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New book explores the role of Catholic peacebuilders in addressing global mining issues

2022-01-31T11:00:00-05:00

From cellphones to computers to life-saving medical technologies, the day-to-day lives of people across the globe are intertwined with materials produced by the global mining industry. A new book by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) makes the case that the Catholic community can make a distinctive contribution by addressing mining issues through the lens of peacebuilding. Considerable work has been done on mining and development ethics, environmental ethics and corporate social responsibility, but little has been done to integrate this work, relate it to the practices of the Catholic community in conflict zones, and consider it from a Catholic peacebuilding perspective.

The book, “Catholic Peacebuilding and Mining: Integral Peace, Development, and Ecology” (Routledge), is co-edited by Caesar Montevecchio, CPN assistant director, and Gerard Powers, director of Catholic peacebuilding studies and CPN coordinator, and grows out of a series of conversations convened by CPN in response to concerns from CPN partners around the world about the ways mining is driving conflict in their local contexts.

“Most people are passingly aware of conflict mineral issues, the literal fighting over control of resources and the ways that mining can be used to fund militants and insurgents,” said Montevecchio. “But that’s really only one piece of the issue. Mining touches issues of Indigenous rights, land ownership, pollution and environmental degradation and international development.”

Montevecchio also notes that a Catholic peacebuilding perspective on mining is relevant because the Church is one of the few institutions in the world that has the kind of vertical and horizontal reach that can parallel and match what the mining industry has. The challenge, as he and Powers spell out in the book’s introduction, is to translate “the capacity for an integrated approach into actual collaboration among diverse church actors at different levels.”

The book includes chapters that approach the question of mining and peacebuilding from perspectives including Catholic social teaching, development theory, economics, corporate social responsibility and theology. It also contains case studies of mining, its impact and grassroots responses to it in contexts including Colombia, El Salvador, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines and Peru.

In his chapter in the book, Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, former prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, looks at the relationship between mining and peacebuilding through the lens of Christian scripture, using the Bible to establish a moral foundation for assessing mining and the mining industry.

“The symbolic use of precious metal in the Scriptures ascribes to the metal a character and a value which transcend its earthly value and usage, namely, as mere source and instrument of wealth,” writes Turkson. “Can the industry that seeks with such skills and dexterity to possess these precious metals be guided by some other objective and vision, besides that of possession or having wealth on earth?”

Ray Offenheiser, the William J. Pulte Director of Notre Dame’s Pulte Institute for Global Development, writes on the need for mining companies to move from operating with impunity to negotiating and receiving consent from local communities. Offenheiser has played a major role in addressing issues at the intersection of mining and development, including serving as president of Oxfam America for more than 20 years.

“Mining companies now realize that achieving a sustainable social license to operate is critical and will require a far greater commitment to engaging a wide range of local and global stakeholders, and is far more involved than a vague one-off exercise at the start of a project,” said Offenheiser. “It will involve a serious commitment to building trust and a shared sense of purpose with local communities about the long-term well-being and prosperity of a region. Companies with an eye toward investing over a 30-to-50-year period must recognize that they have to move beyond being a traditional ‘extractive industry’ toward becoming a reliable ‘development partner.’”

Father Rigobert Minani, S.J., head of research for the Peace, Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance Department at the Centre d’Etude Pour l’Action Sociale in the DRC and team leader for the Ecclesial Network of the Congo Basin Forest, explores the particular role of the church in addressing conflicts arising from mining in the DRC. The DRC is one of the world’s largest sources of cobalt and coltan, two minerals in high demand in Silicon Valley.

“Minerals are the fuel of war in the DRC today, and good [resource] management could favor peacebuilding in the DRC,” said Father Minani, who also noted that the Catholic Church in the DRC has created a special episcopal commission to monitor the governance of natural resources and educate local communities on the intersection of mining and peacebuilding.

Another chapter focuses on the Catholic approach to extractives in Colombia. Sandra Polanía-Reyes, associate professor of economics at the University of Navarra in Spain, and Monseñor Héctor Fabio Henao, director of Caritas Colombia, address mining in the context of a resource-rich country where mining is seen by some as the best way to deliver a peace dividend after decades of conflict.

“Unless human rights are promoted and protected as they should, and there is a transparent agreement on how extractives should be managed, the peace process implementation won’t succeed,” said Polanía-Reyes.

In Colombia, the Catholic Church has accompanied those most impacted by ongoing conflicts, including ex-combatants, internally displaced people, immigrants from Venezuela and lower-income communities. Polanía-Reyes notes that this accompaniment has made it possible to “gather micro-level data that allows policymakers, advocates and academics to present the challenges as they truly are and propose effective solutions” that will hopefully be relevant in contexts beyond Colombia as well.

Overall, CPN hopes that this book will add visibility to the ways mining, and the consumer behaviors that drive it, is fueling conflict around the world and empower people to take action in their own contexts. The editors also hope to illustrate pathways the Church can support to better foster responses that integrate the many different dynamics at play across this issue.

Laurie Johnston, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Emmanuel College in Boston, wrote the book’s conclusion and hopes that a careful reading of it will help people to see the way this issue is not only global, but personal.

“I’m talking to you right now on a phone that probably contains coltan from Congo, possibly mined by children,” said Johnston. “We all have intimate connections with this injustice. Laudato Si’ is helping us realize that we can’t tackle climate change in isolation from human rights, and you can’t address war and work for peace without attending to environmental factors. We need an ecological just peace.”

The Secretariat of CPN is housed at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs.

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on January 31, 2022.

Author, activist Bernardine Evaristo to deliver 28th annual Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy

2022-01-19T11:50:00-05:00

Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning novelist, essayist, literary critic and advocate and activist for inclusion in the arts, will deliver the 2022 Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy. The event will take place virtually at 4 p.m. EST Feb. 7 (Monday).

The Hesburgh Lecture is a signature event of the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ.

Evaristo is the author of 10 books and numerous writings that span the genres of fiction, verse fiction, short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, literary criticism, journalism and radio and theater drama. Her writing and projects are based around her interest in the African diaspora.

Her novel “Girl, Woman, Other” won the 2019 Booker Prize, making her the first Black woman and Black British person to win it in its 50-year history. The novel also won many other prizes including the British Book Award’s Fiction Book of the Year and Author of the Year, as well as the Indie Book Award for Fiction.

“Bernardine Evaristo’s oeuvre as a writer and activist is highly relevant to the mission of the Kroc Institute and we look forward to her talk,” said Asher Kaufman, the John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute. “The invitation for her to deliver the 2022 Hesburgh Lecture is directly related to the institute's focus on intersectionality and justice as well as to our commitment to highlighting literature and, more broadly, the humanities in our work.”

The lecture is titled “The Activist Artist,” and in it Evaristo will explore her life as a writer, theater-maker and activist within the context of British history, society and culture. Audience members will have the chance to pose questions directly to Evaristo.

The Hesburgh Lecture is named in honor of the Kroc Institute’s founder, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., late president emeritus of Notre Dame. The lecture series began in 1995. Each year, a distinguished scholar, policymaker and/or peace advocate is invited to deliver a major lecture on an issue related to ethics and public policy in the context of peace and justice.

Past Hesburgh lecturers have included Angela Davis (2020), world-renowned scholar, activist, educator and leader in the struggle for economic, racial and gender justice; Cornel West (2019), public intellectual and then professor of the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University; Beatrice Fihn (2018), executive director of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning group, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Amitav Ghosh (2017), Indian novelist and public intellectual; Bill McKibben (2016), author, scholar and environmentalist; Amartya Sen (2012), 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, Lamont University professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University; and Shirin Ebadi (2009), 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, lawyer and human rights advocate in Iran.

The Kroc Institute is an integral part of Notre Dame’s Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs. The institute is one of the world’s principal centers for the study of the causes of violent conflict and strategies for sustainable peace.

Contact: Lisa Gallagher, Kroc Institute, 574-631-9370, lgallag3@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on January 19, 2022.

US State Department grants new funding to Peace Accords Matrix

2021-11-03T11:00:00-04:00

The Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), an innovative research and practice initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, has received a new grant from the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO). The grant continues CSO support for the PAM team’s first-of-its-kind work to provide real-time monitoring of the Colombian peace process, and sets up a framework for continued partnership over the next five years. The historic Colombia peace agreement signed on Nov. 24, 2016, gives the Kroc Institute, through the PAM Barometer Initiative, primary responsibility for technical verification and monitoring of implementation of the accord.

