Independent Diplomat: Conflict Prevention and Diplomacy
Independent Diplomat (ID), a non-profit diplomatic advisory group active in Washington, D.C. since January 2008, was formed in 2004 to help address the diplomatic deficit faced by many groups and governments who are at a profound disadvantage due to a lack of resources and inexperience with the international diplomatic system.
ID offers independent and confidential advice and assistance on diplomatic technique and strategy to governments, international institutions, non-governmental organizations and political groups in areas of conflict or potential conflict. ID’s first project was advising the government of Kosovo during the status talks leading to the country’s independence. Most recently, ID has assisted Burmese democratic and ethnic groups to unite for the first time in forty years around a proposal on national reconciliation which was adopted at a historic meeting in Jakarta just two weeks ago.
Søren Jessen-Petersen, former special representative of the U.N. Secretary-General in Kosovo and assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, now the head of ID’s Washington office, and a former Jennings Randolph guest scholar at USIP, will provide a briefing on ID’s current activities in Africa, Asia and Europe, as well as on ID’s advocacy projects on U.N. Security Council working methods and climate change.
Panelists
- Søren Jessen-Petersen
Independent Diplomat - Paul Williams
Executive Director, Public International Law and Policy Group
Former U.S. Institute of Peace Grantee - Iain Guest
Executive Director, Advocacy Project - Virginia Bouvier, Moderator
Senior Program Officer, Grants and Fellowships, U.S. Institute of Peace - With opening remarks from Dr. Richard Solomon, President, U.S. Institute of Peace