Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch Blog

• News source:
• 27 August 2010
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

Today’s edition of Reporting on Conflict was stimulated by a short electronic conversation with a colleague about the ethics of using photos of horrific suffering to raise funds or to sell news or causes during disasters, famine or armed-conflict. We have posted six stories:

• Famine photographs and the need for careful critique an April, 2010, article by David Campbell at A Developing Story.
• Images of humanitarian crises: Ethical implications a 1996 article by Gilbert Holleufer the International Review of the Red Cross;
• Working as a Humanitarian Photographer – Ethics and Images, a January 2010 article by Doug Klostermann on his blog, Picturing Change;
• The National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics;
• Development Photography Ethics posted by Knowledge for Health (K4Health); and
• Online Journalism Ethics: Photojournalism, by Carolynne Burkholder on the Journalism Ethics website.

We acknowledge Susanne Ure of Amnesty International Canada who pointed out most of these articles. Please let us know about other articles on this topic or online policies or standards of humanitarian organizations of which you are aware.

• News source:
• originally posted December 2009
• Feinstein International Center
• By Greg Hansen

Drawing upon extensive field research in the region and informed by additional field study dating back to the mid-1990s, this study by Greg Hansen calls renewed attention to the politicization and instrumentalization of humanitarian action and to serious shortcomings in donor behavior measured against their own undertakings to Good Humanitarian Donorship.

• News source:
• originally posted July 2007

A new research report from the Feinstein International Center is now available online:

Taking Sides or Saving Lives: Existential Choices for the Humanitarian Enterprise in Iraq is an in-depth, field-based study of how Iraqis caught up in the tragedy facing their country view humanitarian aid, its local relevance, and its place in the greater global politic. The project was led by Greg Hansen with researchers from the and involving Iraqi colleagues presently living and working in Iraq. The research was carried out between October and December 2006.

Direct link to PDF (1.8mb) of the report:
http://fic.tufts.edu/downloads/HA2015IraqCountryStudy.pdf

An Arabic translation of this report will soon be available at http://fic.tufts.edu. FIC’s earlier briefing paper, “Coming to Terms With the Humanitarian Imperative in Iraq,” as well as its other HA2015 country studies, are also available on this website.

• News source:
• 13 April 2010
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

April 10 marked the launch of a useful new website created by Michael Mulley who aims to make the work of Canada’s Parliament accessible and to encourage transparency in government. “For all its routine and formal trappings, Parliament remains a crucial engine of our democracy,” states the website. “And it all happens in the open. But, too often, information that’s technically available is difficult to find and use. This site aims to make some of that information.”

You can look up government bills and private members’ bills to see their progress through Parliament. Of particular interest to me are Bill C-447, a private member’s bill to Establish a Department of Peace, and Bill C-300 Respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries. Feeds are available for each Bill.

You can also follow the latest House Transcripts, or the activities of particular Members of Parliament.

This excellent effort makes it so much simpler to follow activities of Parliament. Otherwise one needs to use the publicly accessible but cumbersome Parliamentary website. Thanks to Michael Mulley for this extraordinarily helpful voluntary project.

• News source:
• By Peacemakers Trust

Peacemakers Trust has received an invitation from The Sharing Way, a Canadian faith-based development agency, and its Rwandan partner, the Association des Églises Baptistes au Rwanda (AEBR), to work with them to develop a three year plan of action that responds to emerging needs and challenges in post-genocide Rwanda. The participatory planning process will involve consultation and planning meetings with a number of Rwandan church leaders from around Rwanda, including women and youth leaders.

You can become a partner in raising the costs of this initiative with a tax-deductable donation to Peacemakers Trust, a Canadian charity focused on conflict transformation and peacebuilding. (read more…)

• News source:

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 4 to 6 pm.
University of Victoria, Fraser Building room 152.

Guest speakers:

• Ted Hughes, OC, QC, Former federal chief land claim negotiator and chief adjudicator in the ADR process of Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada
• Jim Doswell, Chief Negotiator, Northern Shuswap First Nations
• Other leaders from First Nations invited (to be confirmed)
• Convened by Catherine Morris, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria

About the Speakers

Ted Hughes, OC, QC, has been worked as a lawyer, a judge and an adjudicator. He was a Judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench in the Province of Saskatchewan. He has chaired numerous commissions of inquiry in British Columbia, but also in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Yukon. He was BC’s first conflict-of-interest commissioner in 1990. He also served as a federal chief land claim negotiator and federal chief adjudicator with regard to alleged harms and abuse arising out of attendance at Indian Residential Schools. In 2005 he was appointed to review B.C.’s child protection system, and his resulting report recommended the creation of an independent body to oversee provincial child welfare. He has co-chaired the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. Ted Hughes was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002.