PAM research findings confirm that international monitoring and verification of peace agreements result in higher rates of implementation, which has many short- and long-term benefits, including less likelihood of a return to armed conflict, greater economic development, greater access to education and improved public health.

“The Kroc Institute is at the cutting edge of stabilization in real time by tracking peace accord implementation as it happens,” said Gail Morgado, CSO’s director of the Office of Western Hemisphere and European/Eurasian Affairs. “CSO is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Kroc in this groundbreaking initiative. The Peace Accords Matrix has proven to be an indispensable tool in our efforts to support a sustainable peace in Colombia.”

The latest grant of $790,000 follows previous CSO support totaling $3,465,713, and brings the total amount granted to PAM to more than $4 million. To date, the Barometer Initiative team in Colombia has produced five comprehensive implementation reports and four special reports monitoring the implementation of provisions related to gender and ethnic concerns within the agreement. In addition, the team has produced myriad videos, infographics, brochures and public presentations to help tell the story of how implementation is progressing in Colombia.

Most recently, the Kroc Institute’s research was cited during a formal statement at the Oct. 21 U.N. Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security. Celia Umenza Velasco, a member of the Association of Indigenous Councils of the North of Cauca in Colombia, drew on the institute’s data on the implementation status of gender and ethnic provisions to advocate for continued focus on inclusive implementation.

“I cannot stress enough the importance of our partnership with CSO,” said Josefina Echavarría Alvarez, PAM director. “This is evident not just through the very real and robust financial support that enables us to work in Colombia, but also through the trusting professional engagement and relationships with CSO leaders that we enjoyed even prior to the signing of the 2016 agreement.”

Despite facing many challenges during 2020, the PAM team’s most recent comprehensive report, published in June 2021, showed that implementation continued to advance. These advances were especially clear with provisions related to transitional justice mechanisms. The team will release another short report on implementation progress in December.

Learn more about the work of the PAM and Barometer Initiative teams at peaceaccords.nd.edu. The Kroc Institute is part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on November 03, 2021.

Implementation of ethnic provisions lags in 2016 Colombian Peace Agreement, report finds

2021-01-27T15:00:00-05:00

The Peace Accords Matrix program (PAM), part of the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, has released its first report monitoring the implementation of 80 stipulations within the 2016 Colombian Peace Agreement related to ethnic communities across the country.

The report, “Recognition and Guarantees for the Protection and Participation of Ethnic Communities in Peacebuilding,” observes that while some progress has been made, implementation of provisions related to the ethnic chapter of the peace agreement lags behind overall implementation. Ten percent of the 80 provisions of the ethnic sub-matrix have been fully implemented, 9 percent show an intermediate level of progress, 49 percent show minimal implementation, and the remaining 32 percent have not yet begun implementation. Overall implementation shows 26 percent of all provisions completed, representing a 16 percentage point difference between overall implementation and the implementation of ethnic provisions.

The Final Colombian Peace Agreement is one of the most complex and innovative comprehensive peace agreements in the world, in part because it includes an ethnic chapter that addresses the historical, structural and disproportionate victimization that ethnic communities have suffered during the country’s armed conflict, and seeks to safeguard human rights and protections for these communities.

Advances were observed in efforts to include ethnic communities in the construction of the Development Programs with a Territorial Approach and the construction of the Action Plans for Territorial Transformation. There is also evidence of progress in the implementation of the ethnic approach in the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Recurrence, as institutional adjustments have been made in order to guarantee the advancement of ethnic provisions.

Re-incorporation of ex-combatants in ethnic communities saw significant delays. Reincorporation efforts will require the construction of an intentional and participatory approach that engages ethnic communities.

There are also concerns about security guarantees for ethnic communities due to the continuing presence of illegal groups and violence in the territories. To address these concerns, it will be necessary to prioritize the implementation of security measures with a collective and participatory approach, in addition to strengthening the self-protection mechanisms outlined in the agreement, including the support for the Indigenous and Cimarrona Guards.

Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the report also outlines key opportunities to advance both overall implementation and implementation of the ethnic chapter. The report notes the importance of the Ministry of the Interior encouraging and guaranteeing the effective participation of ethnic communities (and especially women in these communities) in the planning and implementation of programs, strategies and initiatives outlined within the agreement. These efforts must be sensitive to the particular concerns of ethnic communities, women, LGBTI people and the multigenerational hierarchies within these communities, and should also acknowledge the contributions these diverse groups have made to historic peacebuilding efforts.

To fulfill ethnic commitments within the peace agreement, the Kroc Institute’s report emphasizes that government entities must integrate free and accessible consultation with these groups as a key step in the construction of public policy and overall peace agreement implementation.

Read the full report in Spanish here. The report will be available in English in spring 2021.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ is part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and is one of the leading peace research and study centers in the world. One of its main programs is the Peace Agreements Matrix, which manages the most comprehensive database regarding the implementation of 34 peace agreements around the world.

By mandate of the government of Colombia and the former FARC-EP, signatory parties of the Final Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace, the Kroc Institute is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the agreement. The Kroc Institute has released four prior reports on the status of overall implementation, as well as three reports on implementation of gender provisions. Review all reports here: https://peaceaccords.nd.edu/barometer/colombia-reports.

The main partner of the Kroc Institute in Colombia is the National Secretariat of Pastoral Social - Cáritas Colombiana, an initiative of the Catholic Church. The organization has extensive experience and has been recognized for its social justice efforts and its support for efforts to consolidate peace in local communities throughout the country.

Contact: Colleen Sharkey, assistant director of media relations, csharke2@nd.edu, 574-631-9958

Kroc Institute identifies Colombia’s next steps in fourth peace implementation report

2020-06-16T10:00:00-04:00

On June 16, the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ published its fourth comprehensive report on the peace agreement implementation in Colombia, covering the period between December 2018 and November 2019. In addition to describing the current status of implementation, the report includes comparative findings and identifies obstacles and opportunities facing Colombia’s peace process.

According to the report, implementation of the Final Agreement in Colombia is entering a new phase with a greater focus on rural territories. The report suggests that to be successful it will be necessary to build upon previous achievements and reinforce positive transformation in the areas throughout the country most affected by violence. The institute monitors and provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of all 578 commitments included in the 2016 Peace Agreement in order to offer a detailed and independent perspective on implementation progress.

The report emphasizes that implementation in Colombia is at a crucial point, transitioning from a focus on short-term efforts to medium- and long-term priorities, as well as focusing more on the provisions with a territorial focus. These medium- and long-term efforts are especially imperative for implementing the cross-cutting approaches within the Final Agreement related to gender, ethnic communities and the territorial approach.

Since most tasks related to creating national implementation organizations are completed, the challenge for the fourth year is to ensure that the agreement also becomes reality for the regions most affected by the armed conflict, especially those where the government’s presence and work has historically been slow and precarious.

The report also identifies priorities for the future, including reducing socio-economic gaps between urban and rural areas; ensuring the reintegration of ex-combatants; guaranteeing the rights of victims; and advancing the cross-cutting approaches. By moving forward with comprehensive and timely implementation, Colombia will be able to demonstrate that it is not only an example of how to negotiate a peace agreement, but also a model for implementation, transformation and building stable and lasting peace.

Implementation data

Between December 2018 and November 2019, the overall progress of implementation was six percent. However, the third year marks a change in the types of commitments being implemented. During the first two years, substantial progress was made to end armed conflict and to create implementation, verification and endorsement mechanisms.

In 2019, the main focus was on implementation of the agreement in territories most affected by the armed conflict. As part of the focus on victims of the conflict the organizations that comprise the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition (SIVJRNR) were launched. By fulfilling their respective mandates, the entities have gained legitimacy with victims, for whom reparations are underway. During the period covered by the report and through the essential support of the international community, these entities deployed programs in the territories and led broad, collaborative processes, especially engaging women, LGBT+ people and ethnic communities.

Progress related to Comprehensive Rural Reform and the Solution to the Problem of Illicit Drugs has been significantly less. The report highlights efforts to advance a multipurpose cadastre (property and real estate registry) and create Territorial Development Plans (PDET). However, major challenges exist related to the socio-economic reincorporation of ex-combatants. Although the Comprehensive National Plan for the Substitution of Crops for Illegal Use (PNIS) was maintained, guaranteeing security to ex-combatants continues to be the biggest threat to implementation. According to the United Nations, 2019 was the deadliest year for ex-combatants, with 77 murders recorded (almost 23 times more than the national murder rate).

