Outcomes

Thursday March 11, 2004 -  Focus on the Peacemaking Process

Roundtable: ‘Fostering Inclusion? Analysis of the IGAD Negotiations’

As representatives of the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement are engaged in negotiations in Naivasha, Kenya, many other Sudanese are still advocating to have their voices heard. This roundtable will focus on two specific groups – women and the peoples of Darfur. Ms. Khugali and Dr. Ali-Dinar will present brief papers outlining the concerns of these groups, the steps they have taken to be heard, and the implications of an exclusionary peace agreement. Roundtable participants will then engage in an off-the-record discussion on fostering inclusion during the peace talks and eventual peace implementation.

Facilitator: Ted Johnson, Senior Program Manager, Conflict Management Group

Speakers:

• Muna Awad Khugali, Coordinator, Sudanese Women's Convention (Presentation)
• Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Director of Outreach, Africa Studies Center of University of Pennsylvania (Presentation)

God, Oil, and Country: Sudan’s Long Road to Peace

Purpose: This opening session will lay the groundwork for the next two days of discussion and debate, describing the parties and issues driving the ongoing peace process and why peace in Sudan matters. The moderator will begin with an overview of the traditional phases involved in ending armed conflict, citing common challenges faced by countries emerging from civil war, and explaining the importance of peace implementation. Then the first speaker will focus on the history of Sudan, describing the many causes and consequences of the war. Finally the second speaker will give an overview of the current peace talks, highlighting salient issues, the influence of third parties, the agreements to date, and the likely contours of the final comprehensive agreement.

Moderator: Professor Ian Johnstone, Assistant Professor of International Law, The Fletcher School

Panelists:

• Dr. Osama Abdelgadier, Framingham State University (Presentation)
• John Prendergast, International Crisis Group (Presentation)

Video of Panel I
Windows Media Player

Sudan and Its Neighbors: Geopolitical Implications of a Sudanese Peace


Purpose: The impact of the war in Sudan has extended far beyond its borders, disrupting regional security, trade, and development. Moreover each of Sudan’s nine neighbors has unique interests in the outcome of the peace process. This session will explore how three of these neighbors have affected and been affected by the war in Sudan, the geopolitical implications of peace in Sudan, and how these countries can help build the peace.

Moderator: Professor Jeswald Salacuse, Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law, The Fletcher School

Panelists:

• Kirimi Kaberia, Deputy-Ambassador, Kenyan Embassy to the
  United States. (Presentation Unavailable)
• Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Counsellor, Egyptian Embassy to the United States (Presentation)
• Joseph Kahiigwa, Minister Counselor, Ugandan Embassy to the United
  States (Presentation)

Video of Panel II
Windows Media Player

The Triumph of African-Led Negotiations? Brokering Peace in Sudan
 

Purpose: At this moment negotiators from the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement are engaged in the potentially last round of peace talks. This session will offer a unique opportunity to hear the perspectives of these two parties and Norway, a key third party observer. Panelists will relate the significant achievements and stumbling blocks encountered along the way. They will also explore how the African mediators and other third parties have helped keep the main parties at the table, while consulting other parties, in an effort to craft an inclusive and implementable agreement.

Moderator: Professor Jeswald Salacuse, Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law, The Fletcher School

Panelists:

• Ambassador Khiddir Ahmed, Sudanese Embassy to the United States (Presentation)
• Stephen Wondu, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Representative to the United States (Presentation)
• Fridtjov Thorkildsen, Senior Adviser/Coordinator of the Sudan Team, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Presentation)

Video of Panel III
Windows Media Player

Friday March 12, 2004 -  Focus on the Peace Implementation

Keynote: Mapping the Challenges to Peace Implementation

Keynote Speaker: Charles Snyder, Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (Presentation)

Purpose: If a peace agreement is signed, will peace or new conflicts emerge? How can the international community help the Sudanese parties follow up their written commitments to peace? As the principal Sudan policy maker at the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Snyder will map out the answers to these questions, while outlining the US assessment of the likely challenges and outcomes of Sudan’s peace implementation.