Jim Doswell was appointed as principal negotiator for the Northern Shuswap Treaty Society (NSTS) in 2007. He is a former Chief Federal Negotiator and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Tourism, Recreation and Culture for the Province of British Columbia. Mr. Doswell has more than 30 years experience in economic development or negotiation. He has negotiated land issues both in Canada and Honduras. He is president of the Maltwood Development Group, which has been working as a bridge between First Nations and economic development for over a decade.

Other speakers to be announced: Please watch this space for further information.

• News source:
• 24 November 2009
• Brains on Purpose
• By Stephanie West Allen

Dr. Tammy Lenski of making mediation your day job recently posted an interview of my friend and colleague Cinnie Noble. The entire interview is worth reading but I wanted to highlight one part for readers of this blog. Cinnie says:

… I discovered that my conflict coaching model is grounded in neuroscience principles. I developed it mostly through research, as mentioned. That involved experimenting with a number of study groups over a few years and as it evolved it seemed to be a practice without a specific theory! The more I learned about how the brain functions, I discovered how the model is grounded in neuroscience principles and that helped explain more about why the model works so well…

• News source:

Panel: Dispute Resolution Policy and Initiatives in the Justice System: Culture shift and “The New Lawyer”
November 25: 4 to 6 pm, room 152, Fraser Building, University of Victoria

This panel will address current policy and initiatives in Canada regarding mediation and collaborative law in the context of the phenomenon of “The New Lawyer,” a term being used to describe some noticeable shifts in legal culture.

The panel:

• M. Jerry McHale, Acting Deputy Attorney General, Province of British Columbia
• David Merner, Director, Dispute Resolution Office, Province of BC
• Mary Mouat, collaborative lawyer and mediator, former member BC Justice Reform Task Force and current Chair of the Law Foundation of BC

This panel discussion is open to interested students and faculty members as well as interested mediators, collaborative lawyers and litigators.

M. Jerry McHale, QC, Acting Deputy Attorney General for the Province of British Columbia. He is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Justice Services Branch in the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General. Mr. McHale served six years as Director of the Dispute Resolution Office in the Ministry. For over a decade, he practiced as a barrister and solicitor, and mediator in family and commercial law. As the Director of the Dispute Resolution Office, he was responsible for initiatives such as the Notice to Mediate and the Child Protection Mediation Program. Jerry has taught alternate dispute resolution at the University of Victoria and for the Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C.

David R. Merner, Director, Dispute Resolution Office, Ministry of the Attorney General of BC, Victoria, BC. Mr. Merner completed degrees at Harvard University, the University of Alberta, Oxford University, and the University of Toronto prior to his call to the BC bar in 1990. He has practised in various areas, including constitutional law, employment law, tax litigation and dispute resolution.

Mary Mouat, collaborative lawyer and mediator, Quadra Legal Centre, Victoria, BC. . A qualified mediator since 1996, Ms. Mouat is also an active member of the Victoria Collaborative Law Group and the past Chair of the Victoria Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. She has been active in a variety of professional organizations, such as the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch, and the Victoria Bar Association and a variety of community Boards, including the Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre and the South Vancouver Island Family Planning Society. Ms. Mouat was a member of the Family Justice Review Working Group. She is the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Law Foundation of British Columbia.

Moderator: Catherine Morris, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law and Faculty of Human and Social Development, Associate of the Institute for Dispute Resolution at the University of Victoria, and Director of Peacemakers Trust.

Participants include students of the course in Dispute Resolution Theory and Practice at the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria. This panel discussion is open to other interested students and faculty members at the University of Victoria as well as interested mediators, collaborative lawyers and litigators.

• News source:
• Autumn 2009
• Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)
• Vol. 3 (4) - Autumn 2009
• By Renée Gendron

Abstract: This article argues that clan conflicts can be addressed through the extension of existing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Clan disputes and conflicts are interdependent of other violent conflicts. Through the expansion of existing informal justice mechanisms, the republics of the North Caucasus as well as the Russian Federation can improve the rule of law and reduce the incidents of violence. Recognizing and utilizing local indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms will also empower those populations, facilitating greater active participation in society.

• News source:
• Cinergy Coaching

INTRODUCTORY CONFLICT COACHING WORKSHOP

Conflict coaching is a specialized niche in the field of coaching and conflict management. It is a one-on-one technique, in which a trained coach assists people to effectively prevent or manage specific disputes and to enhance their conflict management skills.

Conflict coaching has wide application, in the organizational context and for coaching individuals to participate in mediation, negotiation and relational conflict.

