Public Symposium: “East Timor: Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding at the Community Level”

2012年12月22日更新

（Panel discussion）

On December 22, 2012 (Sat.), the Global Collaboration Center held a public symposium on the topic of “East Timor: Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding at the Community Level,” with the sponsorship of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). East Timor won independence 10 years ago after an extended conflict, and the peacebuilding process continues today. At this symposium, speakers and panelists focused on efforts at the level of the local community, an area all too often neglected in the traditional peacebuilding process, where the focus has generally been on development of frameworks and systems as part of the nation-building process and on the independence and capacity building of the recipient government. The event consisted of four reports followed by a panel discussion.

All four speakers built their talks around actual local initiatives in East Timor. Antero Benedito da Silva, professor at the National University of Timor-Leste and director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Center, discussed the involvement and significance of the country’s students in the peacebuilding movement over the past four decades. Maria da Costa, program manager for the Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) system operated by the NGO BELUN in cooperation with Columbia University’s Center for International Conflict Resolution, spoke about the challenges of building a nationwide community conflict-prevention network and the results to date. Yohei Higuchi, a researcher at the Okinawa Peace Assistance Center, reported on efforts to apply the lessons of postwar reconstruction in Okinawa to communities in East Timor. And Takeshi Ito (CEO of ASOBOT Inc., editor-in-chief of the Generation Times, and founder of Shibuya University Network), described a community-radio initiative in East Timor that draws on Japan’s creative approach to PR and communication.

（Symposium participants）

In the panel discussion, Professor Akihisa Matsuno (Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University) and Takeshi Watanabe (officer of the JICA Timor-Leste Office and advisor to the East Timor Ministry of Planning and Finance) commented on the reports and the issues raised by the speakers. Professor Matsuno analyzed the initiatives in the context of international relations and the history of East Timor, while Mr. Watanabe described the current state of programs being implemented at the central-government level and highlighted the importance of policy coordination between the national government and community-level efforts.

Despite inclement weather, the symposium drew almost 100 participants, including students and faculty members from the National University of Timor-Leste and 20 Japanese universities and aid workers from various organizations. Although the discussion period had to be cut short owing to time constraints, participants voiced their appreciation of the new perspectives offered by the symposium, commenting that it was “interesting to hear a variety of approaches, from people in academia, non-governmental organizations, and private business,” and that the symposium “explored the topic theme of peacebuilding in East Timor from a new angle.”

The symposium also provided an opportunity to forge new ties with several aid organizations and other universities, especially the National University of Timor-Leste, and to further expand our Intercollegiate Network for Peacebuilding. We are grateful to our distinguished speakers and panelists, to all who attended, and to everyone else who helped make this symposium possible.