Promoting Physical and Human Security

Purpose: Security is the building block to peace in Sudan. As generations of Sudanese have known little but war both as a life and livelihood, it is vital to consider how to create tangible incentives for peace for both the soldiers and civilians on the frontlines. This session will begin with an overview of the relevant security agreements to date and likely implementation challenges, with special focus on the war in Darfur. Then the speakers will discuss key issues, including integrating and demobilizing the numerous armed forces, reintegrating the world’s largest number of IDPs and refugees, and encouraging reconciliation between the warring parties and also returnees and host communities. Finally speakers will address the inevitable mandate and operational conflicts that will arise between the interveners themselves as they attempt to promote physical and human security.

Moderator: Dr. Robert Orr - Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government

Panelists:

• John Prendergast, Special Advisor to the President, International Crisis Group (Presentation)
• Semir Tanovic, Program Specialist, International Rescue Committee (Presentation)
• Dr. Jok Madut Jok, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Presentation)

Video of Panel IV
Windows Media Player

Promoting Democratic Governance

Purpose: Political transformation is the most arduous, complex process that will define Sudan’s path to peace. Clearly this process will not be completed at the end of the interim period, but what steps must be taken to support this transformation? This session will begin with an overview of the relevant political agreements to date and likely implementation challenges, focusing on existing and new political institutions. Then panelists representing a wide range of political viewpoints will discuss some of the governance issues that must be addressed, including internal transformation of the two main parties, power-sharing, Constitutional review, self-determination, and the importance of mobilizing the many parties not at the table in order to promote democratic governance.

Moderator: Dr. Robert Orr - Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government

Panelists:

• David Hoile, Director, European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council (Presentation)
• Dr. Peter Kok, Director, Sudan-African Organization for Human Rights and the Rule of Law (Presentation Unavailable)
• Dr. David Chand, University of Nebraska at Omaha (Presentation)
• Suzanne Jambo, Coordinator, New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs Network (Presentation)

Video of Panel V
Windows Media Player

Promoting Just Economic Development

Purpose: Sudan’s rich natural resources have blessed and cursed its people, with oil literally fueling the war. If a peace agreement is signed, the distribution of Sudan’s natural resources and the promised post-conflict reconstruction aid may help redress or reinforce historical patterns of marginalization. This session will begin with an overview of the relevant economic agreements to date and likely implementation challenges, focusing on the wealth-sharing clauses. Other topics to be covered include public/private partnerships, the role of the oil industry in Sudan’s reconstruction, conversion of military expenditures towards social sectors, and how just economic development may also help prevent future conflicts.

Moderator: Professor Diana Chigas, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Diplomacy, The Fletcher School

Panelists:

Video of Panel VI
Windows Media Player

Promoting Strategic Coordination and Leadership


Purpose:  The final challenge to be explored may be the most elusive – coordinating all of the domestic and international actors involved in peace implementation. In this session, representatives of USAID, UNDP, the Government of Sudan, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement will explore how the main parties can work together and with the international community to implement the peace agreement, considering all of the challenges and potential solutions raised throughout the conference. The donor representatives will outline their post-conflict aid programs and which, if any, forms of peace conditionality will be applied to the parties. Finally the Sudanese parties will reflect on the conference proceedings, while describing their joint implementation and coordination strategies to lead Sudan towards peace and development.

Moderator: Professor Diana Chigas, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Diplomacy, The Fletcher School

Panelists:

• Fridtjov Thorkildsen, Senior Adviser/Coordinator of the Sudan Team, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Presentation)
• Ambassador Khiddir Ahmed, Sudanese Embassy to the United States (Presentation)
• Stephen Wondu, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Representative to the United States (Presentation)

Video of Panel VII
Windows Media Player

Closing Remarks

Video of Closing Remarks
Windows Media Player