Course in Italy (with Funding) on Nonviolence and People's Diplomacy

see
http://www.unimondo.org/iupip/
10th IUPIP International Course



PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY, NON-VIOLENCE AND GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY AFTER SEPTEMBER 11

Rovereto - Italy
29th September - 20th October 2002





With the support of:
The Autonomous Province of Trento, Trentitno Forum for Peace
The Autonomous Region of Trentino Alto Adige
The City of Rovereto
The Building Society Foundation of Trento and Rovereto


PRESENTATION

ADMISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURSE

PROGRAMME

2002 Course Faculty Members

What is IUPIP

IUPIP Scientific Committee

Application Form


 Closing date for application: 15 June 2002






PRESENTATION


In today's world, the force of arms and economic exploitation of weaker
social groups are still considered permissible instruments for the
maintenance of "peace and order" between and within states. The use of overt
means of domination is again being legitimised subordinating the
safe-guarding of human rights and the rights of peoples to the economic and
geopolitical interests of powerful, militarised states.

This way - which is that of violent repression and rediscovery of war as a
realistic "continuation of politics" at global level - a political design is
fulfilled that is radically contrary to the real need for material and
non-material well-being, social security, and respect for human dignity.

The fall of the totalitarian system of "real socialism" has left a vacuum
that has quickly been filled by the expanding system of increasingly
unfettered capitalism characterised by policies that ravage nature and
further impoverish many countries of the world. As a consequence, the gap
between the "haves" and "have-nots" is widening. The escalation of
"terrorism", culminating in the September 11 attacks on New York and
Washington, and of "counter-terrorism" in many parts of the world, are
interdependent links in a chain of growing globalisation of violence and of
violent globalisation.

The speed at which today's dramatic events capable of changing the world
political scenario and further imperilling vital needs of present and future
generations occur, puts tremendous challenges to all people involved in the
struggle for peace and justice. One of the major challenges is that of
stopping the vicious circle of armed and structural violence. Another is
that of diminishing the greatest injustices in the world by giving priority
to the basic needs of the poorest and weakest, today almost one billion. A
third major one is to further develop peaceful and non-violent means of
change.

Peace is not a static end-state; it is a dynamically on-going process, as
Mahatma Gandhi said, "There is no way to peace, peace is the way." To
achieve peace and justice, policies from above are not sufficient. Neither
are they sufficient for the implementation of fundamental human rights. It
is necessary to strengthen the knowledge, motivation, and participation of
individuals and groups entitled to these rights. It is therefore vital to
maintain a strong commitment from below through education. This brings
together learning, formation, information, and action, so as to favour an
integrated development of individuals and reenforce their sense of social
responsibility in daily life. The educational dimension, in that it
orientates action and indicates operational routes, is an essential part of
the peace activist and human rights defender. It allows the acquisition of
new resources of non-violent power, the capacity to promote shared
fundamental values, creativity, planning, competence, co-operation and
communication. The management of these resources of non-violent power is
partly entrusted to people's diplomacy, which is distinct from, but not
necessarily opposed to, the diplomacy of states. People's diplomacy is
grounded on a view of a basic principle of democracy as implying people's
participation in the shaping of local, national and international
institutions and the constant search for non-violent modes of conduct and
conflict transformation. The world of civil society and social movements
operating for the promotion of human rights, is steadily growing and has
demonstrated an increasing awareness of the urgency to update, enrich, and
adapt its culture with respect to the new challenges. New ways of thinking,
new visions, and new strategies are in the making. It is to this process
that IUPIP intends to contribute by investing both at a financial and human
level.

INDEX





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 ADMISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURSE



. The number of participants will be confined to thirty, at least half of
whom will be women.
. A balance will be sought between participants from "developed" and
"developing" countries.
. Fluency in English is required.
. Priority for admission to the International course will be given to
applicants who are active in organisations of civil society or social
movements involved in human rights promotion, non-violent conflict
transformation and peace education.
. Closing date for application: 15 June 2002

REQUIREMENTS

. Participants must arrive on Sunday 29th September and leave on Sunday 20th
October 2002. There is no option for late arrival. Participants must remain
for the scheduled period.
. Participation in all sessions is requested.
. Applicants are requested to confirm their participation to the IUPIP
Secretariat by fax or e-mail not later than ten days after receiving notice
of acceptance.

Confirmation is understood to entail acceptance of the above conditions.

. Successful completion of the course will be marked by the awarding of a
Certificate of Achievement.