A comparative perspective

Among innovations in the fourth report is the presentation of Kroc Institute findings based on the comparison of peace agreement implementation in other international contexts that are particularly relevant to the Colombian process. Among innovations in the fourth report is the presentation of Kroc Institute findings based on the comparison of peace agreement implementation in other international contexts. These include: The risk of dissident armed groups emerging decreases with robust implementation and increases when implementation is weak; the final peace agreement is more comprehensive than any other signed since 1989; social reform programs take longer to implement than security programs; public support for peace agreements tends to increase over time; and high levels of CPA implementation bring political benefits.

Opportunities for improvement

Since implementation of Colombia’s Final Agreement is at a key point of transition, the Kroc Institute report suggests the need to reprioritize implementation plans to boost territorial transformation and promote robust participation of civil society, especially local communities.

The report also recommends renewed focus on the cross-cutting ethnic and gender approaches, by opening, maintaining and consolidating spaces with the National Government and implementation organizations to facilitate the participation of women, LGBT+ people and ethnic communities. In addition, implementation should prioritize commitments that include affirmative gender actions related to Integral Rural Reform and the substitution of crops for illicit use.

In the midst of the coronavirus global pandemic, the Kroc Institute report calls for a better understanding of how the economic and social reforms laid out by the Agreement — including the focus on territorial, ethnic, and gender concerns — are more urgent than ever in order to address widening inequalities and build a more inclusive Colombian society.

Read the full report (in Spanish - click español) and executive summary (in English)

Media contacts:

Kroc Institute (English-speaking and International Media):

Colleen Sharkey, Cell: +1 574-631-9958, csharke@nd.edu

Kroc Institute (Colombian and Spanish-speaking media):

Poly Martínez, Cell: +57 320 490 0538, poly.barometro@gmail.com

Notre Dame doctoral candidate named 2020 Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellow

2020-04-21T07:00:00-04:00

Maryam Rokhideh, a University of Notre Dame doctoral candidate in peace studies and anthropology at the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, has been named a 2020 Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellow in Women’s 91��Ƶ. Ten highly selective fellowships are awarded annually to humanities and social science doctoral candidates whose work addresses women’s and gender issues in interdisciplinary and original ways.

“Maryam is an emerging leader in the field of women's work and economic activity as stabilizing forces in areas of long-term conflict,” said Catherine Bolten, associate professor of anthropology and peace studies and Kroc Institute and director of doctoral studies. “She is the first student in the Kroc Institute to receive this award, which is a testament to her dedication to revealing how women's activities are foundational to recovery from war.”

Rokhideh spent 20 months living and researching on the Goma-Gisenyi border between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. She has conducted multi-sited ethnographic research, interviews, surveys, geo-spatial analysis and social network analysis to study cross-border movements and exchange between DRC and Rwanda. Each day, thousands of people, the majority of them female traders, cross this border — the most active in Africa — on foot or in vehicles to sell goods, study and access resources and services that are not readily available to them.

Her dissertation, titled “Everything is on My Back: Women, Work, and Welfare on the Congo-Rwanda Border,” examines the ways in which women who live in border communities leverage their networks to achieve socio-economic mobility and improve their quality of life in an insecure context where access to public services is limited. Prior to receiving the Wilson Fellowship, Maryam was awarded research grants and fellowships from Fulbright, USAID (through the Pulte Institute for Global Development), Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ and Notre Dame’s Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts.

Rokhideh’s research on the Goma-Gisenyi border has led her to focus particularly on finding concrete and evidence-based strategies to mitigate fragility risks like high unemployment and regional conflict. Her research provides insights on how border regions can function as sites of bridge-building and mutual interdependence.

“As a vehicle for job creation and regional integration, transnational trade networks can play a critical role in facilitating economic growth, providing food security and even promoting social cohesion in fragile and conflict-affected areas,” Maryam said. “They provide services and goods that communities don’t have access to in their own states. It’s a new way of looking at borders that can shape current global discussions on migration, border disputes and service provision.”

Rokhideh wants to highlight stories that illustrate women’s roles as active agents in fostering economic recovery and post-conflict social change in the African Great Lakes region.

“It’s incredible to see how women have become primary earners, lifting themselves out of cycles of vulnerability,” said Rokhideh. “They fund their children’s education and have become a force for change and wellbeing for their families and local communities by producing and transporting goods across the border, creating social safety nets and building cross-border networks of trust in a highly divisive environment.”

New volume highlights voices for peace and nonviolence from history and the present

2020-02-28T09:35:00-05:00

A new book, edited by David Cortright, brings voices for peace and nonviolence from around the world into conversation. Truth Seekers: Voices of Peace and Nonviolence from Gandhi to Pope Francis (Orbis Books, 2020) includes seminal writings from pioneers in nonviolence including Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., labor rights activists Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and Dorothy Day. These writings appear alongside the voices of more contemporary peace-building practitioners including theorist bell hooks, South African leader Desmond Tutu, nonviolent resistance researchers Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan, Palestinian peace activist Jean Zaru, Pope Francis and co-leader of the new Poor People’s Campaign, William Barber.

Throughout, Cortright provides commentary that assists in weaving the readings together to provide an in-depth examination of nonviolent methods of addressing violence and building peace.

In his introduction to the book, Cortright, director of policy studies and the Peace Accords Matrix at the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, notes that the 30 authors represented in the book hail from various religious and secular traditions and diverse locations, but they arrive at a “common conclusion about the importance of nonviolence as the means for achieving change.”

“Some may think it naïve to produce a work on nonviolence and pacifism at a time of xenophobic nationalism and right wing politics, in a world threatened by civil war, terrorism and nuclear proliferation,” writes Cortright. “Yet it is precisely in such times of increased insecurity and danger that the quest for peace and nonviolence becomes all the more urgent.”

The selections were chosen to present a wide range of information and perspectives on the practice and principles of nonviolence in diverse contexts. Cortright hopes the book will spur further conversation and interest in nonviolent direct action as a means of addressing some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, including structural oppression, civil wars, rising populism, terrorism and misinformation campaigns.

In her endorsement of the book, Mary Elizabeth King, professor of peace and conflict studies at the United Nations-affiliated University for Peace and Distinguished Rothermere American Institute fellow at the University of Oxford, writes, “From Tolstoy on, we have known that beliefs in nonviolent means are not enough — action is also required. David Cortright’s depth of work has enabled him to assemble a rich volume of distinctly diverse voices that speak from immersion in nonviolent struggles, waged with an intentional grasp that how we fight for justice will affect what we are able to achieve.”

The book is written to be accessible to both academic and lay audiences.

Contact: David Cortright, dcortrig@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on February 20, 2020.

Master of Global Affairs student wins Amnesty International USA award

2020-02-05T11:00:00-05:00

Victoria Nyanjura, a current Master of Global Affairs, International Peace 91��Ƶ student at the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, is one of two recipients of the 2019 Ginetta Sagan Award from Amnesty International USA. The award, named after former honorary Amnesty International USA board chair and human rights activist Ginetta Sagan, recognizes women who are working to protect the liberty and lives of women and children in areas where human rights violations are widespread. Recipients receive $20,000 to support their ongoing work.

Nyanjura was honored for her work with women and children in Gulu, Uganda. She is the founder of Women in Action for Women (WAW), an organization that improves the lives of women and youth through vocational and business training and guidance in accessing community and government services.

“Your courageous advocacy for women and children displaced by the civil war in Uganda, and your work with WAW to help vulnerable women gain vocational and apprenticeship skills in rural areas of Northern Uganda, exemplifies what the Ginetta Sagan Award stands for,” wrote the Ginetta Sagan Fund Award Committee in its email announcing Nyanjura’s award. “We hope that receiving this award will enable you to continue to do this inspirational work.”

Nyanjura has also worked with International Justice Mission on efforts to protect Ugandan widows from the practice of property grabbing and with the Gender Justice Department of the Ugandan Justice and Reconciliation Project.

Nyanjura is herself a survivor of gender-based violence in Uganda. In 1996, Nyanjura, then 14, was abducted from St. Mary’s College in Aboke, Uganda, by the paramilitary group the Lord’s Resistance Army. She remained a prisoner for eight years, and was subjected to torture and inhumane treatment before she was able to escape.

