Peace & Dialogue Platform Secretariat Assicurazione Generale Building, 2nd floor Nejmeh Square, Beirut Central District Lebanon Tel: (+961) 1 980 274/5/6 Fax: (+961) 1 980 275 info@peaceanddialogueplatform.org

Peace & Dialogue Platform

Table of Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 1

Shared Knowledge. ….……………..……………………………………. 2

Membership ......................................................................................... 9

Features ……………………………………...…………………...…. 10

Facebook

Blog

Country Profile

Resource Guides

Thematic Areas

Interactive Tools………………………….………………….………… 19

National Dialogues Process Tool

Dialogue Design Tool

One Text Negotiation Tool

Timelines

Multi-layer Maps

Negotiation Table

Partners . ………………………………………………………………….... 24

Introduction

What is the Peace & Dialogue Platform?

The Peace & Dialogue Platform is a collaborative on-line platform, space and shared knowledge resource for peace and dialogue processes and structures. It offers a dynamic platform for joint knowledge creation, and a structured space to share experiences and capture unfolding processes. The platform was created as a resource to those who design, manage and participate in peace and dialogue processes and structures in their respective countries. Each country and regional partner on the platform manages their own “spaces” and has final editorial control to maximize the use in their specific context and meet their process needs.

Aims

Capture process, technical and thematic knowledge that emerges out of particular national and regional contexts;

Provide an inclusive platform that captures diverse narratives in and from national and regional conflicts;

Create dynamic and open frameworks to analyze, design and manage peace and dialogue processes;

Link national experiences, process knowledge and technical expertise to bridge the gap between practice and theory;

Deconstruct the power structure of knowledge creation focusing on the essential source of knowledge emanation from the processes and stakeholders themselves.

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Shared Knowledge

Creating shared knowledge

Shared knowledge creation in peace and dialogue processes is the shifting from “I know” to “we know”. The purpose for integrating shared knowledge into facilitation and dialogue processes is to explore, discover and create common understanding between conflicting parties. In this process the parties develop deeper and informed understanding, awareness and appreciation of their different and shared realities and normative frameworks. Shared knowledge is an essential element of deadlock breaking and consensus building, and it enables knowledge-based dialogues.

Shared knowledge in dialogue processes

One of the key contributing factors to conflict are data-conflicts: lack of information; misinformation; distorted information; disparity of available (and access to) essential data between conflicting parties; information without sufficient context; and our limited lenses through which we look at each other’s realities. Conflicting parties in dialogue or negotiations often lack the knowledge necessary to reach informed decisions which both sides would regard as fair, just and reasonable. Integrating shared knowledge into the facilitation strategy of dialogue processes helps each party to more accurately interpret each other’s realities.

Shared knowledge creation does not only involve research, data collection, reports, surveys, publications etc., it needs to be built into the dialogue and negotiations processes itself. This will enable:

Policy-making that are more needs-based and within shared value-frameworks - serving the interests of all people, groups and parties involved;

The generating of realistic and creative options for deadlock breaking and consensus building;

Transform and contribute to a culture of dialogue based on shared knowledge and not exclusive and competing realities.

Shared knowledge reflections and processes among stakeholders

Example: Shared knowledge strategy at the Common Space Initiative (Lebanon)

Thematic expert groups discussion, priority setting and issue identification.

Mapping process (e.g. mapping of: positions of political parties; legal frameworks status; challenges and deadlocks).

Collecting knowledge resources; developing bibliographies and designing facilitation documents.

Commissioning studies to internal members or external consultants.

Discussing findings; generating options; drafting one-text documents.

Identifying output material and mechanisms.

Deciding on what to disseminate publically and what to keep internally for further discussion and knowledge sharing.

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How does the Peace & Dialogue Platform support shared

knowledge creation and stakeholders in dialogue processes?

Knowledge resources

Interactive tools Interactive tools are developed in response to the needs of a process to support actors/stakeholders, practitioners and facilitators in their facilitation strategies and processes. Interactive tools include the National Dialogues & Negotiation Index and Compare Tool, as well as an interactive Timeline. Other tools are under development.

How does the Peace & Dialogue Platform support shared

knowledge reflections between its partners?

Peer to Peer (P2P) exchanges

P2P exchanges constitute an open process of joint reflection on each country’s challenges, thematic reform areas, dialogue and change processes; and shared learning and exploration of relevant comparative cases, approaches, and frameworks. Each P2P exchange involves actors/stakeholders, practitioners, multi-sectoral experts and facilitators from each country. Both host and hosted countries will jointly determine the visits’ thematic focus based on each process needs and contextual challenges.

Aims

Create evidence-based joint knowledge; Strengthen national processes; Develop advanced frameworks for theoretical application; Create new insights and support spaces of innovation.

PARTICIPANTS THEMATIC FOCUS PROCESS

Actors/ stakeholders

Practitioners Multi-sectoral

experts Facilitators

Determined by process needs and contextual challenges

Practitioners Structures and

framework for assessment and change

Open process

Joint reflection

Strengthen ongoing peace, dialogue and change processes

Not to validate existing assumption

Evidence based joint knowledge creation

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Country

Knowledge resources on change processes in different countries worldwide

Theme

Thematic knowledge resources that emerge from change processes; comparative overviews

Process

Process tools and multi-disciplinary conflict assessment

Practice to Theory (P2T) program

The P2T program brings together stakeholders, facilitators, practitioners and scholars to jointly reflect on systemic challenges, evolving new models/structures/mechanisms and patterns in their countries.

