Increasing
Demand for TFF
Training For Forgiveness
PressInfo #
89
March
3, 2000
"What do you think the following, very different,
organisations have in common: the Kosovo Protection
force, NATO/KFOR in Kosovo, the International
Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Institute of
International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York,
the Ministry of Education in Burundi and the Peace and
Development Centre in Geneva?
Right! They want TFF to help them with analyses and
training in conflict understanding, reconciliation and
forgiveness," says TFF director Jan Oberg."Everywhere, it
is Time For Forgiveness."
"It's 15 years since we jumped out of the university
world, set ourselves up as a new type of
multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural and globally
networking peace research centre. It's 10 years since we
began experimenting with a new concept of
conflict-mitigation in all parts of former Yugoslavia, in
Georgia and - last year - in Burundi. These missions
combine solid conflict analysis, mediation and peace
education. It's 8 years since we did the early warning
report 'Preventing War in Kosovo.' It's 5 years
since we ended our mediation efforts between Belgrade and
Pristina.We know that the human suffering and the sad
situation there today could have been avoided. We told
everybody who cared to listen what could be done to do -
and not just talk about - preventive diplomacy.
Thousands of emails from around the world and all the
tasks we get tell us that TFF is appreciated for being
competent and an outspoken advocate of nonviolence. In
contrast, some of those who embrace mainstream analyses
and militant conflict management as well as those who
acquiesce under the only superpower, the only economy,
the only military alliance, the only concept of human
rights and democracy - and similar tendentially
authoritarian ideas - find TFF is a bit irritating.
Happily enough, impartiality among parties,
"fundamentalist" advocacy of nonviolent policies and
dialogue, personal trust building with all conflict
parties, emphasis on human dimensions of conflicts: it's
now beginning to yield the desired results. Not only for
TFF but for so many like-minded initiatives. It's
"non-governmental" actors that do the necessary, new
things while governments increasingly become
"non-popular."
Working with the UN and NATO in Kosovo
TFF has been invited to train the 50 top leaders and
500 middle-level leaders of the Kosovo Protection Corps
(KPC) in Kosovo/a, most of whom are former KLA fighters.
We train together with human rights experts from Helsinki
University, with UN people and the ICRC.
"I've just returned from there and Peter Jarman and
Kerstin Schultz go next," says Jan Oberg. "It's a
gigantic task for us all under the most difficult
political and practical circumstances. Demobilisation of
former combatants is essential for the future of the
Balkans. If we do not get a truly civilian leadership
that knows how to handle conflicts without violence,
there is no chance that Kosovo/a will again become
multi-ethnic, democratic and tolerant. And, if not, it
will be the ultimate fiasco for the international
community. IOM is implementing agency and working with
them is a great experience, professionally and
personally," says Oberg. "IOM has an impressive record of
demobilisation work in the world's most difficult
conflicts."
Working with Belgrade
Together with many others, TFF associates Soren
Sommelius, Johan Galtung, Haakan Wiberg and Oberg have
been invited to an international conference in Belgrade
at the above-mentioned institute. The idea is to take
stock of the Rambouillet and NATO bombing process one
years after. Sommelius and Oberg will also do
fact-finding in Montenegro and seek to understand the
humanitarian situation in Serbia which hosts 1 mill
refugees. "True humanism makes no difference between
humans who suffer. Innocent Serbs, Albanians and others
are clear victims of games played by political, economic
and military leaders. It's pop humanitarianism - or
cynicism - to see it otherwise," says Oberg.
UNDP in New York
UNDP has invited numerous experts from around the
world, among them TFF associates Johan Galtung, Richard
Falk and Oberg, to help it develop its future policies
concerning Governance and Conflict Prevention. It's meant
to develop all activities in the interface between
post-war reconstruction, sustainable development and
reconciliation toward normalisation.
Burundi
Last year we did a first fact-finding mission to
Burundi. The Minister of Education Prosper Mpawenayo
asked TFF to develop a concept and a plan for research on
and practical training in conflict understanding,
tolerance, reconciliation and forgiveness. This plan will
be implemented in cooperation also with the Minister for
Human Rights and the Minister for the Peace Process as
soon as Nelson Mandela has succeeded in mediating a peace
agreement. The needs are huge but, fortunately, there are
many indigenous traditions, rituals and great
personalities to learn from in this vital process.
TFF is proud to be associated with this process.
Peace and Development Centre (PDC) in
Geneva
Finally, PDC in Geneva is a further development of the
courses initiated in cooperation between the network
directed by Johan Galtung, TRANSCEND, and UN head of
mission in Geneva, Vladimir Petrovsky. PDC is operated by
Dylan Scudder - a TFF Peace Antenna, too - who may well
turn this experiment into one of the most important
conflict transformation training institutes in Europe.
PDC serves UN staff first but also others in need of
professional knowledge, theories and practical skills in
handling conflicts.
We all need good news
Summarises Jan Oberg. "We are so happy about all the
support and recognition we get - presumably because of
TFF's persistent philosophy, reliability, competence and
focused activity over the years. With this PressInfo we
simply want to share it all with you. Peace may look
impossible, but until we have tried, we don't know that
it is. And there are SO many other good forces at work
around the world.
Our commitment is based on Gandhian approaches and we
are at your service. Perhaps YOU would like to get
involved with TFF or want TFF to help in problems you
have. There are enough bad news around. In all humility,
we think TFF makes good news."
© TFF 2000
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