During fall 2019, Nyanjura spent six months interning with nonprofit organization Generations for Peace in Washington, D.C., where she was able to interact with NGO and government leaders from the United States and beyond. During her internship, she shared her story at the Amman Peace Talks in Jordan, and at various events in Washington, D.C., including a panel on trauma and peacebuilding co-hosted by Generations for Peace and Alliance for Peacebuilding. Generations For Peace and Nyanjura are currently co-developing and raising support for an 18-month-long women’s exchange program for female survivors of war from five countries.

In addition, growing out of connections formed during her internship, Nyanjura is slated to attend the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on March 9 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Nyanjura also was invited to become a founding member of a new Global Survivors Network convened by International Justice Mission. The network is meant to bring survivors together to share their stories and to help develop and lead institutional initiatives to support survivors of gender-based violence in local communities around the world.

“This network is so important,” said Nyanjura. “Giving survivors space to present at a conference is not enough. There has never been a situation where survivors have led initiatives like this at the international level.”

The first meeting of the network will take place this July in Jordan, with hopes for a second annual meeting in Uganda in 2021.

After graduation in May, Nyanjura is planning to return to Uganda to continue her work with WAW. In preparation for this transition, her spring capstone research project will focus on resource mapping and creating a development plan for the organization.

“I’ve seen now that WAW can take me wherever I want to go if I concentrate my energy,” said Nyanjura.

Malika Abubakarova, a lawyer from Chechnya, Russia, who founded an NGO focused on the legal protection of women and children, was Nyanjura’s co-recipient of the 2019 Ginetta Sagan Award.

Read more of Nyanjura’s story in the Autumn 2019 issue of Notre Dame Magazine. All photographs are by Jonathan Timmes for Notre Dame Magazine.

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on Feb. 5.

New report emphasizes the importance of women’s leadership for building sustainable peace in Colombia

2019-12-07T01:00:00-05:00

A new report published on Saturday (Dec. 7) presents an analysis of advances and challenges in the implementation of stipulations with a gender perspective in the Colombian Final Peace Agreement. The analysis covers the period between September 2018 and August 2019. The report reveals that while stipulations centered on gender equality and women’s rights are being implemented, the pace of implementation is slower than overall accord implementation.

Titled “Toward sustainable peace along the path of gender equality,” the report provides a qualitative analysis of progress in implementation of the gender approach and quantitatively measures implementation of the 130 commitments with a gender focus from the beginning of implementation in 2016 through August 2019. The report was published by the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ in collaboration with the International Accompaniment Component for the monitoring of the implementation of the gender perspective in the final Colombian accord: the Swedish Embassy, the Women's International Democratic Federation and UN Women.

The qualitative analysis revolves around four issues identified as priorities by women’s organizations and other relevant actors: territorial transformation, comprehensive rural reform and substitution of crops for illicit use; security guarantees for female and male social leaders and human rights defenders; reincorporation of members of the FARC-EP, where the role of women has been crucial in processes of community reconciliation and social fabric rebuilding; and the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repitition, which includes an institutional gender approach that relies on the effective participation of women.

The quantitative analysis compares general levels of implementation of the agreement with implementation of stipulations related to the gender approach. This comparison makes it clear that a gap exists, with more delay in the implementation of measures focused on gender equality.

Of the stipulations with a gender approach, 42 percent were not initiated by August 2019, compared to 27 percent not initiated in implementation of the overall agreement, a difference of 15 percentage points. Likewise, among initiated commitments, there is a smaller number of commitments with a gender-based approach completed (17 percent) compared to the general implementation of the agreement (25 percent).

Of the commitments on gender included in the Framework Plan for Implementation, half are long-term actions and should be fully implemented between 2019 and 2026. However, various delays already exist that have delayed implementation initiation. These commitments must be initiated far enough in advance to ensure that they are completed within the identified timeframes.

The quantitative analysis by point shows that the greatest advances in recent months have occurred in Point 5 (Victims’ Rights). The report highlights that the institutions that make up the Comprehensive System of Truth, Justice, Reparations, and Non-Repetition include parity as a guiding principle of their institutional structure and have incorporated methodologies that allow for the inclusion of gender and ethnic approaches in the collection and analysis of information. Likewise, mechanisms have been designed and implemented to promote the participation of women, LGBT individuals and ethnic communities.

One of the milestone achievements analyzed during this period is the creation of the high-level government body for the implementation of the gender approach to implement inclusive commitments within the Framework Plan for Implementation and guarantee the rights of women and LGBT individuals.

Progress has been made in the inclusion of measures with a focus on gender in the reincorporation of ex-members of the FARC-EP, including initiatives carried out by the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization. The report also highlights the continuation of the Gender Working Group of the National Reincorporation Council, as well as the creation and signing of a national reincorporation policy document, which includes 18 affirmative measures on gender.

The report acknowledges that some progress has been made regarding regulatory advances for security guarantees, but security still poses a great challenge. New high-risk scenarios have emerged for female human rights defenders, as well as for the communities and organizations where they work. It remains necessary to strengthen individual and collective protections with a focus on gender, territorial and ethnic communities. This also necessitates the strengthening of women’s organizational and leadership initiatives in rural areas.

Three years after the signing of the peace agreement, the implementation process is at an inflection point, where the creation of new institutional infrastructure and the approval of new standards and initiatives must be coordinated in order to better concentrate all efforts on territorial implementation.

The implementation of the gender approach can serve as a catalyst for peacebuilding and development processes at local and national levels to the extent that it provides opportunities for women leaders and strengthens their role as re-constructors of the social fabric affected by the armed conflict.

Without active participation of women in decision-making, the final peace agreement will not fulfill its purpose of closing social and economic gaps between men and women, and between those individuals in the territories who have been most affected by the armed conflict and the rest of the country.

Additional resources:

Contact: Colleen Sharkey, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-9958, csharke2@nd.edu

New book explores generational preconceptions in post-war Sierra Leone

2019-11-22T11:00:00-05:00

In Catherine Bolten’s recently published book, "Serious Youth in Sierra Leone," she presents findings on generational preconceptions and their impact on young men in Makeni, Sierra Leone. Her research has implications for everything from development to post-conflict reconstruction to how millennials are perceived and engaged around the world.

Bolten, associate professor of anthropology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, tells the story of sitting with an elderly man on his porch in Makeni. Noticing young men nearby, the elderly man remarked that they were likely rebels. When asked how he came to this conclusion, the man explained that the young men were wearing low-cut jeans and sunglasses, smoking and hanging out on a porch — therefore, they must be rebels, despite the fact that none of these characteristics demonstrated anything definitive about the young men’s political affiliations or propensity for violence.

Over 16 years of ethnographic research, Bolten studied the methods employed by young men in Makeni to “perform adulthood” and counteract stereotypes. She studied specific strategies, such as wearing formal clothing and pursuing education, and the reception they received. Paradoxically, Bolten found that these so-called “adult” behaviors ended up reinforcing negative assumptions about young men in Makeni.

“Young men wearing suits are seen as bluffing or being stupid in the ways they are spending money,” said Bolten. “Or the youth hang out in tea houses wanting to be seen not smoking pot, but instead they are seen as young people wasting time hanging out.”

Growing out of these observations, Bolten argues for an understanding of “youth” as a verb or as an active attempt to be a person who is taken seriously that is undercut by stereotypes and exclusionary behaviors.

“During my research, I began to understand ‘youth’ as a pejorative that is applied to you,” says Bolten. “It means you don’t have to be treated as a person of consequence.”

In her first book, "I Did It to Save My Life: Love and Survival in Sierra Leone," Bolten explored the survival efforts of Makeni community members following Sierra Leone’s civil war and the subsequent four-year occupation of the town by rebel forces (1998-2002). Because of their refusal to dislodge the rebels, Makeni citizens received little aid for recovery and developed a negative reputation throughout the country.

As Bolten continued her research, she also realized that the burden of this infamous reputation was particularly influencing the perception of young men in the region as dangerous and often on the edge of reverting to violence. Bolten suggests that the “agential cut,” or the mode of observation that generates value judgments, is perhaps even more important than material aid in determining the boundaries faced by youth.

