What's Being Done On . . . Peace Building and Democracy ?

Main Peace Process Human Rights Civic Education/Participation Media Transitional Justice/Rule of Law Capacity Building Online Publications Interview with Mr. Clayton Lillienfeldt of South Africa, a Visiting Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington, DC World Movement Participants Database - Search for more information about groups working on peace building.

CIVIC EDUCATION/PARTICIPATION

Afghan Study Center - Afghanistan
Contact: wufa@brain.net.pk
The Afghan Study Center is committed to promoting tolerance, rule of law, and human rights. Currently, the Study Center is working on a campaign of national civic education and conducting a series of training workshops in and out of Afghanistan. Participants receive training, materials, and other necessary information that allows them to spread the message on democratic governance, human rights, and civic participation.

Burmese Women's Union - Thailand/ Burma
Contact: bwunion@cm-sun.cm.ksc.co.th or bwu.ny@ibm.net
The Burmese Women's Union (BWU) works primarily with female refugees along the Thai-Burma, India-Burma, and China-Burma borders. These refugees have been displaced to these border areas by years of conflict. The Burmese Women's Union conducts a series of women's empowerment and peace education seminars in these areas, and publishes a bi-monthly newsletter. The third BWU conference was held in December 2002. The BWU hopes that empowered women can help to end the long-term civil conflict in Burma.

Centre Chretien pour le Developpement des Paysans en Milieu Rural (Chretian Center for Peasant Development in Rurul Environment) - Democratic Republic of Congo
Contact: kaze@cbins.com
The Centre Chretien pour le Developpement des Paysans en milieu Rural (CCDPR) operates out of the South Kivu region of the DRC, which is the epicenter of violence and ethnic conflict. CCDPR workes to promote the values of human rights and peaceful coexistence aimed especially at the youth of the nation. The campaign includes theater performances, radio programs, community meetings, and civic education seminars. The Center works in the schools to educate the next generation to help prevent the conflict from reccurring and publishes a quarterly newsletter called Thermometre des droits de l'homme, which is distributed to over 200 community leaders throughout the southern part of the nation.

Civil Liberties Organisation - Nigeria
Contact: aoroh@yahoo.com
In its effort to strengthen democratic institutions throughout Nigeria, the Civil Liberties Organisation of Nigeria has trained over 120 democracy activists to serve as democracy monitors. The activists monitor and report on the state of democracy in each state of Nigeria, and their findings are published in Democracy Perception Reports. As part of larger "democracy committees," the activists educate citizens about their rights, civic society, and peaceful problem solving. Education programs are conducted through a variety of media including meetings, leaflets, radio, and television.

Congo en Images - Democratic Republic of Congo
Contact: cim25@hotmail.com or apilafski@inmarsat.francetelecom.fr
Congo en Images (CIM), in Kisingani, employs civic education projects and other programs to increase the prospects of peace and to provide objective information on the political issues facing the Democratic Republic of Congo. CIM is developing an integrated civic education program. It is publishing a booklet with resolutions of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue (ICD) to be used in civic education training sessions organized by CIM. Sessions focus on various topics, including civil society, electoral systems, strategies for promoting peace, and social and economic rights. CIM also plans to sponsor a traveling multi-media exposition entitled "All for a United Congo," which aims to promote unity among the various ethnic groups, social classes, and religious groups in the region. In addtion, CIM publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, Le Signal, and quarterly reports on democracy, good governance, and progress towards peace, to enhance the flow of information in the region.

Forum for Democratic Initiatives - Sierra Leone
Contact: fordi@sierratel.sl or fordisl@yahoo.com
The Forum for Democratic Initiatives (FORDI) works to ameliorate the effects the ongoing conflict has had on the educational system and civil society institutions. FORDI is compiling three civic education handbooks to educate people about the rights in response to a survey it conducted that concluded that only 1 in 200 citizens in Sierra Leone had an understanding of the country's Constitution. At least 3,000 of these handbooks will be distributed free of charge to civil society groups in the country. The books are titled "The Sierra Leone Constitution Made Simple," "Understand How the Courts Work," and "Know Your Rights and Duties When Dealing With the Police." The handbooks are supplemented with a series of radio broadcasts designed to enlighten the people. FORDI hopes that increasing awareness of citizen rights will help bring an end to ongoing tensions through democratic engagement.

Iraqi Institute for Democracy - Iraq
Contact: iraq.institute@iraq-democracy.org
The Iraqi Institute for Democracy (IID) works in Kurdish provinces to promote democracy, rule of law and a peaceful and civil society. It publishes a bi-weekly newspaper and has run several courses to train educators in civic society and democracy. The Institute works to capitalize on the appeal of democracy to the youth of Iraqi Kurdistan. The IID hopes that educating eager young people can help prevent future Kurdish internal conflicts and promote democracy throughout Iraq.

Israeli Palestinian Center for Research and Information -Israel
www.ipcri.org
Contact: ipcri@ipcri.org
The Israeli Palestinian Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) is a joint Israeli-Palestinian public policy think-tank devoted to developing practical solutions for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. IPCRI confronts numerous difficult issues such as the final status agreement, borders, status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, physical security of Israeli and Palestinian citizens, economic development of the Palestinian territories, shortage of water, vulnerable environment in the region, and education toward peaceful coexistence. IPCRI's recent activities include organizing three joint Israeli-Palestinian meetings on topics related to confidence-building and peace, as a means to rebuild trust and momentum for the formal peace process. IPCRI is also exploring the possibility of organizing several small meetings between prominent Palestinian and Israeli thinkers on the relationship of peace and democracy.

Ligue des Electeurs (League of Voters) - Democratic Republic of Congo
Contact: xbahaya@hotmail.com
Ligue des Electeurs (LE) works to sustain a country-wide civic education dialogue. LE is committed to the success of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue. The group supports its mission by organizing seminars and workshops around the country covering topics ranging from transitional arrangements to reorganization of the military. LE established 24 local support networks to keep the citizenry active and engaged following the end of the dialogue workshops.

Lwo Development Incorporated - Uganda
Contact: lwodevelop@africaonline.co.ug
Lwo Development Incorporated (LDI) has been working since its establishment in 1997 to enable traditional and community leaders to lay the groundwork for sustainable development. LDI uses a unique approach in Uganda by reasserting the roles of leaders who have been marginalized. LDI has been very successful in designing peace building and conflict resolution methods that supplement traditional, community-based strategies. LDI is currently expanding its programs into the northern regions of the country.

Nagaad Umbrella Organization - Somaliland
http://www.somali-civilsociety.org/downloads/Nagaad%20Organizational%20Activities%20Annual%20Report%202003.pdf
Contact: nagaad@bgtinet.com or nagaad_u@hotmail.com
The Nagaad Umbrella Organization is a collection of women's groups that are promoting a dialogue on women's participation in government. The organization has established a series of multi-day conferences focusing on issues relevant to women in Somaliland. The conferences are supported by teams that work in all regions of Somaliland. The teams organize women to become more politically active in the democratic institutions available to them. The Nagaad Umbrella Organization works to integrate women into more of the political structure by mobilizing women to vote in large numbers, educating women in the workings of government, and supporting women running for political office. By integrating women into society, Naagad hopes to stabilize and broaden the tentative peace of Somaliland.

Palestinian Center for Helping Resolve Community Disputes- Gaza Strip, Palestine
www.palnet.com/~pchrcd/
Contact: pchrcd1@palnet.com
The Palestinian Center for Helping Resolve Community Disputes strives to strengthen civil society, empower Palestinians, and create a democratic, participatory, and non-violent community. The Center uses conflict resolution and peace building activities as tools for constructive social change, while working to provide practical strategies for developing cooperation, participation, and mutual respect. The Center helps people learn to balance their own needs with those of others, to live together, and to work on common goals. Its projects involve educational television programs for youth on human rights, conflict resolution training workshops for university students and professors, and capacity building workshops for local NGOs.

Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy -West Bank, Palestine
http://www.pcpd.org/
Contact:pcpd@pcpd.org
The Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy is dedicated to promoting concepts of democracy, peace, social justice, human rights and civic education in the Palestinian areas. It has been conducting various seminars and workshops on issues of conflict resolution and democracy. The Center continues to conduct activities, such as town meetings with elected representatives, advocacy trainings, voter education, and other activities focused on internal issues of reform, despite the current crisis. Through workshops, trainings, publications, and outreach, it implements activities focused on democratic participation and civic awareness, with a particular focus on Palestinian women and youth.

Panorama-the Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development-Palestine
www.panoramacenter.org/index.asp
Contact: panorama@panoramacenter.org
Panorama works to promote and disseminate issues related to democracy, human rights, participation in public life, and different decision-making processes that are based on the concept of freedom of expression. It believes that the creation of a democratic culture and the adoption of pluralism and transparency are the only means to achieve equity and social justice in Palestinian society. Panorama's programs use participatory approaches through: workshops and roundtables; seminars and conferences; capacity building training courses; informative booklets and newsletters; research studies; special interest groups; use of creative methods, such as theatre, song cassettes, and video production; community intervention; and coordination and networking with other organizations.

Women's Learning Partnership-Middle East and North Africa
www.learningpartnership.org
Women's Learning Partnership (WLP) establishes leadership training programs for women in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East that emphasize power-sharing, conflict-resolution, and peace-building skills. WLP uses culture-specific multimedia learning materials, such as radio, video, Internet, and CD-ROM for educational purposes. One of its recent projects in Morocco featured leadership training that brought together representatives of Catholic, Muslim, and Protestant communities, many of whom were local religious and political leaders. The workshops help participants cultivate horizontal leadership styles and effective communication skills that enable them to work cooperatively to identify and achieve shared goals and bring about social change within their diverse communities. At the end of one workshop, participants collectively drafted an action-plan to establish a local radio station that will broadcast programs focusing on women's rights and peace-building issues in Cameroon. WLP recently published Toward a Compassionate Society, an anthology focusing on women's roles in conflict resolution, peace building, and democracy in a culturally and politically diverse world.

Women's Peace Center-Search for Common Ground-Burundi www.sfcg.org/programmes/burundi/burundi_women.html
Contact: burundi@sfcg.org
The objective of the Women's Peace Center is to promote dialogue among Burundian women of all backgrounds that enables them to play an active and independent role in a civil society working toward peace. As one of its programs the Center provides a neutral site for meetings of Hutu and Tutsi women for roundtable discussions on issues surrounding the newly introduced family law in Burundi. Participants explore how the law affects their rights and lives.