5) Description of initiative: Peacemakers in Action (PIA) is an initiative of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding (TC), a New York-based not-for-profit NGO with practical programs that instill respect, reduce tension, and improve how people treat one another in religiously diverse settings in the US and around the globe. PIA identifies, trains, and introduces to the world through in- depth case studies religious peacemakers who bring peace to areas of armed conflict while bravely risking their lives and freedom. Using a worldwide nomination process, TC recognizes Peacemakers and gives them a monetary prize to help in their work. They are then convened at working retreats, where they receive practical training and have opportunities for collaboration. To date, there are 19 Peacemakers from 15 areas of conflict.

Our first retreat was held in 2004 in Jordan, hosted by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal. In 2005, we convened the Peacemakers in New York City, where they met with HH the Dalai Lama and the Peace Council. The next Working Retreat will be in Sarajevo in the Fall 2007 with Peacemaker Friar Ivo Markovic serving as host. At each retreat, training is given on issues for which the Peacemakers have indicated an interest or need. The Peacemakers report that these retreats have made a difference in their work at home.

Religious peacemakers are generally underutilized by diplomats in resolving conflicts. Therefore, one of our goals is to elucidate the unique (and crucial) roles they play at the community level in reducing conflicts and then to promote their work so they are utilized by diplomats. In February 2007, the book Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution is being published, sharing the remarkable stories of 16 of the heroic men and women we have identified and trained, detailing the successful techniques and methodologies they have used to resolve conflicts.

6) Description of innovation: Unlike most studies of religion and conflict resolution which focus on institutions, the Peacemakers in Action program fills a gap in the field of international peacemaking by focusing on religious individuals--an underutilized resource. Our work shows that individual religious leaders are particularly effective but often ignored.

The individual peacemakers we identified have been able to gain the trust of people (often on both sides of a conflict) and thus are effective as Track II (citizen) diplomats. The program is unique in that it creates in- depth case studies on our Peacemakers designed to inform diplomats and students of religion and international affairs about their effectiveness and the innovative strategies that have resolved conflicts and sustained peace in some of the world's most volatile conflict regions.

The Peacemakers also have a members-only website, where they can follow the activities of their colleagues between retreats, discuss issues, and access resources that help with their work, such as tips on how to successfully raise funds for their projects. We are working to enhance the usefulness of this website, so that peacemakers can use it for intra-network communications. For instance, our Peacemakers from Africa have been working to create a Pan- African network modeled on the Peacemakers in Action program. They envision that it will involve grassroots religious leaders from across the continent who will be able to exchange ideas and collaborate on solving regional conflicts. Being able to share information and resources on the website helps to ensure the success of this initiative and inform other Peacemakers on possible opportunities for collaboration.

7) Delivery model: The program has a number of targets. Aside from increasing the Peacemakers' effectiveness through Working Retreats, we aim to engage diplomats and students of international affairs on the valuable contributions of religiously motivated peacemakers so that they will work with them. We also seek to inspire religious practitioners to become Peacemakers themselves.

Our new book Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution (Profiles) contains timely information on how diplomats and government officials can utilize religiously motivated peacemakers to resolve today's conflicts. By analyzing their unique methodologies and how they can be replicated, Profiles also serves as a training vehicle for students of religion- -the peacemakers of tomorrow.

We will distribute Profiles to key contacts, especially among schools and diplomatic circles. Dr. Hyun Kyung, Associate Prof. of Ecumenical Theology at Union Theological Seminary; the Rev. Titus Pressler of the General Theological Society; and Dr. Little of Harvard Divinity School are already planning to use the book with their students.

The Tanenbaum Center is also identifying partners to create religious peacemaking curricula to equip students in seminaries, divinity schools, and academic conflict resolution programs with the skills and resources to use religion as a resource in conflict resolution.

We have already successfully created such a program for high school educators to use with their students, entitled COEXIST: A Skills-Based Curriculum for Understanding Conflict Resolution. This curriculum is based on the true story of two Peacemakers from Nigeria and helps students develop skills which they can use throughout their lives to manage and resolve conflicts. It is currently being piloted at various schools in New York City.

8) Key operational partnerships: The Peacemakers in Action program is overseen by a Program Council, an esteemed group of experts in the field. Chaired by Prof. Marc Gopin, the Council also includes Dr. Doug Johnston, Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, William Vendley, and many others. The Council selects the Peacemakers and serves as a resource. For instance, Professor David Little edited our book on the Peacemakers; Prof. Gopin conducted a workshop at a retreat on confronting negative religious texts; HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal is helping to coordinate book dissemination events in Jordan; and so on.