The P2T program serves a dual-function: on the one hand it supports the reflection on ongoing process developments, stakeholder needs, and addressing challenges of each process; on the other hand, it looks at existing conceptual underpinnings and its impact on larger practice and scholarly debates. With these systematic and ongoing joint reflections, the P2T program provides both substantive support to dynamic peace and dialogue processes, and advance the empirical evidence for process developments, and frameworks. Consequently, this aims at bridging the practitioners-scholar gap which, in the long-run, enhances the field of conflict resolution as a whole (e.g. through the direct impact on academic programs and, vice versa, on the structuring of peace and dialogue processes and their support mechanisms)

Main Components

Provide opportunities and spaces for dialogue, joint reflections, and strategic collaboration and support among key stakeholders, concerned parties, intellectuals, and trusted and respected persons working on facilitating dialogue processes or confidential negotiations in their countries;

Explore new thinking and innovation on how to deal with deep-rooted and protracted conflict and change processes in each participating country. Jointly developing “common spaces”, dialogue structures, methodologies and shared knowledge resources for dialogue and political reform -- based on agreed principles, criteria and procedures.

Strengthen constitutional, state and political reform processes with joint knowledge creation and comprehensive approaches to reform and transformation. Develop a shared knowledge database and platform on country-specific cases and changes processes; essential emerging thematic areas and substantive issues; and on resources and “tools” that emerged from various processes, dialogues mechanisms and structures.

Jointly respond (and support) to expressed need to create strong and inclusive national dialogues, based on sovereignty, national ownership and political inclusion. The focus of such support will on the creation of such structures and mechanisms by national stakeholders themselves.

Evolve integrated multi-disciplinary assessment, planning, analytical and diagnostic frameworks for process design, conflict assessment, change processes and the anatomy of dialogue and peace.

PARTICIPANTS THEMATIC FOCUS PROCESS

Practitioner Actors/stakeholders Analysts Multi-sectoral

experts

Determined by each country

General framework themes

Determined by process needs and contextual challenges

Structures; framework for assessment and change

Theory back to practice

Shared knowledge resource (platform and database)

Determined by each country

General framework themes

Determined by process needs and contextual challenges

Structures; framework for assessment and change

Theory back to practice

Shared knowledge resource (platform and database)

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Practice-to-Theory and Peer-to-Peer process dynamics

Membership

The Peace & Dialogue Platform is a participatory space bringing together country, regional, process and thematic experts and partners, who design, manage and/or participate in peace and dialogue structures and processes. The Platform is jointly created and managed by the partners, who share their experiences and express their views to serve their and others’ national peace processes. The foundation of this Platform lies in the collective ownership of the participants and partners, who contribute to the Platform, as well as in the institutionalization of a permanent joint process of reflection, supporting shared knowledge creation and capturing emerging knowledge and trends of peace and dialogue structures and processes. All partners are co-owners and catalysts of this process of shared knowledge creation.

Common values and principles

The Platform partners subscribe to the following common values and principles: equality between all people, nations, genders, classes and groups; political, economic and social justice and elimination of poverty; fair, equal and dignified participation in all forms of representative governance and representative governing systems; knowledge based and inclusive dialogue of all concerned actors and those affected by conflict; human dignity, fundamental rights and responsibilities; reciprocal security; freedom of belief, expression, association and access to information and knowledge; and acknowledging our interdependence and work towards a society that respects and honors each other’s needs, hopes, identities, cultures and beliefs – where no-one regards him or herself more or less important than another.

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Features

Facebook

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Blog

Country Profile

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Country Guides

Lebanon

Thematic Guides

Natural Resources

Offshore Oil & Gas in Lebanon

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Process Guides

National Dialogues

South African Dialogue & Negotiation

Resource Guides on the Peace & Dialogue Platform

Country Guides Burma/Myanmar; Colombia; Cyprus; Lebanon; Nepal; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Syria; Tunisia; and Yemen

Thematic Guides Decentralization; Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration; Electoral Reforms & Designs; Federalism; Healing & Reconciliation; Land Reform; Natural resources; Religion, Peace & Conflict; and Security Sector Reform.

Process Guides Constitutional Change; Dialogue Forums & Common Spaces; Multi-disciplinary Analysis & Conflict Assessment; National Dialogues; and Peace Resources & Tools

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Thematic Areas

Natural Resources

Thematic profile page on Natural Resources with interactive assessment tools, database and key documents for negotiations and analysis.

Interactive Tools

National Dialogue Process Tool

National Dialogues & Negotiations Index The Platform hosts a

comprehensive

searchable Index.

The Compare function allows you to compare key elements from different processes.

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Dialogue Design Tool

This open framework tool supports stakeholders in the development of their own dialogue design. The tool suggests questions on elements / components of national dialogues and generates stakeholders’ responses in a visualized framework.

One Text Negotiation Tool

This tool facilitates the development of a “One Text Document” through the comparison of stakeholders’ common ground, their differences and through the generation of options.

Timelines Interactive timelines capturing change processes.

Key Stakeholders

Peace & Dialogue Process

Events & Agreements

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Multi-layer Maps Using interactive sectoral multi-layer data maps for assessment, planning and analysis.

Negotiation Table

A virtual interactive negotiations room – including negotiations tools, stakeholder information and profiles, shared documentation and the latest on-line meeting/talk technology for live negotiations. Can be used online or off-line.

Multi-disciplinary Process Analysis & Conflict

Assessment Tool The biggest challenge to peace building and resolving conflict is our limited diagnostic or assessment capacity. This exploratory tool uses the lenses of 15 different disciplines (individually or integrated) to analyze and provide insights to conflicts and peace process - through the essential conflict, dialogue and process tools and approaches. For example, it can look at “relationship conflict” through psychological, sociological, and anthropological lenses. This tool is under development and we are looking for partners to join this development.

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Partners

Syria Initiative (Syria)

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Nepal Transition to Peace Institute

One-Text Initiative