In the Field

Religion is often seen as the cause of strife around the globe, but in reality, it can provide the foundation for what helps to end conflict. USIP’s work, from Indonesia to Pakistan, demonstrates that religion can play a positive role in managing conflict. USIP’s David Smock, senior vice president for the Centers of Innovation, explores the issue in this brief question-and-answer.

Since early 2010, USIP’s Cross-Border Dialogue Initiative has brought together more than 300 people, teaching the skills of policy advocacy and negotiation and, at the same time, building bridges between communities suffering from endemic violence and separated by a tense national border.

The Institute's work is not always visible because it seeks to protect the people it works with in conflict zones‭. USIP Executive Vice President outlines USIP's work in a few of the regions you care about.

Qamar-ul Huda discusses the International Islamic Peace Education Workshop organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace in partnership with the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID) and Magbassa Kita Foundation Inc (MKFI).

On December 16th, at the request of the Pakistani Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), ETC/I Senior Program Officer Nina Sughrue conducted a one-day conflict management session for 18 Pakistani parliamentarians, eight members of the parliamentary staff, 17 representatives of the political parties’ youth wings, nine members of the youth parliament, 10 members of the press, and six politically active civil society leaders in Islamabad.