WHAT ISNANSEN DIALOG ?

Presentation to honor the 150thanniversary of the birth of Fridtjof

NansenNorwegian Embassy

September 19th 2011.

WHAT DO I HOPE TOACCOMPLISH?

• Tell you about the development of NansenDialog as an attitude and a political tool.

• Tell you about the work of the Nansen DialogNetwork in ex-Yugoslavia

• Tell a success story to illustrate the power ofdialogue

• Focus particularly on results in Serbia andchallenges for the future

• Short comments about the relevance for Norway

OLYMPIC GAMES 1994

Nansen Academy (Nansenskolen)

Nansen Dialogue 1995-2011

MISSION• Nansen Dialogue wishes to empower people who live in

conflict situations to contribute to peaceful conflicttransformation on the basis of democracy and humanrights.

• We wish to provide a neutral space where people fromopposite sides in serious conflicts can meet face to face inhonest dialogue.

• Through dialogue, participants gain new understanding ofeach other’s experiences, perspectives, and needs.Enemy images may be broken down and relationshipsrebuilt.

• On this foundation, we explore creative solutions to jointchallenges.

Context: Divided Communities

Group A

• Home• School• Politics• Media

Group B

• Home• School• Politics• Media

Ethnic truths

Serbianperspective

Albanianperspective

How to create a wish for win/win?• People who feel they are the only victim

are not open or willing to develop synergyand win/win – it is through the dialog andreconciliation work that they discover theneed for cooperation.

• The view that common economic interestswill unite people is too primitive and hasnot been particularly effective in placeslike Bosnia Herzegovina.

DIALOG IS MOVEMENT

• A powerful dialogperson is the child whomoves through the day asking meaningfulquestions.

• Dialog is both an attitude and a way ofcommunicating.

• Q&A is an essential part of a good dialog.• People in extreme conflict become

«locked in»

DIALOG IS VISIBILITY

• Dialog is making yourself visible to theworld

• Dialog is allowing the world to becomevisible to you

• Dialog is saying THOU to the world• I – Thou not I-It

DIALOGUE IS RELATIONS

•Dialogue is opening up•Dialogue focus on understanding the other•Dialogue is a process not a project•Recent reasearch shows that thedialogprocess itself builds trust andconfidence, and increase efficiency•Dialogue is a relation not a solution

DEBATE DIALOGUEGoal: To win

• Convince• Argue• Look for the weak

argument• Hunter• Moral Judge• Make opponent insecure• To change opinion is a

sign of weakness• Confronting language

Goal: To understand• Explain• Listen• Look for the strength in

the opponent• Self-discipline• Tolerance• Make opponent feel safe• To change opinion is a

sign of maturity• Supportive language

Why Lillehammer?LILLEHAMMER

BUJANOVAC

Reconciliation

In Lillehammer:

• Dialogue

• Time together

• Calm atmosphere

• New group identity

• Expanding horisons

• Being taken seriously

Serbs Albanians

Roma

Lillehammer as aReconciliation arena

•Maihaugen•Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena

•The Main Street•GLØR recycling compound

•Schools and the municipality poiticians andadministrationwww.lillehammer.kommune.no

Reconciliation on Akropolis

Basic dialog seminarIntroduction to dialogue

•How has the conflict affected your life – (family,work, living conditions – future hopes)•Evaluate the inter-ethnic communication andcooperation in your home community (politics,work, sports and culture, social life)•Identify the obstacles for integration (internal,external, individual and structural) How can theybe overcome?•80% debate and 20% dialog

What happens in the dialogueprocess?

Serbianperspective

Albanianperspective

Dialogicaltruth

•Knowledge

•Understanding

•Nuances

•Wider perspective

•Identification

Strategic focus

NDN recruits participants with institutionalconnections in communities that aredivided along ethnic lines

• Municipalities (local political and administrativeleaders)

• Education sector (teachers, parents,pupils/students, administration)

• Returnees – people involved in reintegration

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

• Different ethnic truths are allowed todevelop in segregated communitieswithout being challenged, confronted orverified.

• The different ethnic groups often have astrong «victim mythology» stressing theevil deeds of the other while remainingseemingly unaware of the ownwrongdoings.