Content of the Introductory Conflict Coaching Workshop:
Among other things, this 4-day workshop includes the following topics:
o how conflict coaching is different from other types of coaching
o theory, principles and methods specific to the CINERGY® model of conflict coaching
o stages of conflict coaching
o logistics of coaching individuals about conflict
o skills of conflict coaches
o applications of conflict coaching
o ethical guidelines and standards of practice

Outcomes of the Introductory Conflict Coaching Workshop:
A 4-day workshop that includes the above content. The outcomes are that participants will gain:
o an introduction to and basic working knowledge of conflict coaching using the CINERGY® model;
o an understanding of the types of skills required to provide conflict coaching;
o experience of the coaching model as a coach, coachee and observer;
o knowledge about how coaching principles combine with conflict management principles and the application of this technique; and
o suggested documents and information about the logistics of conflict coaching.

This workshop has been approved for 26.5 hours of Continuing Coaching Education Units from the International Coach Federation (14 hours ICF Core Competencies; 6.25 hours Personal Development of the Coach; 1.25 hours Development of Coaching Practice; 5 hours Other Skills and Tools Directly Applicable to Coaching).

Methods Used in the Workshop:
Through self-reflection, skill-building exercises, discussion, simulations, demonstrations and skills practices, participants develop and practice conflict coaching techniques and skills.

Participants:
The training will be of specific interest to coaches, experienced workplace mediators and other conflict management professionals, who want to learn the fundamentals of a model for coaching conflict.

2010 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:
Dates Location Registration Deadline
January 26-29 Toronto, Canada January 4, 2010
February 1-4 Lisbon, Portugal January 9, 2010
February 8-11 (French) Ottawa, Canada January 15, 2010
March 23-26 Ottawa, Canada February 26, 2010
April 6-9 Edmonton, Canada March 12, 2010
April 19-22 San Antonio, Texas March 26, 2010
May 24-27 Arlington, Virginia April 30, 2010
October 25-28 Ottawa, Canada October 1, 2010
Cost: The prices vary. Please contact us for further information.

ADDITIONAL DATES WILL CONTINUE TO BE SCHEDULED

To register and for further information on conflict coaching workshops including coordinating a workshop in your city or workplace and cost, contact Cinnie Noble or her assistant Laureen McNeill:
Phone: 416-686-4247, Toll free: 1-866-335-6466, Email: cinnie@cinergycoaching.com

CINERGY® Conflict Coaching = Peacebuilding, One Person at a Time

Cinnie Noble is a pioneer in the field of conflict coaching and the founder of the CINERGY® model of conflict management coaching. She is a lawyer-mediator, former social worker and certified coach. For further information on CINERGY®, feel free to visit www.cinergycoaching.com.

• News source:
• 16 October 2009
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris, commenting on lectures by Dan Ariely (YouTube and TED)

Dan Ariely does research on cheating. Here are two videos. The first one describes an experiment that checks out whether wearing of “fakes” has any impact on cheating. How might one act of cheating create an affinity for another act of cheating? Watch this:

And here’s another lecture on “Our Buggy Moral Code” that suggests cheating is not done by “bad people” but by “good people” who cheat “just a little.”

There are clear implications for negotiation ethics, including the implications of getting on the “slippery slope” and some hopeful ideas about prevention of cheating and dishonesty.

• News source:
• 25 June 2009
• Africa News
• By Evan Hoffman

Presidential elections are scheduled for later this month in the troubled West African nation of Guinea-Bissau and some members of the international community, including the US Department of State, are predicting that this election may plunge the country into further turmoil.

Appallingly, others from the international community are going about their business as usual and taking a wait and see attitude, thus demonstrating once again an all too familiar pattern whereby the international community misses an opportunity to act to save lives before it is too late.

• News source:

>> Cambodia Portal
>> Dispute Resolution (ADR)
>> Human Rights
>> Media and Society
>> Religion and Peacebuilding
>> Transitional Justice
>> Peacebuilding Links

• News source:
• 22 June 2009
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

The post-election crisis in Iran is so dynamic that it’s difficult to keep up and even more difficult to be discerning. We have gathered a few links for those wanting overviews and daily coverage.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has a backgrounder on the History of Iran: From Persia to present, along with its daily coverage. For an introductory overview of the main actors in the current crisis, see TIME’s “Who’s Who in Iran’s Political System.”

See Al Jazeerah’s coverage of Iran In Crisis. Also see BBC’s coverage,  and take a look at the BBCPersian YouTube channel. The London-based BBC Persian news has become a focal point for Iranians who do not believe the official election results. The Guardian also has daily coverage. Inter Press Service has a focus page entitled “Iran: The Parthian Shot.”

For those wanting US-based news, the Huffington Post has a focus page with news, blogs and videos. Also see National Public Radio (NPR) daily coverage of Iran’s Pivotal Presidential Election. CNN has special coverage of the Iran Election Fallout.

