PEACEBUILDING   AFTER
    PEACE ACCORDS 

 

September 11-13 2003
McKenna Hall,
University of Notre Dame

 

Sponsored by the Research Initiative on the Resolution of Ethnic Conflict (RIREC), a project of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

Video Highlights

• Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's Keynote Address, "The Struggle for Social Justice in Post-Apartheid South Africa"
  Dialup (28K-56K) | Broadband (100K+)

Conference Theme

Peace accords in ethnic conflicts generally mark only two achievements. First, they indicate an agreement in principle between conflicting groups. Second, they set out an agenda, and often timetables, to implement change. They are a start, not a conclusion.

Many peace processes collapse, not only during the early stages when suspicions are most high, but when most people think the deal has been made. The banal truth is that it takes time to make fundamental changes, and that delay leaves a vacuum. The vacuum is filled by threats that may overturn the agreement: violence from spoilers; disputes over new institutions; problems associated with conflict transformation; underlying fears and suspicions. These are among the concerns of the RIREC conference.

Conference Program

The conference will feature presentations by the RIREC research team and other scholars and peacebuilding practitioners on the variety of problems that arise after accords have been signed. These are the three main RIREC themes - violence, young people, and truth-telling. In addition, four additional events have been arranged to address practice and policy issues. These include:

• A keynote address by Nobel Laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu from South Africa (Thurs., Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.);
• A keynote address by Johan Galtung, one of the founding figures in peace research (Thurs., Sept. 11, 9:00 a.m.);
• A round-table case study exploring the peace process in South Africa featuring Alex Boraine, director of the International Center for Transitional Justice; Mamphela Ramphele, Managing Director at the World Bank; and Charles Villa-Vicencio, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (Fri., Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m.)
• An international panel of young people working on peacebuilding projects in several post-accord contexts (Sat., Sept. 13, 10:45 a.m.)
• Over 30 presentations by scholars and practitioners will explore issues affecting societies in transition, including post-accord violence; youth and the next generation; and truth telling.

Conference Schedule

Registration

Registration is available online. The conference fee will cover refreshments, three lunches and two dinners. Accommodation is not part of the Conference package.

The conference registration form is in PDF format. You may download a free copy of Acrobat Reader which will enable you to use the form.

Registration Form (pdf format).

Contact

For all inquiries please contact the RIREC coordinator:

A. Rashied Omar
The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame
P.O.Box 639
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-0639 USA
Tel: + (574) 631-7740
Fax:+ (574) 631-6973
EMAIL: OMAR.1@nd.edu

The Kroc Institute is grateful to the Henkels Visiting Scholars series at Notre Dame, the United States Institute of Peace, and the Fulbright Occasional Lectures Program for their contributions to this conference.

 

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