IN THE NEWS

Global Economic Symposium 2011 , Kiel Germany

The Global Economic Symposium 2011 held its third annual conference on October 5 and 6, 2011 in Kiel, Germany. John W. McDonald, Ambassador (ret.) and Chairman of our Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, was invited to speak on a panel focusing on “Water Scarcity and Virtual Water Trade”. Ambassador McDonald introduced IMTD’s “Three Rivers Project” which addresses the need for the creation of an International Water Commission, made up of members from each of the states along the Tigris, Euphrates and Jordan Rivers, to facilitate peaceful collaboration in the use of surface and ground waters. This project was included in the GES Ideas Fair 2011 of ten projects with potential significance and feasibility. In addition, Ambassador McDonald also urged faster progress to bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the people in the developing world, and especially to establish sanitary facilities in the schools which do not have them, to enable girls after entering the stage of puberty to continue their education instead of being retained at home for their own safety.

John W. McDonald on the Panel for Water Scarcity and Virtual Water Trade With Richard Evans, CEO (rtd.) Alcan Inc, Joachim von Braun ZEF Bonn and Yacob Tsur, Hebrew University Jerusalem

At the Ideas Fair: McDonald explaining the Three Rivers Project in greater detail

Great interest in safe drinking water and sanitation

Ideas Fair: Three Rivers Project and Safe Drinking Water

Raising awareness about Kartarpur Marg

On Thursday, September 22, 2011 IMTD organized an event in Punjab, India in order to mark the death anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. The event comprised raising awareness about Kartarpur Marg through presentations and a speech made by Mr. Pratap Singh Bajwa, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, as well as distribution of flyers about the project in local languages, and a Peace March to the India-Pakistan border. The event was attended by approximately 200 people, many of whom traveled from different cities and surrounding states. To view more pictures of the event click here.

Peace Day Celebration on Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, September 20, IMTD joined the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Friends Committee on National Legislation, 3P Human Security, Rotary International of Dupont Circle, and Shalom Educating for Peace in hosting an International Peace Day celebration on Capitol Hill. Ice cream was served as attendees learned about the campaign to pass through Congress the Youth PROMISE Act (H.R. 2721), and about efforts to endorse the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Complex Crisis Fund. Speakers included Congressman Bobby Scott, of the Third District of Virginia.

India and Pakistan: A journey of Combined Fates?  Lecture & Book Event

On Monday, September 12, 2011, the School for Conflict Analysis & Resolution (SCAR) presented former Ambassador John W. McDonald who discussed his most recent peacebuilding project, Kartarpur Marg: A Punjab-Punjab Peace Corridor encompassing religious and spiritual diplomacy across the India-Pakistan border. In addition, Mr. Trividesh S. Maini, a scholar on India and Pakistan Affairs from New Delhi will presented his latest book titled, Warriors after War: Indian and Pakistani Retired Military Leaders Reflect on Relations between the Two Countries, Past, Present and Future.
Read more about Mr. Trividesh S. Maini…

New NDU Class begins

On September 13th, 2011 we began our tenth class at the National Defense University of the course entitled “Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding”. Eighteen participants from twelve countries are currently enrolled. The NDU has a ten-month masters program for colonels and senior civilians from around the world. Since January 2007 we have graduated 125 colonels and senior civilians from 46 countries. The goal of the course is to teach the participants there are other ways than the gun to solve conflict.

UMASS BOSTON HONORS STUDENT WITH NEW AWARD

The University of Massachusetts, Boston, Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, established the Ambassador John W. McDonald Award for Leadership and Innovation in Global Governance and Conflict Resolution. “Given annually to a graduating Master’s student in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance, this award is inspired by the life and work of Ambassador McDonald (ret.) and his ambition to integrate thought and action in solving global challenges through innovative means at all levels of governance.” Ambassador McDonald presented the first award to M.A. graduate student, Vanessa DiCarlo, on June 3, 2011.

A Visit to Berlin, Germany

Following an invitation from Dr. Juan Diaz, one of the founders of the CSSProject in Berlin, Ambassador John W. McDonald was a guest lecturer from June 6 to June 8, 2011 at a Multi-Track Peace Mediation Course in Berlin, organized by the CSSProject for Integrative Mediation (www.cssproject.org), Immedio (www.institut-inmedio.de/) and the Berghof Peace Support (www.berghof-peacesupport.org).

This course, part of a five modules-series over several months, entitled “Dynamics of Conflicts in Multicultural Environments” had a unique focus on multi-track peace mediation in a political context and the working language was English. At the end of three full days and three lectures, with 14 professionals from various parts of the world who wanted to increase their mediation skills, the organizers invited everyone on June 8, 2011, to the Humboldt-Viadrina School of Government to a panel discussion on Peace Building, Peace Mediation and Private Diplomacy.

Dr. Dieter Wolkewitz (CSSP) and Dirk Splinter (Immedio) welcomed almost 70 persons from the German Parliament, the German Foreign Office and other interested institutions and then turned the floor over to Ambassador McDonald, the key note speaker, addressing the advantages of a multi-track diplomacy systems approach to peacebuilding. Panel members were Ms. Edelgard Bulmahn (member of the German Parliament-SPD), Ms. Kerstin Mueller (member of the German Parliament (Green), Mr. Guenther Nooke, (CDU – Special Assistant for Africa for German Chancellor Angela Merkel) and Dr. Tobias Pietz (Berlin Centre for International Peace Operations). Many questions from the audience led to a lively discussion, which continued late into the evening, moderated expertly by Dr. Juan Diaz, the Director of CSSP.

PUNJAB PEACE ZONE STUDY

The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD) is proud to offer a report outlining the plan to create an International Peace Zone on the Indian-Pakistani border which would link the holy sites of Dera Baba Nanak in India with Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.

This ground-breaking and unique 55 page report describes the manner in which the corridor could be built, complete with architectural schematics and engineering diagrams, in order to fulfill the longing of the Sikh community to visit the place that Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life easily and safely.

WORKING METHODS

We only intervene in conflict upon its stakeholders request and all our funds go to our projects, because we do not spend money on payroll. IMTD is unique by using graduate students as Project Officers, who have broad authority to influence the direction of their work. Read more about our unique peacebuilding model…