“The book is a call to reverse stereotypical adult perceptions,” said Bolten. “These judgments happen because we are in the information age and so bombarded by information that the primary impulse is to simplify, but in doing so, we lose the ability to grasp and appreciate complexity. If we are going to save ourselves, we have to be able to do that.”

Bolten’s book is part of the Oxford University Press “Issues in Globalization: Case 91��Ƶ in Contemporary Anthropology” series, which publishes volumes that each explore a particular issue in an individual community related to globalization and its effects. Bolten wanted to publish the book as part of this series because she hopes it will find its way into undergraduate classrooms and research.

“I want university students to know that they are being seen and heard, and I hope that they can see themselves in this book and use it as a platform for their own conversations,” Bolten says.

Contact: Catherine Bolten, Catherine.Bolten.2@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on November 21, 2019.

South Sudan peace agreement implementation facing challenges, according to new Kroc Institute report

2019-04-11T13:00:00-04:00

Implementation of South Sudan’s 2018 peace agreement faces critical challenges at the six-month mark, according to an April 11 report released by three researchers at the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, within the University of Notre Dame’s Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs. Although both parties in South Sudan are generally adhering to the ceasefire stipulated in the agreement, if key implementation activities do not proceed, the country may be at risk of returning to the violence that followed its failed 2015 peace agreement.

Co-authored by Matthew Hauenstein, postdoctoral research associate; Madhav Joshi, research associate professor and associate director of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) research project; and Jason Quinn, research assistant professor with PAM, the report assesses progress in the implementation of the country’s September 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The report compares the current South Sudan agreement to the failed 2015 peace agreement (the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, or ARCSS), as well as Colombia’s 2016 agreement with the FARC and 34 other comprehensive peace agreements contained within the PAM database.

The authors tracked data for 15 provisions identified for implementation during the first six months after R-ARCSS was signed. Of those provisions that were expected to be completed within the first six months, roughly half have not been initiated. Among the remaining eight provisions, four were minimally implemented, three are at an intermediate level of implementation and one provision has been fully implemented. In general, they found that R-ARCSS’ implementation is ahead of the ARCSS, but behind Colombia’s 2016 agreement and many other peace agreements negotiated since 1989.

“PAM is based on comparing cases, one of the most fundamental tools of investigation,” said Quinn. “It’s rare to be able to track and compare two implementation processes happening at the same time that began a short time apart. Colombia just finished one of the most successful demobilization programs in the last 30 years with extensive international accompaniment while South Sudan has made no progress. Everyone should be asking: How did this happen and what explains the differences between these two cases?”

Delays in implementation in South Sudan, especially in the areas of demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR), pose challenges to the country’s planned transition to a unity government in May. Kroc Institute researchers emphasized that half of agreements with early implementation rates similar to the R-ARCSS went on to achieve moderate to high levels of implementation. However, the other half that made little progress on DDR programs saw a return to violence or a stalled peace process.

“Our report highlights where the agreement is going to come under stress and when,” said Hauenstein. “The most critical upcoming event is the intended transition to a new power-sharing government in May, and the report shows that the things the signatories were supposed to do to get ready for this transition really haven’t been done.”

Hauenstein, Joshi and Quinn offer several recommendations for leaders in South Sudan, including renegotiating deadlines within the agreement that have been missed or were not realistic, empowering external actors and organizations — especially the United Nations — to provide additional support and funding to help implement DDR measures, and moving forward with the transition to a unity government while simultaneously implementing DDR measures.

“We hope our research can help key conflict actors and international actors recognize shortcomings in the current peace agreement and process and find ways to improve the process to allow for better overall outcomes,” said Joshi.

Previous research by Joshi and Quinn found that when comprehensive peace accords are implemented at a higher level, they produce many short- and long-term benefits, including a lower likelihood of a return to armed conflict, greater economic development and positive impacts on quality of life. Research shows that successful peace processes lead to a doubling of foreign direct investment over the following decade, as well as increases in gross domestic product, improved access to education and better public health.

Read the full report here.

Contact: Colleen Sharkey, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-9958, csharke2@nd.edu

Cornel West, Harvard professor of public philosophy, to deliver 25th annual Hesburgh Lecture

2019-04-05T14:00:00-04:00

Cornel West, professor of the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University and a prominent public intellectual, will deliver the 25th annual Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy at 4 p.m. April 12 (Friday) in O’Laughlin Auditorium in Saint Mary’s College’s Moreau Center for the Arts.

The Hesburgh Lecture is a signature event of the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ.

Currently at Harvard, West has also taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and the University of Paris. He is the author of 20 books and the editor of 13 more. Some of his most prominent titles include the books “Race Matters” and “Democracy Matters.” His latest book, “Black Prophetic Fire,” explores 19th- and 20th-century African American leaders and their legacies.

West is a prominent public intellectual and offers frequent commentary in media outlets, including regular guest appearances on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” CNN, C-SPAN and “Democracy Now.”

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. West to campus,” said Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute. “Expanding our focus on peacebuilding in the United States is a key commitment within the Kroc Institute’s new strategic plan, and we are honored to host a public intellectual of Dr. West’s caliber who brings vital expertise on race and justice in American politics and society. His lecture is sure to be a dynamic event.”

The lecture is open to the public, but is currently sold out.

Past Hesburgh lecturers have included Beatrice Fihn (2018), executive director of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning group, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Amitav Ghosh (2017), Indian novelist and public intellectual; Bill McKibben (2016), author, scholar and environmentalist; Ebrahim Rasool (2014), South Africa’s ambassador to the United States; Amartya Sen (2012), 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, Lamont University professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University; and Shirin Ebadi (2009), 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, lawyer and human rights advocate in Iran.

Contact: Lisa Gallagher, Kroc Institute, 574-631-9370, lgallag3@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on April 5.

Melinda Davis, Notre Dame senior, secures postgraduate fellowship with Holy See Mission to the UN

2019-04-04T11:40:00-04:00

When she represented the Holy See’s perspective during a mock United Nations Security Council exercise in class, University of Notre Dame senior Melinda Davis couldn’t have imagined that just one-and-a-half years later she would have the opportunity to travel to New York for an internship at the Vatican’s official Mission to the U.N.

Davis, a psychology and peace studies major from New Orleans, has secured a competitive postgraduate placement with the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the U.N. She is one of four 2019 summer interns selected through a highly competitive global search process.

From June through August, Davis will attend a wide variety of events and general assemblies that mission staff are invited to in New York, including U.N. meetings, conferences and debates. She will also have the opportunity to file reports to be sent to the Holy See’s central offices in the Vatican and to assist in running the mission’s events and conferences.

Davis credits her time at Notre Dame with equipping her with tools to better understand both external and internal conflict at interpersonal, local, regional and international levels.

“Through the study of both psychology and peace studies, I’ve learned that conflict is normal and there are good, healthy ways to approach it,” Davis said. “Conflict is not just related to far-away and seemingly intractable situations that may never be resolved, but you can be a peacebuilder in your day-to-day life. At the Holy See Mission, I’m excited to learn from all of the attachés and ambassadors what it’s like to publicly live out your faith and build peace in the workplace.”

This opportunity builds on Davis’ longtime interest in the Catholic Church and its global influence.

“My faith is very important to me. My father is a theology professor who got his master’s and Ph.D. degrees at Notre Dame, and his love of the church and ND planted the seed for my love of both,” said Davis. “Something that Notre Dame has really fostered in me is the awareness that the Church has an important and effective role to play in global affairs, and it has a lot of power and potential on the international stage to build peace in the world.”

Davis cites experiences in classes taught by Gerard F. Powers, director of Catholic Peacebuilding 91��Ƶ, that equipped her for the competitive application process with the mission. Assignments in a class with Powers range from writing policy memos to participating in practice interviews and engaging in a mock Security Council role-play, often in ways that allow students to integrate their faith-informed perspectives into their work.

“Melinda is an excellent student who is committed to doing high-quality intellectual work in the service of her faith,” said Powers. “This prestigious fellowship will enable her to apply Catholic social teaching at the highest levels of Church engagement with international policy.”

Davis is excited for the opportunity to experience firsthand top-tier international relations systems that she studied throughout her time at Notre Dame, and hopes this experience will dovetail with her ongoing research interests on the role of civil society organizations in relationship to migration and refugees in Europe.