NEUTRALITY/IMPARTIALITY

In Scandinavia we are often pushed tochoose sides – to support the weak againstthe strong, to support the poor against therich, the oppressed against the oppressor –to support David against Goliat. ShowSolidarity.

How to get a break in a dividedcommunity

NMFA NansenAcademy

NDCBujanovac

Nansen CoreGroup

Ethnically

segregated

community

The importance of Homes andThe importance of Homes andSchools in establishing a stableSchools in establishing a stable

state.state.Villages: 17Villages: 17Inhabitants: 10.805Inhabitants: 10.805

Macedonians: 5983 / 56%Macedonians: 5983 / 56%Albanians: 4642 / 43%Albanians: 4642 / 43%Serbs: 109 / 1%Serbs: 109 / 1%RomasRomas: 49 / 0.05 %: 49 / 0.05 %Others: 22 / 0.02 %Others: 22 / 0.02 %

* Source: Census 2002* Source: Census 2002

Areas affected by the armed conflict in 2001Areas affected by the armed conflict in 2001

2005: No interaction between Albanian and2005: No interaction between Albanian andMacedonian pupilsMacedonian pupils

Nansen Dialogue Centre Skopje startedNansen Dialogue Centre Skopje startedits activities:its activities:

IT classroom

Courses and classroomsCourses and classrooms

IT classroom

Basic Englishcourse

Courses and classroomsCourses and classrooms

IT classroom

Basic Englishcourse

Advanced Englishcourse

Courses and classroomsCourses and classrooms

Advanced ITcourse

Basic Englishcourse

Advanced Englishcourse

Basic ITcourse

Courses and classroomsCourses and classrooms

Advanced ITcourse

Basic Englishcourse

Advanced Englishcourse

Basic IT course

Albanianlanguage course

Courses and classroomsCourses and classrooms

Advanced ITcourse

Basic Englishcourse

Advanced Englishcourse

Basic IT course

Albanianlanguage course

Macedonianlanguage course

Joint activities between Macedonian andJoint activities between Macedonian andAlbanian pupils in 2008Albanian pupils in 2008

Advanced ITcourse

Basic Englishcourse

Advanced Englishcourse

Basic IT course

Albanianlanguage course

Macedonianlanguage course

Counterforces• The release of the commandant from

prison – self proclaimed village leader.• ”How can we send our children to school

together with Slavic children?”• Knocking on doors, mobil phone threats,

character assasination, blocking theschool bus, road blocks – creating fear

Was this the end of dialogue?• We could not call in the police – it would

only accelerate the conflict• EU, OSCE, American Embassy,

Norwegian Embassy – ”we have noemandate to intervene” – ”we can only sendobservers”.

• It was clearly time to ask: Is this the end ofdialogue? Is this how far we can reach?

How did we overcome this threath?

• The parents refused to give in – they fought fortheir right to decide the best school for theirchildren.

• They called for new election of the villagecouncil (9 members)

• We needed at least the majority, 5 seats, buteven that could have continued the fight.

• We won 7 of 9 seats, and the commandantdisappeared. He knew he did not have supportin his own village.

The consequenses of theNansen School in Macedonia

• It provides a practical example that integrated education is possible• It has informed the strategy document for national education that has been

developed in cooperation with HCNM in Haague (Knut Vollebæk) and this hasbeen approved in the Macedonian parliament.

• It has shown that segregated education according to the European focus on theright to education in your mother tongue can serve as a legitimation ofsegregation.

• Inspired bilingual Macedonian-Turkish school projects in Strumica and Valisevo• Delegations come from Belgium, France, Norway the U.S., EU, OSCE have visited

to see and learn.• A bilingual multiethnic secondary school opened September 1 2010 also called

«The Fridtjof Nansen School». Three new municipalities will be included.• The Minister of Education called us three times last fall and asked us to write his

speech.• April 19th the president of Macedonia ask to visit the school and speak with us, we

did not ask to see him. The president talk about the school as a model forMacedonia.

• On Friday 16th it was announced that NDC Skopje had won the Max Van DerStoel Prize for 2011 – 50 000 Euro.