The role of social media in the crisis has itself become part of the news, and some have dubbed it a “Twitter Revolution.”  In the absence of foreign journalists, almost all of whom have been required to leave Iran, Twitter leads have been helping to feed the news. If you’d like to follow the conversation on Twitter, see twitscoop.com (we’ve set the link to search “#iranelection”). Be aware that there are many Fake Iran election Tweeters and #iranelection SPAM & Trolls which you can block from your Twitter account to prevent the spread of misinformation.  If you’re interested in how mapping platforms are being used in the post-election demonstrations (and probably the counter demonstration activities), see Facebook and Google Maps in Iran.

Be aware that many peaceworkers and human rights workers are at considerable risk in Iran at this time. See reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and IFEX.

If you know of any “must see” sites, please make a comment below. Please note that our comments are moderated to prevent spam.

• News source:
• 1 June 2009
• Reporting on Conflict
• By CIIAN (press release)

OTTAWA – The Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation (CIIAN), an Ottawa-based NGO dedicated to the prevention and resolution of political violence, urges UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to be immediately responsive to calls for increased assistance from Guinea-Bissau, a small, impoverished West African country. (read more…)

• News source:
• March 2009
• Peace Direct
• Insight on Peacebuilding
• By various authors including Joan Link, Ben Hoffman, Alla Skvortova, Maud Roure, Stuart Gordon, Gordon Summers Carolyn Hayman Obe, Lidija Skaro, Serena Rix

One of the common reasons given by ‘outsiders’ for not forming equal partnerships with local people is the difficulty of knowing who to work with.

‘How to choose a dance partner: Insight on Peacebuilding’ is our new publication to tackle that issue.

It is a collection of interviews with people who’ve gone through the process, or observed others doing so and is intended to show how people have found the right partners and the way that working with these partners enables a wholly different kind of peacebuilding to develop.

Full report (pdf)

• News source:
• 5 May 2009
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

Peacemakers’ Round Table member, Lois Pegg, has been featured in the May, 2009, edition of Victoria’s Focus Magazine (p. 59) with her Mothers’ Day photo reflecting on “the bigger picture of mothering.” Several of Lois Pegg’s photos are featured on the website of Peacemakers Trust, including her photograph on our the resource portal on “Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation in Canada” and a our research portal pages.

• News source:
• 30 March 2009
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

There is a growing global movement to establish official departments of peace with mandates to focus exclusively on building a culture of peace. Departments of peace would not be subsumed into ministries of defence.

This movement has gained momentum particularly since the election of Barack Obama as US President when “Ideas for Change in America” on-line survey put the creation of a “Secretary of Peace” second on the top ten list. While there are very few official departments of peace — possibly only Nepal and the Solomon Islands, the idea is no longer dismissed as a fanciful or new fringe movement. More and more parliamentarians and former parliamentarians, including Canadian former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy, are supporting the idea at least in principle. Proponents point out that in the US, the idea goes back to 1792. The idea of provincial or municipal departments of conflict resolution also fit into the concept of official departments of peace, with the Ohio Commission for Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management held up as an example.

Members of the global movement met in Washington DC March 20-23.

Peacemakers Trust has created a list of official Departments of Peace and organizations promoting cabinet level Departments of Peace or Civilian Peace Services. Your suggestions would be welcome:

Campaign to Establish a Canadian Department of Peace (NGO)
â–  Home Page

Civil Peace Service, Germany
â–  Home Page

Civilian Peace Service Canada (NGO)
â–  CPSC Home Page

Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments for Peace
â–  Home Page

Government of Nepal
â–  Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction

Government of Solomon Islands
â–  Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues, UK
â–  APGC
â–  Ministry for Peace organization home page (Secretariat for APGC)

Ministry for Peace, Australia (NGO)
â–  Home Page

Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management
â–  Home Page

Peace Alliance Campaign to Establish a US Department of Peace
â–  Home Page

• News source:
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris, director of Peacemakers Trust

Conflict resolution is serious business. A few years ago it was claimed that there were only two conflict resolution jokes, and only one of them was funny. Below is a serious attempt to expand what’s in our toolboxes. You can find this list at Peacemakers Trust along with other resources. You can’t get the full benefit of this posting without clicking on the links (then returning to read on).

First of all, here’s something practical, The Advertising Slogan Generator. There you can generate a slogan for a favourite peacemaker or mediator.  Keep refreshing until you find the perfect slogan.  If the free slogan generator doesn’t work to your satisfaction, use the Automatic Complaint Generator by Scott Pakin, where Naming, Blaming and Claiming are all available.

(read more…)

• News source:
• 12 March 2009
• Blog from OUR Kitchen
• By Elizabeth Morris

BloggerAid (Bloggers Uniting to Aid in the Alleviation of World Hunger) is putting together a cookbook and asking for your help…

When I was wandering around on BloggerAid, I came across this reminder about Earth Hour…

Don’t forget to turn off your lights for an hour on 28 March!! But of course, turning lights off for just an hour isn’t nearly enough. So… don’t forget to turn off your lights whenever you’re not using them!!