EVENTS
From October 8-10, 2008 over 30 participants representing civil society, international organizations and funding agencies working in the fields of coexistence, democratization, and peacebuilding gathered in Accra, Ghana to take part in a three day workshop on “Democracy, Conflict and Coexistence in West Africa”. The participants, who came from Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, were invited to contribute to the workshop in recognition of their leadership roles and commitment to inclusive and participatory governance. The workshop was sponsored by Coexistence International in partnership with the Center for Democratic Development – Ghana (CDD) and the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). The Alan B. Slifka Foundation and The Compton Foundation provided financial support for the event.
A summary of the worshop is available here.
PUBLICATIONS
Building from the knowledge and experience that resulted from the "Transitional Justice, Reconciliation, and Coexistence" Workshop held in Monrovia in February 2008, CI and the West Africa Network for Transitional Justice have developed a set of recommendations and guidelines for applying a coexistence lens to transitional justice efforts. These guidelines have been published with the consultation and review of a number of civil society organizations from throughout the West African sub-region. They represent the first guidelines of their kind and include six general recommendations as well as specific guidelines for the following audiences:
- Designers of transitional justice processes
- Local civil society organizations
- Truth seeking bodies
- International and regional organizations and judicial bodies
The guidelines and recommendations may be downloaded by clicking
here.
This latest research paper published by CI builds upon our earlier research and publications on complimentary approaches to coexistence and democracy-building globally, including our focus paper "
Focus on Coexistence and Democracy-building". In 2008, CI commissioned research to explore how organizations and practitioners in
West Africa define and practice coexistence and democracy work and what linkages between these two areas currently exist.
This research paper serves as summary report of the state of coexistence and democracy in the region and is based upon desk research and interviews with pracitioners in the field. It provides regional context (including country briefs) and outlines some of the key challenges facing the intersection of coexistence and democracy in West Africa.
It forms part of our pilot project in West Africa, which also includes our recent workshop,
“Democracy, Conflict and Coexistence in West Africa” (see above), and a forthcoming focus paper "Focus on Coexistence and Democracy-building in West Africa".
COEXISTENCE IN THE NEWS
"Hope and a Diverse Nation" --
The Boston Globe, November 13, 2008
The election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States has inspired Americans and brought race and diversity to the forefront of our consciousness. This op-ed piece argues that we need to capitalize on this time and promote concrete actions to increase social inclusion and diversity in practice at the community level.
