Northern Friends Peace Board

Bringing Peace to the City in Belfast

The '"Peace to the City" campaign of the Programme to Overcome Violence culminated at the World Council of Churches Conference in Ha7rare in December. Belfast was one of a number of cities from different parts of the world which contributed to the sharing of news, experiences and thinking. Doug Baker of Mediation Network in Northern Ireland was the link for Belfast, and wrote in his last newsletter:

Some of the lessons we have learned in Northern Ireland in recent years, and which have become convictions about peace-building, include:

1) Peace is much more than the absence of violence. In biblical terms, "Shalom," includes the concepts of wholeness, well-being, the presence of right relationships and co-operation. Therefore, turning cease-fires, which are only a beginning, into lasting peace is hard work.

2) Building peace requires foundations. These include cease-fires, agreement on basic political structures and principles or rights on the basis of which the detail of future relationships will be established. These foundations in themselves do not constitute peace. However, they are essential in freeing up other developments which frequently cannot proceed either with a backdrop of violence or lack of agreed principles.

3) Peace-building involves everyone. It is not restricted to politicians or leaders. Nor is it restricted to those most obviously engaged in a conflict. Peace-building needs to be organic: That is, occurring right throughout society. It is our experience that "official" efforts fuel "unofficial efforts" and vice versa. Movement is from the top down, from the grassroots up, and from the middle out. Not enough thought and energy has been given, though, to the middle out approach (the role of individuals and institutions both in contact with the grassroots and able to influence decision makers at the top.)

4) The churches have a vital role to play both because they are major institutions in society and because the work of reconciliation and peacemaking is central to the gospel.

5) Relationships are the primary building blocks of peace. Fruitful peacemaking is about creating a real and lasting context in which differences can be accommodated. Central to the whole enterprise is facilitating communication between individuals and groups from different sides to a conflict, which can lead to trust and the mutual acceptance of differences. This is the foundation essential for any lasting political agreement and it cannot be achieved by politicians alone. Making and finding spaces where differences can be explored honestly in a safe atmosphere is the key task of community relations work. It is also very difficult to appreciate how things are seen from the other side. Therefore, we need others with whom we have developed sufficient trust and understanding to test out perspectives, statements and visions before acting on them. Another way of stating this is that it s easier to build a bridge if you have a foundation on both side of the chasm.

6) Peacemaking takes time and peace must be pursued. There are no quick fixes and peace will not come about simply because of our longing or wishes.

7) There is a need to seek inclusivity - a theology of embrace rather than exclusion or condemnation - as part of any peacemaking approach. Those who because of their positions or past are excluded from dialogue or negotiations are more likely to resort to violence as a way of pursuing their objectives.

8) There is no one correct way to engage in peace-building. Rather, there is tremendous value in an enormous number of diverse initiatives - a multiplicity of efforts which complement each other but not seek to form into a single "movement." Peacemaking is a journey. There are lots of first steps - and lots of steps beyond that. It is good that different people identify different ones which they can take and that this be affirmed by others. There is value of opportunities for networking between different processes instead.

9) There is particular value in storytelling as a contribution to communication between opposing groups and to building peace. You cannot reconcile anyone, they must do that themselves. But you can enable people to hear each other's stories, which in itself often leads to awareness and bonds which facilitate reconciliation.

10)  There is a need to develop specific method and concrete skills in peace-building. Not all of the ways groups seek peace are effective. There is a need to develop methodology. Some of methodologies we want to highlight in overcoming violence are:

I. Communication
a. The importance of meeting
b. The importance of neutral venues
c. The importance of storytelling
d. The importance of affirming what we share in common as well as what may separate us: In group discussion we move from common concerns such as family to topics which are more likely to reveal disagreements, such as religion and politics. When we have already begun to identify with each other through sharing experiences or concerns we have in common we are less likely to walk away from or dismiss each other when we begin to experience disagreements. Our previous connection with and feeling for others makes us more determined to reach agreement or find ways of disagreeing without falling out with each other. e. The importance of moving beyond polite conversation and getting in touch with stronger emotions. For example using flags and other emotive symbols to encourage sharing about issues of political identity and allegiance.
II. Mediation (as a particular form of communication)
III. Negotiation (the need for communication to move to concrete agreements)


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