Anne Henderson of the USIP Professional Training Program offered a one-day seminar in conflict management for participants in a State Department International Visitor Program.
Anne Henderson of the USIP Professional Training Program offered a one-day seminar in conflict management for participants in a State Department International Visitor Program. The State Department program, "Regional Stability and Conflict Resolution," focused on Francophone Africa and introduced participants to American governmental, NGO, and academic institutions that specialize in African affairs and conflict resolution.
The USIP seminar focused on negotiation, a tool of conflict management, as an alternative to violence. Through facilitated discussions and exercises, it gave participants the opportunity to share negotiation experiences and practice key negotiation skills.
The fourteen participants were all professionally active in the field of conflict analysis and resolution. Some were diplomats and government officials; others were civil society/NGO leaders, journalists, tribal chiefs, academics, and military officers. Participants represented many Francophone African nations, including Senegal, Niger, Burundi, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mali, and Togo.
At the conclusion of the seminar, participants concurred that the skills and lessons they had covered would prove most valuable in their ongoing work to manage conflicts and build peace in their nations.
