A LIAS delegation took part in the 5th Advisory Group meeting of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, under the title “The role of traditional leaders in peace efforts & methods and tools for religious and traditional peacemaking”. Held on November 14 and 15, 2015 at Finn Church Aid Headquarters in Helsinki, the meeting drew on the expertise of the participants to support discussions in the Conference on Non-Formal Dialogue Processes and National Dialogues held November 16-18. The Advisory Group Meeting focused on two areas: peace support through the lens of Libyan and Burmese/Myanmar examples; and methods and tools for religious and traditional peacemaking. The main objectives of the meeting were to share best practices and achievements, and advance strategic discussions around the Network’s main focus areas.
Mohamed Htewish, a specialist in peace mediation, conflict resolution and inter-community and tribal dialogue, and Edward Marques, LIAS Senior Research Fellow who is currently seconded to the Network’s Secretariat in Helsinki and a Senior Advisor to Finn Church Aid, attended on behalf of LIAS. Mr. Htewish led the session on Libya with Mr. Marques’ participation. They also led working groups on tribal reconciliation and inclusivity respectively.
During the Advisory Meeting, LIAS held various side meetings with Network member organizations and others involved in tribal and religious peacemaking.