During her peace studies senior seminar in fall 2018, Davis worked with Asher Kaufman, professor of history and peace studies and John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, to design a capstone research project. This initiative took her to London, where she interviewed migrants and refugees about the impact of the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote on their lives and livelihoods. Davis also received help in designing the research project from Ilaria Schnyder von Wartensee, the Ford Family Research Assistant Professor at Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ, and funding from the Nanovic Institute for European 91��Ƶ and the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.

While at Notre Dame, Davis has served as a Sorin Fellow at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, vice president of the Campus Fellowship of the Holy Spirit and a member of the Notre Dame Right to Life Club. She also has served as a research assistant in the Family 91��Ƶ Lab run by E. Mark Cummings, William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Professor of Psychology, and served on the academic committee for the 2019 Notre Dame Student Peace Conference. In 2018, she studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco, with the Migration and Transnational Identity program of the 91��Ƶ for International Training.

Contact: Hannah Heinzekehr, Kroc Institute Communications Program Director, hheinzek@nd.edu, 574-631-1808

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on April 4.

Madrasa Discourses initiative receives 2-year Templeton Grant extension

2019-03-14T16:00:00-04:00

The Madrasa Discourses project, an effort to equip Islamic religious leaders with the tools necessary to confidently engage pluralism, modern science and new philosophies, has received a two-year grant extension from the John Templeton Foundation. The project, launched in 2016 by Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Islamic studies and primary investigator for Madrasa Discourses, is part of the Contending Modernities research initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ and the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs.

The project, begun with the idea of revitalizing Islamic theological education in India and aimed at advancing the theological and scientific literacy of madrasa students, has now spread to include engagement with highly trained young scholars in Pakistan. The project has hosted four learning intensives on-site in Nepal and Qatar, including three intensives that have allowed for intercultural exchanges between current Notre Dame students and Madrasa Discourses participants. Participants from South Africa have also participated in one intensive.

The project plans to launch an interactive website later in 2019 that will make the program’s innovative curriculum publicly accessible, an effort led by Mahan Mirza, professor of the practice in Contending Modernities.

“Science and theological literacy, we have learned, plays a critical role in fostering peace. Both the John Templeton Foundation and communities in India and Pakistan see the immense contribution the Madrasa Discourses program is making to human development, dignity and community well-being,” said Moosa. “The Madrasa Discourses project promotes religious literacy for young leaders, and provides skills and knowledge to aid them in making wise and informed decisions about their future.”

Originally slated to end in July 2019, the $912,000, two-year extension will allow the project to continue through July 2021. Building upon its first pilot years and maintaining its successful international course modules, the project will turn toward supporting program participants as they present research and enter new roles in their local communities as Islamic studies professors, journalists and Madrasa educators.

In addition, a new generation of Indian and Pakistani scholars will be selected to begin the two-year course in July 2019. The selection committee, led by faculty Mawlana Muhammad Ammar Khan Nasir in Pakistan and Waris Mazhari in India, has already received hundreds of applications from prospective participants.

Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute, part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, is one of the world’s principal centers for the study of the causes of violent conflict and strategies for sustainable peace. Within the Kroc Institute, the Contending Modernities research initiative is a major interdisciplinary effort to generate new knowledge and greater understanding of the ways in which religious and secular forces interact in the modern world.

Contact:

Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Islamic studies, emoosa1@nd.edu

Hannah Heinzekehr, communications program director, hheinzek@nd.edu

Report reveals Colombian Peace Agreement’s gender perspective is innovative, but seeing delays

2018-11-13T13:00:00-05:00

A new report published on October 31 reveals that stipulations in Colombia’s Peace Accord centered on gender equality and women’s rights are being implemented, but more slowly than other provisions within the accord. The report was published by the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy, the Women’s International Democratic Federation (FDIM) and UN Women.

The October 2018 report presents an analysis of advances and challenges in the implementation of stipulations with a gender perspective between December 2016 and June 2018. To conduct the analysis, the Kroc Institute relied on information gathered by each of the four organizations involved in monitoring implementation of provisions relating to women.

Of the 130 peace accord stipulations with a gender perspective, the report states that 51 percent had not been initiated; 38 percent were in a state of minimal implementation; 7 percent had reached an intermediate level of implementation; and 4 percent had been fully implemented, as of June 2018. The report notes that there is a significant gap between the progress of commitments with a gender perspective (51 percent have not started implementation) and the proportion of total commitments in the agreement that have not started implementation (37 percent of 578 stipulations). This represents an implementation gap of 14 percentage points.

The inclusion of commitments focused on gender equality and women’s rights throughout the entirety of the final Colombian peace agreement is a milestone. The 2016 agreement develops a more robust gender perspective than any previous comprehensive peace agreement in the world.

Stipulations included within the peace agreement commit both the Colombian government and the FARC to implement specific affirmative actions to ensure the leadership and participation of women and LGBTI people in programs and institutions related to the implementation of the final agreement.

The report highlights that the most notable delays in implementation occur at three points within the accord: point 1 regarding comprehensive rural reform, point 2 related to political participation, and point 4 addressing solutions to the problem of illicit drugs. The successful implementation of each of these points within the Accord is fundamental to achieving structural changes for equality between men and women and the effective enjoyment of human rights and non-discrimination of all Colombians.

The report emphasizes that there are persistent challenges related to the effective political participation of women and security and protection guarantees for female social leaders, defenders of human rights, female ex-combatants and communities. The report also warns that current initiatives for reincorporation are not taking gender into account, and many female ex-combatants have had to take their own initiative to develop projects that allow them to achieve economic and social reincorporation.

The report cites evidence that the direct and significant participation of women in peace processes — as mediators, negotiators, among those responsible for implementation and in all areas of peacebuilding — generates a more sustainable and transformative peace. Given this reality, the organizations that prepared the document urge the Colombian government and the agencies responsible for implementation of the peace agreement to take concrete steps to overcome the current challenges facing the implementation of gender-focused provisions.

In his recent report to the Security Council on women, peace, and security, António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said he considers it encouraging that the method developed by the Kroc Institute, the Swedish Embassy, UN Women and FDIM exists and promotes broad participation in Colombia. As a result, various women’s organizations and platforms have been participating to monitor and accompany the signatories of the peace agreement in the verification process for the implementation of commitments with a gender perspective.

Monitoring, verification and technical support for implementation is essential in order to achieve the effective implementation of commitments and a higher quality, more inclusive, legitimate and transformative peace.

The full report is available to download at kroc.nd.edu/research/peace-processes-accords/pam-colombia/.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ is part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and is one of the leading peace research and study centers in the world. One of its main projects is the Peace Agreements Matrix (PAM), which manages the most comprehensive database regarding the implementation of 34 peace agreements around the world.

By mandate of the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP, signatory parties of the Final Agreement to End the Armed Conflict and Build a Stable and Lasting Peace, the Kroc Institute is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Agreement. The Kroc Institute has released two prior reports on the status of implementation in November 2017 and August 2018.

Colombian peace accord implementation progressing steadily amid continuing concerns, report finds

2018-08-09T11:00:00-04:00

After 18 months of work, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have continued to make steady progress in implementing commitments outlined in the country’s 2016 peace accord. According to the second report by the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, released Thursday (Aug. 9), implementation activity has been observed for 61 percent of the 578 stipulations in the accord, with no activity observed yet for 39 percent of the stipulations, as of May 31, 2018.

“The data shows that the peace agreement is making steady progress and is on pace with other comprehensive peace agreements in moving toward implementation,” said David Cortright, the director of the Kroc Institute’s Peace Accords Matrix (PAM).

The second Kroc Institute report, which tracks implementation progress from Dec. 1, 2016, to May 31, 2018, highlights significant progress in areas related to the ceasefire, cantonment, laying down of arms and the transformation of the FARC into a political party with representation in Congress.

But challenges still remain. The report identifies three key areas of concern: inadequate guarantees of security and protection for human rights advocates and social leaders; the slow processes of long-term political, social and economic reincorporation for ex-combatants; and pending legislative and regulatory adjustments needed in order to promote broad participation in democratic processes. The report also emphasizes the difficulties faced in implementing the gender, ethnic and territorial approaches that are key features of the Colombian peace agreement.

Paying immediate attention to these issues would move the country toward a more sustainable peace and a better quality of life for residents in rural areas, victims of the conflict and all Colombians.

