This two-day seminar presents the results from a research project on Local Models of Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management in Haiti: Insight from Marginalized Communities. The project was undertaken in cooperation between the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Centre d’Études et des Recherche sur le Développement des Cultures et des Sociétés (CERDECS) in Port–au-Prince, Haiti.
During the first day of the seminar the focus will be on different aspects and challenges of violence in Haiti, including on the particular problems and tension existing along the border with the Dominican Republic. The focus will also be on destruction of agriculture, ensuing food shortages, unemployment , rural - urban migration and finally on the preferences of the Haitian local population when it comes to conflict regulating mechanisms – including their opinion about the Haitian National Police, international NGOs and the work of MINUSTAH.
The second day will be dedicated to the solutions, and to the local traditions and methods for the prevention of violence and conflict identified in some communities in Haiti. How could these be strengthened? In this section the focus will also be on important challenges of violence in local communities in Guatemala, including violence against women, and on what has been done to prevent such violence. In short, during the second day experiences from conflict prevention and conflict management in local communities in Haiti and Guatemala will be identified, with the aim of reaching conclusions on lessons learned, and on how these structures could be used and strengthened for the future.
The seminar is organized by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales Guatemala (FLACSO) and the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre (NOREF)
PROGRAMME
| Day 1 (6 February, 10.00–15.00) Challenges of Violence and Preferred Solutions in Haiti |
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|---|---|
| 10.00 | Registration and coffee |
| 10.20 | Welcome by Director Beatriz Zepeda, FLACSO, Guatemala |
| 10.30 | Introduction to the Haiti project by Wenche Hauge, PRIO, Oslo |
| 10.40 | Presentation of results from a survey on perceptions of violence and preferred solutions in Haiti, by Alain Gilles, CERDECS, Port-au-Prince (45 minutes, including interpretation + 10 minutes for questions) |
| 11.35 | Particular challenges observed during fieldwork in Haiti (particularly tensions along the border Haiti/Dominican Republic), by Rachelle Doucet, CERDECS, Port-au-Prince (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions) |
| 12.05 | Lunch |
| 13.15 | The relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic - background and current trends by Blanca Antonini, Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Buenos Aires (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions) |
| 13.45 | Challenges of violence in Guatemala, by Carlos Sarti, PROPAZ, Guatemala (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions) |
| 14.15 | General discussion |
| 15.00 | End of seminar day one |
| Day 2 (7 February 10.00–15.00) Local Models of Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management |
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|---|---|
| 10.00 | Registration and coffee |
| 10.20 | Welcome by Director Beatriz Zepeda, FLACSO, Guatemala |
| 10.30 | Introduction to solutions identified in the Haiti project by Wenche Hauge, PRIO, Oslo |
| 10.40 | Presentation of experiences in conflict prevention and conflict management from local communities in Haiti, by Rachelle Doucet, CERDECS, Port-au-Prince (30 minutes + 20 minutes for questions) |
| 11.30 | The Challenge of Violence against Women in Guatemala and Efforts to Prevent such Violence, by Ana Silva Monzón, FLACSO, Guatemala (30 minutes + 10 minutes for questions) |
| 12.10 | Lunch |
| 13.15 | The relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic - background and current trends by Blanca Antonini, Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Buenos Aires (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions) |
| 13.20 | Local models of conflict prevention and conflict resolution in Guatemala, by Rosy López, PROPAZ, Guatemala (30 minutes + 20 minutes for questions) |
| 14.10 | General discussion |
