 2009 at 7:36pm
- This is quite an affirmation for one peace advocate, among numerous others, who firmly believe and advocate personal peace or interior peace as a first point of consideration in our work as peace advocates. One cannot give what one does not have. One has to learn to live what one advocates - to witness our transformative journey. Thanks for this effort in including this factor in your 10 points for peace. All the 10 points I see are in order. Thanks Craig.
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Comment by REV. HUMPHREY O. NSIRIM on December 13, 2009 at 12:29am - Hei, this is great and wonderful, yhe tips are really practicable and i am begining on my own to get something done. i pray that others will do same.
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Comment by Stephen Oola on December 10, 2009 at 12:37am - This is an amazing framework for peace lovers. Do your part and lets make the change we can. Great Work in 2009. The year 2010 must be a year of peace to many who did not enjoy this core and the most fundamental of all rights across the globe. MERRY X-MAS Happy New Year for Peace!
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Comment by MALIK55 on December 8, 2009 at 9:29am - OH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS TIPS AND I PROMISE TO WALK THE TALK.CHEERS AND WISHING EVERYONE HERE ALL THE BEST OF 2010.
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Comment by kaplianlal thangluai on December 8, 2009 at 4:07am - this is a very beautiful tips. i will share these tips to some of my friends who are into peace activities. This is the need of the hour for i need peace in me. Information that you have share and the link are very useful. Keep it up
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Comment by Awa Innocent Ndah on December 7, 2009 at 2:13pm - Peace begins from within. Each and every person should seek for inner peace and believe me, it will ooze like liquid virus and touch so many lives that you will never believe. Change also begins with our individual selves. I wish you all what you wish yourselves and love ones. Peace & Love
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trainingcourse Peacebuilding and Local Governance
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Nonviolence In The Context Of War Or Armed Conflict
June 18, 2010 at 6pm to July 5, 2010 at 7pm – Kurve Wustrow
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Bologna, Italy Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, and Reconciliation
June 19, 2010 to July 17, 2010 – Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna Center
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