“The transformation of the country and peacebuilding are long-term processes that require the commitment of all of Colombian society,” said Borja Paladini Adell, Kroc Institute representative in Colombia. “All sectors have a role to play in the implementation of this agreement. Promoting effective and efficient implementation will be one of the main challenges the new [Colombian] government will face."

The report commends the progress and recommends that, moving forward, the implementation process should have an increased focus on institutional and structural transformation, with greater emphasis on social inclusion, citizen participation, implementation in rural territories across the country, security guarantees, respect for human rights and providing effective mechanisms for transparency and accountability.

“The implementation of a peace agreement, especially after so many decades of conflict, is a difficult and complex process and it takes many years to generate changes,” said Paladini Adell. “However, as a commitment on behalf of the state that goes beyond partisan political ties and specific government administrations, the implementation process can become an opportunity for transformation, guaranteeing the right to peace and sustainable development and creating a more democratic and equitable society.”

The Kroc Institute, an integral part of the University of Notre Dame’s Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, has been asked to provide technical verification and monitoring of implementation of the accord through the Barometer Initiative, part of the PAM research project. The Kroc Institute partners with the National Secretariat for the Social Pastorate-Caritas Colombiana to administer a team of peacebuilding professionals who provide on-the-ground monitoring in Colombia.

Compared to the 34 comprehensive peace agreements in the PAM database, the implementation of the Colombian peace accord is progressing at an average pace.

“We have an objective, quantitative process that covers every single commitment in the Colombian accord and we can compare that to 34 other comprehensive peace agreements around the world,” said Cortright. “We can step back and take a look at the whole agreement and step even further back to look at what’s happened in similar contexts around the world.”

Other key findings from the Kroc Institute’s second report include:

Each month since December 2016, the number of stipulations moving from zero implementation into the categories of minimum, intermediate or complete has increased.
Since December 2016, the percentage of stipulations that have been fully implemented has increased from 4 to 21 percent, representing a five-fold increase.
As of May 2018, 21 percent of the stipulations have been fully implemented; 9 percent have intermediate implementation, and 31 percent have been minimally implemented. Thirty-nine percent have not been initiated, although of this group, approximately 5 percent are scheduled to begin implementation in 2019.

Kroc’s report states, “At the heart of the Colombia accord is the promise of institutional and structural reform, especially in the territories, together with greater social inclusion, public participation, respect for human rights, and government accountability. The new government should persist in working to achieve these goals to assure sustainable peace and development and create a more democratic and equitable society in Colombia.”

Madhav Joshi, associate director of PAM, and Jason Quinn, research associate professor with PAM, have published findings in Conflict Management and Peace Science that demonstrate that successful implementation of peace accords is a predictor of not only sustained peace, but also economic health.

“Our research shows that implementation success brings more foreign direct investment compared to other conflict termination types,” said Joshi. “We found that the single biggest predictor of durable peace is the implementation of the negotiated agreement. By fulfilling the implementation of the peace agreement, the Colombian government will be able to achieve durable peace and also attract tremendous foreign investments that would significantly transform the Colombian economy.”

Cortright notes that the world sees Colombia’s peace accord as a beacon of hope, not only for the country but also for regional stability.

The Kroc Institute report urges the new government to continue implementing the accord, to strengthen cooperation with the international community and to work to create spaces for dialogue across diverse viewpoints.

“The Kroc Institute will accompany the efforts of Colombians in building a peaceful country, and we trust that the [Iván] Duque administration and Congress will see implementation of the peace accord as an opportunity to construct quality peace in Colombia,” said Cortright.

Read the full Kroc Institute Executive Summary.

More information on the Peace Accords Matrix.

Contact: Amanda Skofstad, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4313, skofstad@nd.edu

Scholar-practitioner Laurie Nathan appointed professor of the practice of mediation

2018-06-27T15:00:00-04:00

Laurie Nathan has been appointed professor of the practice of mediation at the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ within the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Nathan will establish and direct the Kroc Institute’s new mediation program, which will serve as an international center for mediation research, training, policy development and practice.

Nathan holds a doctoral degree in regional security from the University of Cape Town and a master of philosophy degree from the Division of Peace 91��Ƶ at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom.

“The Keough 91��Ƶ is delighted to welcome into our ranks this renowned international mediator, who brings to our faculty a distinguished record of peacebuilding in Africa and critical service to the United Nations,” said Scott Appleby, Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough 91��Ƶ. “Professor Nathan is a gift to our colleagues and especially to our students, who will learn a great deal, indeed, from his experiences and insight into the dynamics of nonviolent conflict resolution and transformation.”

Nathan is a senior mediation adviser to the United Nations and serves on the U.N. Academic Advisory Council on Mediation. He is the lead designer and trainer for the U.N.’s High Level Mediation Course.

Nathan participated in the African Union mediation for Darfur from 2005-2006; supported the U.N.-A.U. mediation for Darfur from 2010-2011; supported the Southern African Development Community mediation for Madagascar in 2010; and facilitated strategic planning for the U.N. Office in Mali after the 2012 coup. He has served on the Advisory Council of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch, the Carter Center’s International Council for Conflict Resolution, the Expert Advisory Group of the United Nations Development Programme’s Democratic Governance Practice Network and the board of Conciliation Resources.

“Practice and policy are integral components of the Kroc Institute’s mission, and Laurie is the perfect person to help us build upon an excellent foundation as a leader in international peacebuilding policy,” says Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute.

Prior to this appointment, Nathan was professor and director of the Centre for Mediation in Africa at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the University of Cape Town. Nathan has been in residence at the University of Notre Dame since January as a Kroc Institute visiting research fellow.

Most recently Nathan was the lead author of a 2018 policy report on successful preventive diplomacy by the United Nations. The report, titled “Capturing UN Preventive Diplomacy Success: How and Why Does it Work?” was a research initiative of the United Nations University in collaboration with the U.N. Department of Political Affairs. The report refutes the claim that the U.N. routinely fails at preventing armed conflicts and explores cases when the U.N. worked closely with regional partners to avert large-scale violence.

Nathan is the author of four books, including “Community of Insecurity: SADC’s Struggle for Peace and Security in Southern Africa” and “No Ownership, No Commitment: A Guide to Local Ownership of Security Sector Reform.” He is also co-editor of two books and author of more than 50 articles and chapters.

Contact: Laurie Nathan, Laurie.N.Nathan.4@nd.edu; Hannah Heinzekehr, communications program director, HHeinzek@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on June 27, 2018.

Kroc Institute to host first academic conference on military antiwar movements

2018-05-15T10:00:00-04:00

More than 90 veterans, scholars and activists from around the world will gather May 22-24 (Tuesday-Thursday) at the University of Notre Dame for “Voices of Conscience: Antiwar Opposition in the Military.” This is the first major academic conference to explore the impact of military antiwar movements, especially during the Vietnam and Iraq wars, and their importance for peacebuilding. The conference is hosted by Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, an integral part of the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs.

“The historic campaigns we will examine in this conference are linked to the movements of today, especially to the students and community activists organizing against the scourge of gun violence in the U.S., just as we march to prevent war and armed violence abroad,” says David Cortright, director of policy studies at the Kroc Institute and the conference convener. “As one of the premier peace studies centers in the world, it’s important for us at Kroc to understand social movements that have opposed war. During the Vietnam War, the peace movement within the military was less well-known, but it had a significant impact on pressuring political leaders to end an unjust war.”

The conference will also host the formal launch of the "GI Press Collection," a newly created digital archive of "underground" antiwar newspapers published by and for active duty GIs during the Vietnam War. The collection is housed by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

The conference will also host the U.S. debut of the exhibit "Waging Peace: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed America’s War in Vietnam." Notre Dame will be only the second stop for this exhibit, following its display at the War Remnants Museum in the former South Vietnam capital, Ho Chi Minh City.

Ron Carver, a participant in antiwar GI coffeehouses during the Vietnam War and the curator of the exhibit, began to pull materials together after visiting the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam in 2016 and being approached by then director Nguyen Knoc Van who was interested in displaying information about opposition to the war within the armed forces. The staff at the War Remnants Museum were instrumental in designing and displaying the exhibit.

“I’ve been involved in the social justice movement for over 50 years, and I was alarmed that most people had no idea about the critical role played by active duty soldiers and veterans in the antiwar movement,” says Carver. “Our goal is that this exhibit and the academic papers coming out of this conference can help to educate more people in the general population about these movements and the role of antiwar soldiers in ending war.”

