USIP Professional Training Officer Nina Sughrue and former USIP Education Officer Alan Tidwell conducted a three and half day seminar for 30 participants from humanitarian NGOs, U.S. government agencies, U.S. and UK military, and international organizations involved in relief and peace operations.
USIP Professional Training Officer Nina Sughrue and former USIP Education Officer Alan Tidwell conducted a three and half day seminar for 30 participants from humanitarian NGOs, U.S. government agencies, U.S. and UK military, and international organizations involved in relief and peace operations. The seminar's objectives included professional skill development in the areas of conflict analysis, cross-cultural communication, negotiation, and third-party dispute resolution. These skills were developed through activities, which promoted more effective communication and cooperation among the military, governmental, and non-governmental participants. Another important aspect of the seminar involved presentations from leading experts in civil-military coordination in complex contingency operations. These presentations afforded opportunities for participants to hear new perspectives and to engage in constructive discussion.
The NGOs represented were Search for Common Ground, Catholic Relief Services, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and Winrock International. USAID´s office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, Food for Peace and Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation were represented. US Army Civil Affairs, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS), the European Union (EU), the US Air Force, the British military, and George Mason's Center for Global Education were all represented at the seminar. Participants hailed from across the US as well as England, the Congo, Indonesia, Guinea and Haiti.
The seminar also provided an excellent opportunity for networking and building new relationships. Among the participants' comments were: "The USIP program was, without a doubt, one of the best training experiences I've ever had. I would like to thank you for the effort in holding the seminar." "Everything was excellent and I will certainly recommend the seminar to my comrades at work." "There is a lot of common ground and interests/needs between the military, USG and NGOs and these forums help break some of the misunderstandings in the field."
