conflict resolution

A Workshop on Leadership and Self-awareness organized by Columbia Law School and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

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https://patimes.org/self-awareness-we-must-learn-how-to-listen-to-ourselves-before-learning-how-to-listen-to-others/

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Columbia Law School organized a workshop to enhance the leadership capacities of the attendees by focusing on their awareness of ‘self’. The workshop was organized in two sessions, the morning and the afternoon session, and both sessions constituted a series of workshops on Conflict Resolution, Mediation, and Negotiation in theory toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. The programs are designed for delegates at any level who wish to achieve mastery of negotiation, mediation, and multilateral conflict resolution processes.

Professor Alexandra Carter, Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School, spoke on understanding the connection of leadership and self-awareness. The goals of this workshop were to discover the importance of self-awareness, how to give effective feedback, and how these are important for leadership. It was a highly interactive session, and all participants exchanged their opinions and thoughts on the definition of self-awareness, self-reflection and how we find our feelings, etc. They engaged in asking questions and participating in group activities.

The morning session focused on understanding and navigating the self as an instrument of impact and change by a deeper appreciation of internal and external self-awareness. This would involve learning about effective communication with a focus on self-awareness and using self-reflection as a tool for effective communication. Udoka Okafor in Columbia Law School Medication Clinic emphasized that active listening skills could lead to empowering leadership. To make effective communication, we need to be an active listener. Summarizing the facts, feelings, issues, and interests of individuals as they discuss their conflicts can be helpful.

In the afternoon session, the topic of discussion focussed on cultural intelligence, the ability to adapt to people that are from different cultural regions based on three components, physical, emotional, and cognitive. The participants were reminded to adapt to different cultural norms, one needs to be internally and externally self-awareness. All the participants took part in an exercise to highlight how to be mindful of different cultural values and dynamics and how this plays a crucial role in the negotiation process.

The workshop enabled participants to realize the importance of positive feedback through several activities. Representatives addressed that being able to hear and accept feedback without becoming defensive is an essential skill for a leader and one that reflects an emotionally intelligent one. Participants made comments that this workshop fosters a deepened conception of internal and external self-awareness.

Date/Location: March 4th, 2020; 10:00-17:00; Conference Room F

Speakers: H.E. Mr. Marco A. Suazo, Head of Office, UNITAR NYO

Ms. Alexandra Carter, Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School

Melissa Meza, Columbia Law School Medication Clinic

Udoka Okafor, Columbia Law School Medication Clinic

Jeeyoon Chung, Columbia Law School Medication Clinic

Jessica Barragan, Columbia Law School Medication Clinic

Written By: WIT Representative Sehee OH

Humanitarian Assistance in Complex Emergencies

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As part of the ECOSOC humanitarian affairs segment, a meeting was held to discuss how to respond to the needs of people in complex emergency situations. Beginning the meeting, H.E. Mr. Dabbashi, gave a statement on how to provide more sustainable solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stated how partnerships between international and local actors must be strengthened in order for humanitarian aid to have the greatest effect.

Following, Ms. Amos, the USG for Humanitarian Affairs, stated that 75% of crises requiring humanitarian response are due to conflicts or complex emergencies, and 33.3 million people worldwide are displaced in their own countries due to conflict. Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of talking with armed groups in conflict zones in order for aid workers to be able to gain access to the effected civilians.Image

Next, Mr. Ramos Horta from the UN peacebuilding office spoke about how civilians oftentimes bear the brunt of casualties from conflicts, especially in Syria, Central African Republic, and Iraq. In these areas conflict and violence against civilians are leading to massive displacement, loss of livelihoods, restriction of movement, sexual violence, and long periods of insecurity. Mr. Ramos Horta emphasized that shifts in global geopolitical and economic power must be accompanied by a growing responsibility of these actors to respond to humanitarian crises, and that this humanitarian action must be complimented by more intensive investment in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, mediation of political settlements, and post conflict recovery.

Following, Mr. Al-Kholani spoke about the growing crises in his home country, Yemen, where thousands of IDPs are in vulnerable situations due to conflict. Yemen has created a single governmental authority, the Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons, to handle their IDP crisis. Dr. Philip Spoerri from the Red Cross then spoke about using the international humanitarian law (IHL) framework to protect civilians in armed conflict, and to restrict the flow of weapons. IHL imposes obligations on both state and non-state actors, and the biggest challenge to IHL is that in conflict situations it is often blatantly ignored.

 

Meeting Title: Economic and Social Council Humanitarian Affairs Segment: Panel Discussion on “Serving the needs of people in complex emergencies”
Speakers: H.E. Ibrahim O. Dabbashi (Libya), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council; Ms. Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Mr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau; Mr. Ahmed Al-Kholani, Director of the Executive Unit of Internally Displaced Persons and Camps Management, Yemen; Dr. Philip Spoerri, Director for International Law and Cooperation, International Committee of the Red Cross; Mgr. Dieudonne Nzapalainga, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bangui; Imam Oumar Kobine Layama, President of the Islamic Council in the Central African Republic; Reverend Nicolas Guérékoyame-Gbangou, President of the Central African Republic’s Evangelical Alliance
Date: 25 June 2014
Location ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations HQ, New York
Written by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan