Post conflict reconstruction ~ Reconciliation Processes
Summary
"Information campaigns to promote reconciliation can take many forms. ICT can be used to influence political leaders and audiences at an international level. Influencing political elites is vital, since it is such groups that usually generate and sustain organized violence; tactics to influence them may include political or financial incentives; and political and military deterrents; however, ICT can also be used to promote information exchange and dialogue between local communities. Rather than seeking to promote a solution from outside, the goal is simply to create space for collective problem solving between the protagonists. Local exchanges can be supplemented by linking people to people, both in country and in Diaspora populations. Sometimes this must be done with the acquiescence of local political elites; at other times it must bypass those elites and speak directly to the communities involved."
Excerpt from The Role of ICT in Preventing, Responding to and Recovering from Conflict, published by the ICT4Peace Foundation.
Resources
War Torn Societies Project (WSP)
http://www.wsp-international.org, which seeks to promote reconciliation and social integration among populations in crisis zones. The project has developed a Participatory Action Research methodology to analyze and build consensus solutions to policy problems in various domains and build societies’ capacities for collective problem-solving in tense post-conflict situations.
Video Letters
The Video Letters series appears to have had an impact on public consciousness. Almost all the public broadcasters in the region have shown the series’ messages from former friends, colleagues and neighbors who have been separated and traumatized by the wars. The original site is down at the time of writing. For information on the videos and a write up on the project, click here.
Gurtong Peace Project
http://www.gurtong.org, a Swiss-funded NGO initiative to establish a coalition for peace among South Sudanese at home and abroad. The project’s website provides information about Sudanese developments and relevant meetings and resources.
Search for Common Ground
http://www.sfcg.org is currently working in 16 developing and transitional countries and uses the mediums of radio, TV, film and print, as well as mediation and facilitation, training, community organizing, sports, drama and music to help people in conflict understand their differences and build on their commonalities.
InfoShare
http://www.info-share.org. Based in Sri Lanka, this NGO platform uses the Groove Virtual Office software application to develop customized “Peace Tools” – adjustable analytical and management systems for conflict transformation and peace building in the Sri Lankan context. These interactive tools allow users to undertake standardized assessments based on internationally accepted human development indicators, establish active and open source knowledge banks, disseminate training materials and conflict transformation and reconstruction approaches and case studies, build reconstruction networks between the various institutions and organizations, coordinate on logistics, and so on.
