"Lessons of Peace Processes" Inaugural Conference of the ASEM Education Hub Thematic Network on Peace and Conflict Studies

The conference will focus on peace processes related to territorial conflicts in Europe and Asia. Speakers include President Martti Ahtisaari, and Amb. Sastrohandoyo Wiryono. Program http://www.tnpcs2007.niasconferences.dk/subpage.php?id=7 Registration: http://www.tnpcs2007.niasconferences.dk/registration.php

This one-day meeting is the inaugural conference of the ASEM Education Hub’s Thematic Network on Peace and Conflict Studies. It will focus on peace processes related to territorial conflicts in Europe and Asia and it will offer a forum for a meeting of leading scholars of peace processes, and the main Asian and European mediators, negotiators and facilitators of peace processes. Speakers of the conference include, President Martti Ahtisaari, the mediator of Aceh Peace Talks, Amb. Sastrohandoyo Wiryono, Negotiator of Aceh Peace Talks, Mediator in Cambodia and Mindanao Peace Processes and Dr. Willie McCarter, Former Chairman of the International Trust Fund for Ireland.

Concept
While mankind yet to find a formula to end wars, peace processes have been increasingly successful. Fifteen years ago, available data suggested that majority of peace processes do not produce a peace agreement, and three out of four peace agreements fail. Ten years later, newer data suggested than “only” 40 percent of post-conflict states slide back to conflict within ten years. Peace processes, and new knowledge about them, are making an important contribution to peace in the world. According to Gurr , concessional attitude and preparedness to negotiate are the main explanations for the decline of warfare since the end of cold war. In support to this, according to Fisas, the average conflict duration before negotiations are initiated has reduced drastically in the 1990s, while at the same time, the Uppsala database on conflicts indeed shows that this intensification of peace processes takes place at the same time as the drastic decline of conflicts and conflict casualties. Thus the knowledge about peace negotiation and peace processes is of utmost relevance; both successful and failed cases provide experiences from which we can draw from. Comparison between cases, facilitated by university co-operation between strongholds of expertise on different conflict cases, as well as between universities with general rather than case- specific expertise, is thus crucial.

This is the motivation of the first conference of the Thematic Network on Peace and Conflict Studies under the ASEM Education Hub. The conference focuses on peace processes that take place in conflicts over territories (separatist/autonomy conflicts). The main focus is on the process modalities in peace processes and on the formula for solutions (constitutional autonomy models, phased models of separation, power sharing models, law enforcement models, etc.).

Program http://www.tnpcs2007.niasconferences.dk/subpage.php?id=7
Registration: http://www.tnpcs2007.niasconferences.dk/registration.php

From 31 Aug 2007
Until 31 Aug 2007
Eigtveds Pakhus (Danish Foreign Ministry), Copenhagen, Denmark
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