As a follow-up of CONCODOC two activities are proposed: updating country reports and publication and promotion of CONCODOC on the Internet. NOTE: this part of the project will be coordinated with the WRI Online Resource Project, as will approaches to funders for this part of the work.
The final report of CONCODOC - Refusing to bear arms - is on its way to the printers. For WRI this is a major achievement and a clear indication that the WRI network is a valuable source for information on the everyday practice of conscientious objection.It would be a shame if the documentation would not be kept up-to-date as much as possible. Furthermore, in today's world it is unthinkable that such information would not be available on the Internet.
The proposal should be shaped into a two detailed plans for which funds should be raised, after which the project could start. Although this follow-up period could be endless, it should end and be reconsidered after three years at the next Triennial.
The updating would preferably be carried out by a small group of three to five members from the WRI network, who could each be responsible for the reports of a particular part of the world. For instance, they could each commit themselves to work on the updating of some country reports for a few weeks every year.
A four-language WRI website has been running since November 1997, mainly to give information about the Porec Triennial. Based on our experiences with this site, there are many other WRI resources which would benefit from electronic distribution. This project aims to ensure that WRI is able to expand its presence on the Web and in other electronic media. It is also designed to ensure that those with limited access to email or the Internet also be able to use online resources.
The resources available on a WRI website/FTP site/mailing list would be almost exclusively WRI's. These would include the Broken Rifle (all language versions); updates to the CONCODOC project; post-Triennial reports; publications lists and links; and updates/urgent actions.
1998.10-1999.03: Funding applications, maintenance of existing website, and initial gathering of resources for an enhanced website.1999.03-2000.09: Fully-functioning WRI website.
2000.09-2001.09: Development of other resources, outreach to WRI affiliates to help develop their sites.
GENERAL NOTE: The project could be an autonomous resource serving both WRI and Peace News if Peace News Ltd were interested in participating.
We propose to establish an Indonesia/East Timor working group in WRI (somewhat along the model of the existing Turkey/Kurdistan working group).
The goals of the group would be to increase communication and sharing between WRI and nonviolent activists in Indonesia. Minimally, this would involve exchanges of information and literature; responding to urgent actions from the region; ensuring that the high level of coverage in Peace News continues and that more of the material comes directly from Indonesians and East Timorese; and fundraising to enable Indonesian and East Timorese activists to attend WRI events. We would strive to make contact particularly, though not exclusively, with women activists.More ambitiously, we would like to try to organize a mini-seminar tour of Indonesia by two or three international activists from, say, South Africa and Chile. The international visitors would speak and hold gatherings in several cities in Indonesia (hopefully in as many regions as possible), and in Dili, East Timor, on issues around social reconstruction, reconciliation and impunity - extremely pressing issues in Indonesia and in East Timor at this time.
WRI has many years of accumulated experience and many activists with valuable insights for Indonesian civil society at this time, as they struggle to emerge from decades of dictatorship and deal with the damage that has been caused. The democratization process in Indonesia is still very fragile, and the democracy movement very isolated, while East Timor is facing the beginning of a long and difficult peace process and reconstruction. WRI has the resources and the knowledge to support nonviolent activists in Indonesia, and to learn from them, extending our network into a region where it is still weak. If we do not take this opportunity now, it could soon be too late - but if we are able to make these connections now, then even if the situation in Indonesia worsens, we will be more able to offer constructive help.
For the first six months, our main tasks will be involving more people, both in Indonesia and East Timor and internationally, and working on exchanges of information and literature. We will also explore funding for the mini-seminar tour.
It should be clear after the first six months if the funding for the tour is there. If it is, we would aim to hold the tour sometime later in 1999, in time for it to feed into the social empowerment conference in February 2000.
After this first year, our activities will depend very much on how the situations in Indonesia and East Timor develop; it is very hard to predict at this point and so very hard to know what the most appropriate actions will be. However, we will certainly be fundraising to have at least one Indonesian and one East Timorese at the social empowerment conference, and also at the Triennial in 2001.
A conference on social empowerment, to be held in February 2000 in India (length 6-7 days) has been discussed within WRI council and executive over the past several years. Howard Clark will be working on a first draft of the project proposal, including an agenda, during October 1998. Comments are welcome to the end of November, and the proposal will be discussed in depth at the December executive. Fundraising work will start in spring 1999.
To form an ad hoc group of men and women (and any other genders if appropriate) to work on the implementation of proposals arising from the Gender Day at the Triennial over the following year, and to implement some of the proposals at next year's council meeting. This work forms part of the WRI Strategic Plan.
A nonviolent blockade as a physical siege around the embassies of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), under the slogan "Stop the War in Kosovo".
WRI has a long-standing concern over Kosovo, and there is a need to do something in the short term (aside from the International's long-term engagement with the Balkan Peace Team) to react to the ongoing war, death, and suffering.See also the statement on Kosovo passed at this year's business meeting.
(incorporated into the Strategic Plan)
(incorporated into the Strategic Plan).
Continued discussion of identity issues and
their relationship to conflict.