Some results last year NDN• Opening of a Dialogue Centre in Srebrenica/Bratunac B&H• Opening of a Dialogue Centre in Prijedor, B&H• Opening of a Nansen Classroom in Stolac, B&H• Supporting Serbian returnee processes to Albanian villages in

Kosovo• Supporting the multiethnic neighborhood Mikronasalje in

Mitrovica• Instrumental in establishing the multiethnic municipal

government of Bujanovac, Serbia• Potential spreading of Fridtjof Nansen Schools in Macedonia

to cover 33% of territory• Spreading the ”Cultural and Spiritual Heritage of the Region”

program in the school district of Vukovar.

This case study shows the importance ofhomes and schools in statebuilding

• A stable state depends on loyalty from itspeople. Such a loyalty is better secured withequal access to resources and opportunities.

• Integrated education is necessary to secureequal access and avoid ethnic discrimination.

• How can respect between citizens and ademocratic state be built without dialogue andreconciliation between the different ethnicgroups living in the state?

NDC Serbia Projects:Development through Dialogue

• Stimulated a more constructive and open dialoguebetween citizens and local authorities in five multi-ethnic, marginalized and economically disadvantagedmunicipalities: Prijepolje and Priboj in Sandzak, Secanjin Vojvodina and Golubac and Majdanpek in EastSerbia;

• Supported local NGOs in their campaigns to improvemunicipal legislation that allows greater participation ofwomen, youth and other underrepresented groups.

• Increased participation of women in local decisionmaking in Priboj, Prijepolje, Golubac and Majdanpek,increased youth mobilization and their involvement inlocal politics in Secanj.

Stimulate multiethnic developmentin a divided community (Bujanovac)

• Support and active pushing of the developmentof a multiethnic government in BujanovacMunicipality, building public and media supportthrough a series of meetings and seminars onpolitical dialogue, through local media campaignsand public events.

• The new multiethnic government is in place. Amultiethnic coalition has a solid chance to winthe next election.

• This long term cooperation with Bujanovacmunicipality has built a solid political supportbase, that can be capitalized in developingintegrated educational projects on bothkindergarden/primary school and university level.

Theater performance 700

Lillehammer - BujanovacSchools Mediation

Cooperation Project• Cooperation between teachers from Albanian and Serbian schools

in relation to the School mediation fostered as well ascollaboration around the subjects they teach. Teachers startedsharing ideas in relation to curricula and consulting with eachother;

• Students from both ethnic groups worked together (jointperformances, Cultural House) and realized that they sharedteenagers’ interests;

• Ministry of Education in Serbia officially supported SchoolMediation Programme in Bujanovac schools;

• The local authorities´ representatives support the project politicallyand by participating in activities such as joint sports events,opening of mediators' club and performances.

• Social competence skills and violence prevention in schoolsfostered amongst the teachers from village schools throughtrainings, exchanges and visits between Serbian and Albanianschools in Bujanovac Municipality with schools in Lillehammer.

Educational Institutions Implement Peace Education-regional programme, implemented by NDC Serbia and NDCMontenegro within the framework of the Global Partnership

for the Prevention of Armed Conflicts (GPPAC)

• Support to integration of Peace Education (PE) values andcontents into curricula through trainings with teachers, peaceeducators, educational counsellors and Ministry of Educationrepresentatives and advocacy work with the Ministries ofEducation in Serbia and Montenegro;

• Action plans for integration of PE on 3 levels: school level,national level and regional level (cooperation betweenMontenegro and Serbia) created;

• Official support to the programme by Serbian Ministry of Educationand Science and Montenegrin Ministry of Education and Sportsoutlined in the Declaration on Joint Cooperation and Cooperationwith Civil Society Organisations in the field of Peace Education,signed in December 2009 by the Deputy Ministers of Educationfrom Serbia and from Montenegro;

Consequenses for Norway• We need to strengthen our culture of

dialogue – and it is happening.• Called upon to inspire conflict solving,

particularly in counties and in thecommunication between the state,counties and municipalities.

• Training seminars for executive boards inmunicipalities.

• Open dialogue meetings in Norwegiancities.

Consequenses for Norway II• Worked together with the Somalian

diaspora. The use of dialogue betweensubclans and between the different clans.Created an umbrella organization unitingthe clans. Giving them a stronger voice.

• Worked with the Afghanistan, Irakian, SriLanka, Bosnia and Kosovo diaspora.

• Motivation and inspiration of the diasporato engage more in their homecountries.

www.nansen-dialogue.net