Making of a global peace movement

By Mazhar Iqbal  
Beginning with just two second-hand computers and a small office

space, which was donated by a local institution, this group of

passionate peace lovers and volunteers have now become the most

effective global peace movement. Conciliation Resources (CR) is a

London based international peace building and conflict resolution

organization, which was established in 1994.

This organization is working with individuals, organizations and

governments both in regions of conflict and globally. Their main focus

is on promoting understanding of peaceful ways to resolve conflicts in

some of the boiling regions of the world.  These regions include East

and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, South Pacific region

and South America.

Conciliation Resources considers that people living with differences

of political opinion can get advantage of seeing old problems in a new

perspective. While living with incongruities and dissimilarities, they

can find opportunities to gain new ideas for resolution of political

differences.

Conciliation Resources supports those people who are at the heart of

conflicts and are striving to find solutions.  With a highly skilled

team of dedicated staff and associates, it functions in a highly

professional and coordinated fashion to improve peace building

policies and practice them worldwide.

The organization’s work is multi-dimensional ranging from producing

films, writing publications and articles to organizing

awareness-raising events. The earliest project successfully launched

by Concilitation Resources was in Fiji in 1995.  In 1997, they

launched another program in the South Caucasus. This was followed by a

new program in Uganda in 1999, which has since expanded to include the

East and Central Africa region.

This organization has been involved in Rwanda, Ukraine, Russia,

Somaliland, the Gambia, Liberia, Sri Lanka, the Balkans, Angola,

Nepal, the Philippines and Colombia. More recently their work has

widened to also include working in India and Pakistan.

Conciliation Resources receives funding support from a wide range of

donors. Major donors are the governments of Australia, UK, Belgium,

Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Germany. The multilateral

organizations funding CR’s projects include Australian Agency for

International Development (AUSAID), European Commission (EC), German

Federal Foreign Office & the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations,

International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Swiss Federal

Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), UK Department for International

Development (DFID) and UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

World renowned trusts and foundations like Allan & Nesta Ferguson

Charitable Trust, Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies,

Blandfordlake Trust, Commonwealth Foundation, Cumber Family Charitable

Trust, Eva Reckitt Trust Fund, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

(JRCT), Rowan Charitable Trust, Souter Charitable Trust and The

Ardwick Trust support Conciliation Resources financially.

During last few years, Conciliation Resources has been highlighting

issues of paramount security of divided communities and global

sensitivities surrounding these communities. Over the years,

Conciliation Resources has gained reputation as a professional

conflict transformation organization, experienced in the theory and

practice of peace building and peace processes.

In South Asia, Jammu & Kashmir is a conflict zone which is politically

and administratively divided between India and Pakistan. Conciliation

Resources has been issuing publications and policy briefs on peace and

confidence building measures across the Line of Control (LoC) in

Kashmir.

In a major move on enhancing cross-Line of Control (LoC) cooperation

in Jammu and Kashmir, Conciliation Resources facilitated signing of

the first written agreement on non-governmental cooperation in

Istanbul last year. This was a major development in this conflict area

of South Asia.

In countries affected by the Lord's Resistance Army conflict,

Conciliation Resources has recently taken part in workshops focusing

on strategies to deal with land disputes arising out of the violence.

It also contributed to a recent peace building forum in Manila which

discussed options for a process that could lead to an International

Action Plan on women, peace and security in the Philippines.

Working together with a number of civil society organizations, peace

activists and local NGOs around the world, Conciliation Resources is

dedicated to produce an environment of trust and confidence among

communities trapped in conflict.  Their struggle is theme based and

result oriented. Public participation, peace process and dialogue,

peace building and governance, cross-border peace-making efforts and

engaging with local communities are hallmark of their struggle.

(The writer is a peace and human rights activist and could be reached

at mazhar@pressforpeace.org.uk)