Comparative Conflicts Archives - Page 9 of 11

Public Engagement Basque Country

On 5 October 2018, The Chair was invited to the “5th Social Forum” (hosted by Bake Bidea) in the Basque Country. This civil society structure aims to engage the wider society in the peace process and it took place in Pamplona. The title of the conference was the “Right to know the truth: mechanisms for the recognition and reparation of the victims of the conflict” and The Chair gave the keynote address followed by discussion with the wider public.

Speaking at the 5th Social Forum in Pamplona

The event was covered in a range of newspapers provoking a range of different reactions:

Brandon Hamber: “La búsqueda de la verdad tiene aspectos incómodos para todos”

El Foro Social pide que se priorice la verdad por encima del interés político

Un foro insistirá en Pamplona en blanquear el pasado de ETA: “Se deben respetar todos los relatos”

Sexual Violence against Men

On 2 October 2018 the Chair hosted a public lecture on the Magee Campus by Dr Chris Dolan, Honorary Professor at Ulster University and Director of the Refugee Law Project. The lecture was entitled “Spheres of Harm: An Exploration of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Men”. The lecture focused on conflict-related sexual violence against men, and highlighted some of the major practical, conceptual and disciplinary challenges to dominant models for addressing sexual violence. Dr Dolan proposed an alternative approach to thinking about sexual violence in conflict which has a major impact on enhancing progressive models of gender justice.

Dr Chris Dolan, Honorary Professor at Ulster University and Director of the Refugee Law Project

Dealing with Historical Abuse

On 21 September 2018, the Chair and Professor Lundy from Ulster University hosted a workshop entitled “Mechanisms for Dealing with the Legacy of Historical Child Abuse: International lessons for new approaches”. The workshop explored lessons from different inquiries in political and social contexts, and included delegates from Canada, Australia, US, Sweden, Uganda, and more. A key focus of the workshop was also on what lessons could be learned from the field of transitional justice for inquiries into historical institutional abuse.

Governor O’Malley Event

As part of the Donegal Diaspora Awards, the Chair hosted a lunch and discussion with former Governor O’Malley, one of the 2018 recipients of the Donegal Diaspora Award. Governor O’Malley served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015, and was also previously the Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. The Governor addressed senior business officials and local politicians . The group was also addressed by Tom O’Neill. The event provided a fascinating insight into the current state of US politics.

Former Governor O’Malley addressing the luncheon discussion

Truth and Reconciliation Platform

On 13 September 2018 the Chair hosted the Truth and Reconciliation Platform in the Great Hall at Magee. The event took the form of survivors of the conflict sharing their stories and experiences with the public. Powerful testimony was given by Joe Campbell, Kathleen Gillespie, Stephen Travers and Alan McBride. The evening was deeply moving and inspirational, and shows why moving forward the peace process is so important.

A New Dawn for South Africa?

Professor Hamber published today in the Irish Times a piece about the Presidential shifts in South Africa and the collapse of the Stormont Talks. The article begins “In a strange way the South Africa and Northern Ireland peace processes have always been linked. In the 1990s both were heralded as examples of how deep divisions could be overcome, and co-operation fostered between former enemies. Other connections were more direct, such as the former ANC lead negotiator and now new South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s role in the decommissioning processes as an inspector on behalf of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. Two decades later, however, both peace processes have lost their shine…”

To read the rest, click here.

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Resilience to Conflict: Sierra Leone

Professor Hamber with partners Fambul Tok (Sierra Leone), Catalyst for Peace (US), Refugee Law Project (Uganda), Green String Network (Kenya), and the Research and Advocacy Unit and African University (Zimbabwe) secured a seed grant to develop a Global Challenges Research Fund project to bring together partners to consider: “What are the internal-external framework and relationships that genuinely, in practice, support the creation of resilient communities facing ongoing and dynamic peace and development challenges, and how can communities, local organisations and international donors help to grow these?”. A large inter-country meeting took place in Freetown in 22-26 January 2018. A range of new initiatives will now flow from the meeting including joint research and proposals.