Conflict Prevention at the Local and Regional levels

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Conflict Prevention at the Local and Regional
levels
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Background
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George Wachira - Nairobi Peace Initiative for
Africa (Kenya) Tatiana Popovic - Nansen Dialogue
Network for Western Balkans (Serbia) Samuel Rizk
- The Arab Partnership for Conflict Prevention
and Human Security (Lebanon) Background of the
Talk Nairobi Peace Initiative for
AfricaNPI-Africa started in 1984 as a discussion
group named Nairobi Peace Group, in the wake of
the Horn of Africa famine. In the course of time,
the
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Peace Initiative, reflecting its shift from a
discussion and informal diplomacy group to one
actively involved in initiating peacebuilding
activities and recently to NPI-Africa,
reflecting its pan-African vision and focus. In
addition to working directly with people in
conflict, NPI-A has seen its role as that of
stimulating existing institutions. NPI-Africa has
been involved in a wide range of peacebuilding
initiatives. Major activities have included
supporting grassroots peacebuilding work in
Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and Congo
promoting Track 2
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organization has changed its name to Nairobi
mediation and conciliation efforts by religious
and political leaders in Angola, Burundi,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Sudan
building capacity in conflict transformation and
peacebuilding for peace workers in over 30
countries in Africa and organizing conferences
and symposia on topical issues of concern to
peacebuilding and Africa in general.
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The Nansen Dialogue Network NDN consists of
Nansen Dialogue Centres in the Western Balkans
and the Nansen Academy in Norway. The Nansen
Dialogue Centres (NDCs) are organized as local
NGOs with a total of 70 people working full time.
The main objective of the network is to
contribute to reconciliation and peacebuilding
through interethnic dialogue between strategic
individuals and groups that have strong influence
or decision making power in deeply divided
communities. The Nansen Dialogue Network has
offices in Sarajevo, Mostar,
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Banjaluka, Belgrade, Bujanovac, Podgorica,
Skopje, Osijek, Pristina, Mitrovica
(North/South). There are several ethnically
divided municipalities in which NDN is highly
involved in dialogue projects related to peace
education. NDN has been facilitating dialogue
between local politicians and administrative
leaders in several municipalities for the past
few years. Moreover, the Network has been
actively cooperating with counterparts of
different professional groups from other parts of
the region and from Norwegian municipalities.
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The Arab Partnership for Conflict Prevention and
Human Security The Middle East is home to a
number of local and international conflicts. In
addition, there are numerous ethnic and religious
differences that have been used to contribute to
social tension and occasionally burst to the
surface in acts of limited communal violence.
While the Middle East is not the worst or only
region suffering from violent conflict, its
strategic location often gives local conflicts
greater international impact. In response to this
situation, the Arab Partnership for Conflict
Prevention and
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Human Security was founded in February 2005 as
part of the broader Global Partnership for the
Prevention of Armed Conflict, a loose alliance
between the United Nations, governments and civil
society to develop a common platform for
effective action on conflict prevention from the
community to the global level.
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Words and Expressions
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cumbersome difficult to handle or use especially
because of size or weight e.g. That is an
apparatus for lifting heavy or cumbersome
objects.
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catalyst something that causes an important
event to happen e.g. The offer of a new job
provided just the catalyst she needed.
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vested provide with power and authority e.g. A
form of government in which all power is vested
in a single ruler or other authority.
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reconcile make compatible with e.g. We tried
to reconcile her with her family.
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monolithic imposing in size or bulk or solidity
e.g. There is a tall, four-sided shaft of
stone, usually tapered and monolithic, that rises
to a point.
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prerogative a right reserved exclusively by a
particular person or group (especially a
hereditary or official right) e.g. A monarch
has the prerogative of mercy for criminals.
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trauma any physical damage to the body caused by
violence or accident or fracture etc. e.g. It
is a common type of inner ear deafness seen in
adults that is due to acoustic trauma.
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warlord supreme military leader exercising civil
power in a region especially one accountable to
nobody when the central government is weak e.g.
All these movements were suppressed by the
warlord government.
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culprit someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
e.g. The culprit will be whipped when he is
found.