VENUE

. The seat of IUPIP and the location of the course is in Rovereto. The
course is held in the 16th Century Palazzo Adami situated in the centre of
the city. Rovereto (included in the Italian network of local government
units for peace) has about 33,000 inhabitants.
. The city is located in Northern Italy, in the beautiful Adige valley
surrounded by mountains and not far from lake Garda. It takes less than one
hour by train to Verona and about two and a half hours to Venice or Milan.


TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

. Accommodation expenses (including meals) for those admitted to the course
will be covered by IUPIP. A vegetarian option is available.
. Applicants whose organisations are not able to cover their travel expenses
are asked to indicate so in the application form. IUPIP will consider the
possibility of partial or total coverage of such expenses taking the
geographical area of origin of the applicant into account.
. Participants will be accommodated in double rooms at Hotel Leon d'Oro
which is located a few minutes walk both from the railway station and from
Palazzo Adami.


IUPIP Secretariat
Palazzo Adami - Piazza San Marco, 7
38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy.
Phone +39/0464-424288 - Fax +39/0464-424299

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: www.unimondo.org/iupip


INDEX




 PROGRAMME



Two sessions are scheduled every day, in the morning from 09:00 to 12:30 and
in the afternoon from 15:00 to 18:30, including half-hour breaks in the
middle.

The programme includes lectures on one hand and workshops, group work,
brainstorms and exchange of experiences on the other.

FIRST WEEK
29th September - 6th October

PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY AND PEOPLES' INTERNET

LECTURERS
Pat Patfoort
Anuradha Vittachi

Sunday 29 September
Arrivals



Monday 30
Morning:  Welcome
Guided tour of Rovereto
Afternoon: Personal introductions and group building

Tuesday 1 October
Morning:  Our usual ways of dealing with conflict: a theoretical framework
(Patfoort)
Afternoon: People's diplomacy and constructive ways of dealing with conflict
(Patfoort)

Wednesday 2
Morning: Peaceful management of inter-ethnic conflicts (Patfoort)
Afternoon:  The power of the people (Patfoort)

Thursday 3
Morning: The power of the peoples' internet  (Vittachi)
Afternoon: Maximising the network effect  (Vittachi)

Friday 4
Morning: The power and potential of the internet for civil society
world-wide (Vittachi)
Afternoon: Continued (Vittachi)

Saturday 5
Morning: The non-violent resolution of the ethnic conflict in Trentino
Alto-Adige  (Zendron)
Afternoon: Free

Sunday 6    Free











SECOND WEEK
7th - 13th October

NON-VIOLENCE: THEORY, POLITICS, FUTURES

LECTURERS
Fatima Meer
Chaiwat Satha-Anand



Monday 7
Morning: The theory and philosophy of Gandhi's Satyagraha  (Meer)
Afternoon: Satyagraha movements: application of the Gandhian model against
oppression in South Africa  (Meer)

Tuesday 8
Morning: Poverty and the continuing struggle of the poor against the denial
of basic resources in South Africa - 1999 onwards  (Meer)
Afternoon: Gandhi: Today, tomorrow and everyday - A critical evaluation of
neo-liberalism and Gandhi's economic theory as an alternative   (Meer)

Wednesday 9
Morning: Meetings with students from local schools
Afternoon: Free

Thursday 10
Morning:  The theory of non-violent actions: From non-violent leaders to
non-violent movements (Satha-Anand)
Afternoon:  Analysing non-violent movements (Satha-Anand)
Evening:  A Force More Powerful - Video

Friday 11
Morning:  Workshop: Imagining the non-violent future (Satha-Anand)
Afternoon: Continued

Saturday 12 Free

Sunday 13   Excursion









THIRD WEEK
14th - 20th October

GLOBALIZATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY AFTER SEPTEMBER 11

LECTURERS
Susan George
Richard Falk



Monday 14
Morning: Where is globalisation going? (George)
Afternoon: Continued (George)

Tuesday 15
Morning: Group work
Afternoon: Continued

Wednesday 16
Morning: Meetings with students from local schools
Afternoon: Free

Thursday 17
Morning: Reinterpreting globalisation after September 11  (Falk)
Afternoon:  Reinventing globalisation from below: vision, tactics, and goals
(Falk)

Friday 18
Morning: The renewed challenge of American hegemony  (Falk)
Afternoon: Beyond American hegemony  (Falk)

Saturday 19
Morning: Debriefing; Course evaluation
Evening: Goodbye Party

Sunday 20 Departures




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Course Director
Giuliano Pontara

Co-ordinating staff
Francesca Martinelli
Franca Bazzanella
Paola Zanon
Stefano Barozzi


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