International Alert is proud to present its new annual report, “Peace Talks”, which looks back at Alert’s work and impact in 2011 – when Alert celebrated its 25th year – using dialogue as a theme.
Dialogue is a vital tool we use in our peacebuilding work, and we hope that by showing you in this annual report some of the practical ways in which we use dialogue to bring people together or to improve face-to-face communication in situations where communication has broken down, you will get a good sense of how we work as well as our objectives.
The report focuses on examples of our dialogue work in four different areas of the world. We describe how in Lebanon we bring together youth leaders of political parties to explore new ways of doing politics. We have started a dialogue process with Sri Lankan communities in both Sri Lanka and the UK to foster a much-needed spirit of reconciliation. In Uganda, we have created links between the government, parliamentarians, oil companies and local communities affected by oil drilling, to improve the mutual flow of information and communication. And in the South Caucasus region, we have found that dialogue among business people from different communities keeps the vision of regional cooperation alive, even though the politicians may take a while to catch up.
These examples show how each dialogue process is unique and based on its context. But whatever its variations, the aim is to generate a shared vision that is lasting and a foundation for change. This is the essence of peacebuilding, and of Alert’s work.
We hope you will find the report interesting and informative, and it will inspire you to find out more about the work we do in other areas. And as always, we thank you for your ongoing support.
To download the report (PDF Format), click here.
See below to view the report online (click here if you are unable to view in your browser).
