Date: Thursday, 12 September 2024
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Location: UN House, Brussels, 7th Floor Conference Room
Join us for the launch of a new podcast developed by the EU and UNDP, exploring a groundbreaking approach to conflict resolution: insider mediation. Discover how individuals from within conflict-affected communities take the lead in facilitating dialogue, building trust, and paving the way for sustainable peace.
The launch event will feature a fireside chat with two inspiring insider mediators: Betty Bigombe, the Ambassador of Uganda to Malaysia, renowned for her negotiations with Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, and Yara Haydar, a young peacebuilder and architect from Lebanon, who uses innovative approaches to bring people together through urban design, culture and architecture.
After the chat, you are invited to join us for informal discussions and networking with light refreshments at UN House. We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting event and to the conversations it will inspire.
To register for the event please RSVP via email the latest by 10 September 2024 to:
lucas.fernandez-corredor@undp.org and love.calissendorff@undp.org .
About the Podcast:
In “The Insider: Stories of Building Peace,” we hear first-hand accounts from those who sometimes played a key role in bringing warring sides together. What do we mean by ‘insider mediation’? It’s when a trusted and respected member of a community affected by conflict becomes an agent for peace. Insider mediators have a decisive, comparative advantage, particularly when it comes to infiormal processes: they possess the cultural fluency, local knowledge, and credibility to navigate sensitive issues and foster reconciliation from within.
Speakers
Betty Bigombe
Ambassador Betty Bigombe is an internationally recognized, award-winning expert in conflict resolution, armed conflict mediation, and post-conflict peacemaking. She is currently Uganda’s Ambassador to Malaysia and the Special Envoy of the Republic of Uganda to the South Sudan Peace Process. Betty Bigombe was the Chief Mediator between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army. She worked to end the 20-year war in northern Uganda by facilitating peace talks between the warring factions, developing talk incentives, garnering local and international support for peace, and training negotiation teams. She also drafted ceasefire agreements and monitored their violations.
Yara Haydar
Yara Haydar is a young Lebanese architect and designer, with a bachelor’s in architecture and minors in international law and art history from the American University of Beirut. At age 15, Yara represented Lebanon at the GCI Model UN in New York, and won Best Delegate, sparking her passion for diplomacy, mediation, and conflict-resolution. From then, mediation became an important part of the way Yara leads projects and manages unexpected situations, whether in her own neighborhood, local community, or working in different organisations. Yara was the Founding President of the Interact Club of Beirut Metropolitan, a youth partner club with Rotary, and served as the President of the Rotaract Club during her university years. She has been using mediation in both her work at Rotary, and her everyday life. Today, with works exhibited in MUDAC Lausanne, CID-Grand Hornu, Milan Design Week 2023, Mexico, Lebanon, and France, Yara’s art is deeply rooted in her experience of growing up in Lebanon.
The event will be moderated by Dr Jibecke Joensson, Head of the CMI’s Brussels Office. Opening and closing remarks will be given by UN and EU representatives.
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