Act Beyond Borders International Conference: Difference between revisions

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Act Beyond Borders International Conference (view source)

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   |project=[[Act Beyond Borders]]
   |project=[[Act Beyond Borders]]
   |place= Home For Cooperation (H4C), Nicosia, Cyprus
   |place= Home For Cooperation (H4C), Nicosia, Cyprus
   |dates=November 22-23 2013
   |dates=22-23 November, 2013
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   |participants_type=
   |participants_num=70
   |participants_num=70
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==Short Description==
[[Act Beyond Borders]] International Conference - Bridging the gap for successful future collaborations in Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Cyprus took place 22 and 23 November, 2013. In an effort to strengthen and promote reconciliation across civil societies, civil society actors from Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian Territories came together for the Conference held at the Home for Cooperation in the UN Buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus.  The conference provided a space for participants to learn from each other, share personal experiences and ideas with fellow civil society actors and academics, as well as jointly develop alternative proposals to help bridge the divide between communities. Through a set of presentations, workshops, and panel discussions participants were given the opportunity to explore the successes and challenges of civil society actions working across the divide in Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian Territories and endorse joint, strategic, and coherent action plans for Democratization, Conciliation and Human Rights.
The [[Act Beyond Borders]] Final International Human Rights Conference is the culmination of a three-year European Union funded project. Coordinated by the [[Future Worlds Center]] in Nicosia, Cyprus, and with the assistance of local partners, the [[Palestinian Dialogue Center]] in the Palestinian Territories and the [[Association for Progressive Education in Honor of Meir Yaari]], in Israel, this project enhances CSO’s capacity to act within their communities, and on the national and trans-national levels as well.  


The conference opened with an introduction by Ms. Anna-Maria Drousiotou.  This was followed by welcoming speeches by Ms. Eleni Loukaidou, the Deputy Mayor of Nicosia, Ms. Alez Sensoy, Committee Member responsible for Cultural Affairs, and Ms. Kezban Akansoy,Press Officer and Political Reporter on behalf of Mr. Georgios Markopouliotis — Head of European Commission Representation in Cyprus.  Successes and challenges of the Act Beyond Borders project were then discussed by Dr. [[Yiannis Laouris]], Future Worlds Center President, Mr. Amos Davidowitz, Projector Coordinator from the [[Association for Progressive Education in Honor of Meir Yaari]], and Hasan Mahariz, Project Assistant from the [[Palestinian Dialogue Center]].  Next, workshops were held where stakeholders from Israel, Palestinian Territories and Cyprus developed ideas to bridge the gaps in collaboration in Education, Journalism/Media and Business.


==Objectives==
On the second day, Dr. [[Yiannis Laouris]] moderated a panel discussion.  Ms. Meltem Ikinci presented the trends of collaboration between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities and stressed the significance of youth involvement and public engagement. Next, Associate Professor at the University of Cyprus Dr Maria Chadjipavlou,  presented the “UNSC Resolution 1325 and the Cyprus Peace Negotiations” and “The work of the Gender Advisory Team (GAT)” alongside Dr Olga Demetriou, Senior Research Consultant, PRIO Cyprus. The panel discussion finished with input speeches from Mr. Ashraf Alajrami, former Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Affairs and Mr. David Swissa, former advisor of the Israeli Minister, emphasized the importance of dialogue and argued that “if we are not talking we have a problem”. The discussion closed with a positive statement from Mr. Swissa: “If we continue dreaming, everything is possible.”  Ms. [[Kerstin Wittig]] then facilitated an Open Space work shop. The conference culminated with closing remarks by Dr. Yiannis Laouris, Mr. Hasan Mahariq, and Mr. Amos Davidowitz.
The overall [[Act Beyond Borders]] project aims to strengthen and promote reconciliation across civil societies from the partner countries and to re-affirm joint strategic and coherent action plans within the realms of human rights, democratisation and conciliation.  
The event will also reflect on the progress made during the project. This will include the proposal of achievable actions and their implementation, as well as discussions concerning the experiences gained from within the project and beyond. There will be panel discussions with CSOs actors who participated in the ToT and the Civil Society Strengthening Workshops about the current state of civil society and the promotion of human rights and democratic reforms in Israel and Palestine. CSOs will also exhibit their materials and highlight their current and future projects. Local authorities will be involved in roundtable discussions with CSOs about how to strengthen their relationships and future prospects of working together.  


 
The conference successfully challenged stakeholders to broaden their view of the conflict, develop contact, communication and cooperation across the divide, and examine the impact of the past on prospects for the future.
==Dates & Location==
This International Conference is open to the public and will be held on Friday November 22 and Saturday November 23 at the Home For Cooperation in Nicosia, Cyprus.  Participants from Israel and the Palestinian Territories together with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot peace-builders, academics, human rights experts, and the general public will be brought together for a series of presentations and workshops.  Both days’ activities begin at 0900 and culminate at 1730.  Anyone who is interested is invited to share knowledge and concerns.  Lunch will be provided! For more information about the event or location please email the Future Worlds Center at info@actbeyondborders.net.




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[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Events]]
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