In addition to the War Remnants Museum and the Kroc Institute, the exhibit was also supported by several other peace institutions, including the Ho Chi Minh City Foundation for Peace and Development and the International Network of Museums for Peace. The exhibit is free and open to the public. It will be on display in the Hesburgh Center for International 91��Ƶ through June 15.

Both Cortright and Carver hope that the conference will promote intergenerational exchange, encourage conversation within the U.S. military and inspire a new generation of scholars to study these movements and the strategies for building peace that they employed.

“I’m so pleased that we attracted good participation and hope that we’ll see additional publications and more research produced and also inspire new generations to remain active in organizing against unjust war,” said Cortright.

Veterans of the Vietnam and Iraq wars, as well as the ongoing “War on Terror” in the United States, are among those who will present during the conference. Among them are Susan Schnall, a Navy nurse during the Vietnam War who hired a small plane and dropped 20,000 antiwar flyers over five military bases in San Francisco, and Nathan Smith, a former active duty U.S. Army artillery and intelligence officer with deployments to both Afghanistan and Kuwait and the plaintiff in the lawsuit Smith v. Obama (now Smith v. Trump) alleging violations of the War Powers Resolution in the war against ISIS.

Other presenters include Madame Ton-Nu-Thi Ninh of the Ho Chi Minh City Peace and Development Foundation; Tran Xuan Thao, director of the War Remnants Museum; historians Michael Kazin and Christian Appy; sociologist David Meyer; and Veterans For Peace Executive Director Michael McPhearson.

Many Notre Dame faculty are involved in presenting and moderating panels, including Cortright; Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute; Ann Mische, associate professor of sociology and peace studies; Atalia Omer, associate professor of religion, conflict and peace studies; R. Scott Appleby, Marilyn Keough Dean, Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs; and Roy Scranton, assistant professor of English and Kroc Faculty Fellow.

The full conference schedule is available online. Plenary sessions on May 22 will be livestreamed (a link will be posted from this page shortly) and the full lectures will be made available following the conference.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ supports study, research and practice centered on strategies for sustainable peace and supports undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. students in peace studies.

Contacts: David Cortright, David.B.Cortright.1@nd.edu; Amanda Skofstad, skofstad@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on May 14.

Beatrice Fihn, director of 2017 Nobel Prize-winning ICAN, to deliver 24th annual Hesburgh Lecture

2018-04-16T08:00:00-04:00

Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning group the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), will deliver the 24th annual Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy at 4 p.m. Tuesday (April 17) in the McCartan Courtroom, Eck Hall of Law, at the University of Notre Dame.

The Hesburgh Lecture is a signature event of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, part of Notre Dame’s new Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs.

Fihn’s lecture, titled “Faith and Fury: The Moral, Legal and Rational Argument to End the Nuclear Threat for Good,” will focus on the threat of nuclear war, exacerbated by heightened tensions and rhetoric between the United States and North Korea. She will also address the rationale and import of ICAN’s call for a ban on nuclear weapons. ICAN, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations in 101 countries, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its advocacy work to promote the passage of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted at the United Nations in July 2017 by 122 countries (not including the United States).

“The belief of some governments that nuclear weapons are a legitimate and essential source of security is not only misguided, but also dangerous,” Fihn said in her Oct. 6, 2017, Nobel Prize acceptance speech. “This is a time of great global tension, when fiery rhetoric could all too easily lead us, inexorably, to unspeakable horror. … If ever there were a moment for nations to declare their unequivocal opposition to nuclear weapons, that moment is now.”

Fihn holds a law degree from the University of London. Prior to serving as ICAN’s executive director, she managed the disarmament program at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Reaching Critical Will project. She also worked for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

“We are delighted to welcome Beatrice Fihn to campus,” says Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute. “Nuclear disarmament was a key concern of Kroc’s co-founder, Father Hesburgh, and we have no doubt that Ms. Fihn’s input will be both timely and will stimulate continued dialogue here on campus.”

The lecture is free and open to the public. It will also be live-streamed.

Fihn’s work echoes the concerns of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., the late president emeritus of Notre Dame and the namesake for the Hesburgh Lecture. In 1985, Father Hesburgh spoke in San Diego, California, urging religious leaders and scientists to work together to stop nuclear arms proliferation and advocating for the important role universities could play in training these leaders. At this lecture, Father Hesburgh met Joan B. Kroc, who would go on to give the founding gift to establish the Kroc Institute in 1986.

The Hesburgh Lecture series began in 1995. Each year, a distinguished scholar, policymaker and/or peace advocate is invited to deliver a major lecture on an issue related to ethics and public policy in the context of peace and justice.

Fihn will be the fifth Nobel Prize Laureate to visit the Kroc Institute.

Past Hesburgh lecturers have included Amitav Ghosh (2017), Indian novelist and public intellectual; Bill McKibben (2016), author, scholar and environmentalist; Ebrahim Rasool (2014), South Africa’s ambassador to the United States; Amartya Sen (2012), 1998 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, Lamont University professor and professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University; and Shirin Ebadi (2009), 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, lawyer and human rights advocate in Iran.

Contact: Lisa Gingerich, 574-631-9370, lgallag3@nd.edu

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on March 5.

Kroc Institute to host inaugural Psychology and Peace Conference

2018-03-01T08:00:00-05:00

The Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, part of the University of Notre Dame's new Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, will serve as both the host and co-sponsor for the inaugural Psychology and Peace Conference. Running March 9-11 (Friday-Sunday) on the Notre Dame campus, the event will be the first time American Psychological Association (APA) Division 48, the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence, has hosted a gathering outside of the APA’s annual meetings.

The event will draw leading scholars, as well as early-career academics and graduate students, to present research that sits at the intersection of psychology and peace studies. Laura Miller-Graff, assistant professor of psychology and peace studies at the Keough 91��Ƶ, serves as part of the conference planning committee.

”It’s been energizing to see the positive response to the conference both at Notre Dame and from the division,” says Miller-Graff. “Given Notre Dame’s commitment to rigorous intellectual scholarship and to social justice, both topics central to the aims of the Kroc Institute and the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, this is an ideal setting to bring together scholars interested in how psychological science and practice can contribute to peace building and human development in diverse global contexts.”

The conference planning committee selected the Notre Dame campus as the conference site due to Kroc’s status as a global leader in the field of peace studies and the presence of six doctoral students studying peace studies and psychology.

“I felt like the Kroc Institute was a great location, both as one of the world’s leading sites for peace studies, but also a place where the students we are interested in reaching are located,” says Scott Moeschberger, past president of APA Division 48 and professor of psychology at Taylor University. “With this conference, we want to think creatively about how we invite students like those at Kroc to help us envision this future together for peace studies and psychology.”

According to Robert McKelvain, conference chair and professor of psychology at Abilene Christian University, the conference planning committee hopes that attendees will leave the conference with “increased passion and capacity to be peacemakers and scholars.”

“You have to have capacity, passion and skill, but to be effective, you also have to have the belief that you know how to make a difference,” says McKelvain. “The workshops and papers at this conference will focus on both building capacity and expanding people’s sense of self-efficacy.”

Spanning three days, the conference will include paper presentations, panel discussions and workshops on topics like bystander intervention training or psychologists’ contributions to peace processes in Latin America to help encourage hands-on peace-building skills. The conference will also include six keynote sessions on themes ranging from global warming’s implications for violence and conflict around the world to using research to prevent school-based bullying.

On March 10, Asher Kaufman, John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute, will present a keynote address titled, “Accomplishing Collaboration: Multidisciplinary Research in Peace 91��Ƶ.”

On March 8, the Kroc Institute will also host a Paper-in-a-Day event to stimulate collaboration among early-career scholars on projects such as research reports, policy analysis papers or research proposals for grant funding. The work of the Paper-in-a-Day teams will be presented during the conference.

All events will be held in the Conference Center at McKenna Hall on the Notre Dame campus. Lunch panels and keynote sessions will be held at the Morris Inn. Notre Dame faculty, staff and students who wish to drop in for specific sessions can register at no cost. Individuals planning to attend the conference in full are asked to complete a paid registration to account for the cost associated with conference materials and meals.

For more information on the event schedule and to register, visit peacepsychology.org.

Originally published by Hannah Heinzekehr at kroc.nd.edu on Feb. 8.