As a Council Member of the Asia-Pacific Peace Research Association (APPRA) (2012-2014), it is my immense pleasure to share with all my FB friends that the Conference entitled “Engaging Deadly Conflicts in Asia Pacific with Non-Violent Alternatives (12-14 November 2013) at Bangkok” became a instrumental platform for academics, researchrs, policy makers, politicians and practitioners involved in dealing with conflict, peace and security issues, as it offered wide range of theoretical orientations, conceptual frameworks, methodological insights and rich cases/success stories around the Asia Pacific region and important lessons. The opening speech of the Minister of Education of Thailand Mr. Chaturon Chaisaeng, the Key note speeches of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erica Chenoweth (International Center for Nonviolent Conflict, University of Denver) on “The Art and Science of Civil Resistance” and Prof. Dr. Kevin Clements (University of Otago, New Zealand, Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research ) on “Principled Non-Violence is an Imperative not an Optional Extra” and Dinner talk By Dr. Surin Pitsuwan Professor Emeritus, Thammasat University and former General Secretary of the ASEAN and former Foreign Minister of Thailand were immensely powerful, highly enriching and arguably practical. I express my sincere gratitude to Professor Chaiwat Satha-anand of Thammasat University, Professors Akihiko Kimijima (Japan) and Vidya Jain (India) Co-Secretary-Generals and all other involved in making this event successful. I hope that many researchers engaged in peace research will be able to attend the next (25th) Conference [Uniting for Peace: Building Sustainable Peace Through Universal Values] going to be organised by International Peace Research Association (IPRA) in Istanbul next year. For professionals it is not easy to balance the domestic need (at present the election related engagement) and the external demands (to attend some of the unavoidable events). Hence, being a Council Member, I was morally bound to attend the IPRA Conference. Again, as a Team leader of a Research Project on Post-Conflict State Building, now (on 14th November) I am heading to Birmingham, UK to present the findings of the state-building related research we conducted since 3 years at the Development Studies Association Annual Conference which is going to be held University of Birmingham. I will return Kathmandu on 18 November to cast my vote on 19th -November Constituent Assembly Election.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 04:04:44 +0000
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