The IPU will be co-organizing two events during Geneva Peace Week from 5 to 9 November 2018.
The IPU’s involvement in Geneva Peace Week is only natural, considering the organization’s DNA. Resolving conflict through parliamentary diplomacy was at the heart of the foundation of the IPU 130 years ago. The belief that international disputes could only be resolved through peaceful dialogue inspired two 19th century men of vision—Englishman William Randal Cremer and Frenchman Frédéric Passy—to lay the foundations of the IPU in 1889. Lifelong, tireless campaigners for peace, both went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize—along with six other IPU figures. Today, the IPU is still active in bringing together opposing sides in conflicts and helping to strengthen parliaments in these countries.
Sustainable peace can only be achieved when all the stakeholders are included in the peace process. The first event that the IPU is co-organizing as part of Geneva Peace Week, Vital Voices and Partnerships in Sustaining Peace on 8 November, will look at parliaments’ role as an inclusive forum in this process. Panellists include Raphael Igbokwe, Nigerian MP and President of the Forum of Young MPs in Nigeria; Jolie-Ruth Morand, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF); and Maya Assaf, World Vision International (WVI), Lebanon. Maya Assaf will present the Good Enough Context Analysis for Rapid Response, a WVI inter-agency assessment tool that analyses regions before or during conflict.
Inter-faith dialogue can also play a part in resolving conflict, especially when religion is one of the causes of violent conflict. The second event that the IPU is co-organizing, Inter-Faith Dialogue for Conflict Prevention and Resolution: Case Studies and Good Practices on 9 November, will look at how religious leaders can complement secular peace-making.
