In the Field

The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan are two of the most troubled provinces of Pakistan. The porous border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan suffer from serious violent conflict due to the Taliban’s heavy presence in these areas.

USIP’s Rule of Law program is preparing to conduct a baseline survey on security and access to justice in Nepal.  Acting Director of Rule of Law Colette Rausch and Program Assistant Morgan Miller visited Nepal in May to discuss final preparations with the Kathmandu-based team leading the survey effort.

Ted Feifer and Keith Bowen led a third workshop for Rwandan Defense Force officers preparing an infantry battalion for deployment with the United Nations/African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The training was conducted in partnership with the Department of State's African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance Program (ACOTA).

Ted Feifer and Keith Bowen led an advanced negotiation and mediation skills training for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, in Pristina, December 10-12, 2008. The 19 participants that completed the program represented mission HQ and field offices, a cross-section of professional functions, and international and national staff. Most had attended other USIP training workshops, and the remainder met a prerequisite of similar training or substantial field experience.

USIP's effort to re-launch our SENSE program in Iraq was successfully initiated October 28th through November 8th, 2008 during an intensive training session in Istanbul, Turkey.  Five USIP staff members from DC, as well as four DC SENSE team members, were joined there by 21 members of the Iraqi SENSE team and two staff members of USIP’s Baghdad Office.