The Tanenbaum Center is discussing the creation of programs that will establish religious peacemaking as a vocation with various seminaries and academic institutions. Additionally, the U.S. State Department has expressed interest in collaborating to disseminate the findings of our book. Long term, we hope to provide training to U.S. diplomats on how to work with religious peacemakers before they depart for posts overseas.

Working Retreats are made possible through our partnership with foundations and individuals, who financially support the program. Representatives of foundations and individual supporters sometimes participate in the retreats by attending training sessions, meeting with the Peacemakers, or leading trainings in their relevant area of expertise.

9) Financial model: The Peacemakers utilize TC's resources in many ways. In addition to the valuable training they receive at Working Retreats, the services available on the members-only website, and a monetary prize, TC actively promotes the Peacemakers' work and networks them with like-minded groups and individuals.

TC also works with its educational partners to create curricula based on the Peacemakers and their case studies. These initiatives are supported by a variety of foundations and individuals who believe in the power of religious peacemaking and the effectiveness of our program.

Targeted dissemination of Profiles, efforts to get publicity for the message, and book events will reach diplomats and religious leaders with the program's discoveries.

          • Costs as percentage of income: 2

          • Financing: PIA is financed through the generous support of loyal foundations and individuals. We regularly apply to new foundations and individuals who have an interest in conflict resolution. Since the program has a diverse range of activities, we attract a variety of supporters. Our high school program COEXIST is financed by supporters who value education. Working Retreats are sponsored by those who value religious peacemaking and conflict resolution. The dissemination of our book is supported by foundations, university partners, individuals, and may receive government support as well.

We draw from a diverse range of supporters, and have maintained a stable financial base that has been growing for 15 years.

10) Effectiveness

          • Project outcomes: The Peacemakers report that PIA has made a difference in their work at home. Father Alex Reid--a Peacemaker from Northern Ireland--said: "One of the most important effects of the (Peacemakers) Award has been the boost it has given to my confidence in my peacemaking work. All the people I met at the Retreat helped me. The experience enriched my understanding of the principles that guide my own peacemaking." Our COEXIST program has also proved effective. One student reported: "I used my [new] skills with my brother and it really worked." Publication of our book will help us to effectively reach a wide audience. PIA has reached dozens of professors and diplomats, over 1000 Retreat participants, and 100's of students. Our goal is to reach 1000's more worldwide.

          • Number of clients in past year: COEXIST was piloted successfully with 60 students and is currently being piloted with 30 more. As the program is rolled out across the region and around the country, it will reach thousands more. In addition, two guests of the International Center for Tolerance Education--Ulzibat Enkhtor from Mongolia and Lorma Baysah from Liberia--were trained in COEXIST so that they can adapt components of the program for students in their respective countries, with the potential to reach hundreds of students in Liberia and Mongolia each year. The publishing of the Peacemakers' case studies will help us to reach many diplomats and students on the value added of religious peacemaking and will help Peacemakers have wider influence in their home countries.

11) Scaling up strategy

          • Stage of the initiative: Scaling Up stage.

          • Expansion plan: The Tanenbaum Center plans to use the book Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution as a launching pad to expand the program. Over the next year, we will have over 10 dissemination workshops to introduce the effectiveness and techniques of the Peacemakers to students and diplomats.

Following this, we will create a training program for diplomats and a curricula for seminaries and universities to educate present and future peacemakers on the best ways to serve as, or include, religious peacemakers in conflict resolution efforts.

We will also expand our COEXIST curricula across the U.S. and work on adapting it internationally as interest and opportunities arise.

12) Origin of the initiative: In the mid 1990's, Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke met with the President of the Tanenbaum Center, Dr. Georgette Bennett, to discuss the importance of publicly identifying religious peacemakers for recognition, support, and training. His idea was that these men and women would be safer once the public became aware of their work. The Tanenbaum Center had been working since 1992 to reduce religious-based conflict by helping people learn to practice respect for the full range of religions. The Peacemakers in Action program was a natural development. The first Peacemakers were chosen in 1998, and since then 19 have been convened for expert training and 16 of their case studies are featured in Profiles.

Contact Information:
Joyce  Dubensky
Executive Vice President
Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
(Non-profit NGO)
350 Fifth Ave. Suite 3502 New York, NY 10118
United States
Tel: 212.967.7707 ext.110
Fax: 212.967.9001
Email: jdubensky@tanenbaum.org
Website: http://www.tanenbaum.org