On 28 June 2015,  Laurent Wehrli, mayor of Montreux, Anne Lugon-Moulin, ambassador and representative of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, joined Mohan Baghwandas, vice-president of IofC International, and Antoine Jaulmes, president of the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation, to welcome participants and guests to the Official Opening of the Caux Conferences 2015.

The programme of the day included a guided tour of the former Caux-Palace, an overview of IofC’s activities around the world and a presentation of the Caux Programmes and Conferences.

On Wednesday March 25, Cornelio Sommaruga was invited to participate as the honorary President of Initiatives of Change International (IofC) at side-event during the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.  The event was entitled, From early warning to early action: how to make early warning mechanisms more effective.

It was co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Italy and Sierra Leone as well as the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.  UN was launching a new early warning mechanism against atrocities which will be accompanied by seminars and training sessions in various parts of the world to put it into good use.

The other speakers included International Law Professor Marco Sassoli, Mr. Adama Dieng, Special Advisor of the United Nations Secretary-General on the prevention of Genocide (who presented his office’s new Framework of Analysis) as well as representatives from Human Rights Watch, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the two Ambassadors of the co-sponsoring missions.

During the introductions, Mr. Sommaruga was referred to as the “Godfather” for all his important contributions to humanitarian work, not least of which being on a panel, led by Ambassador Sahnoun, that produced the original Responsibility to Protect concept.  All of the panelists were asked to comment on the new Framework of Analysis, and Mr. Sommaruga made reference to the work of IofC globally and to the Caux conferences with a special mention of how the work has built trust between people of different religions. He explained how IofC was actually made up of people of many different faiths and since it worked on the link between global and personal change naturally worked with different religions and the understanding between them all while remaining neutral and open to people of all backgrounds including those not adhering to any religion.  He mentioned the work in Lebanon and across the Middle East, in the UK, the work of the Imam and the pastor and the use IofC makes of their film, and of course mentioned some of the various inter-religious moments at Caux.

In the full room, a lively question and answer session followed the various presentations and copies of the new UN tool were made available. Though a small step, it is a step forward for the UN to produce hands-on practical tools and of course. IofC is of course delighted that to help promote this new tool through this side-event but has also been asked to see how it help promote it on the ground. 

On 3 May 2015 the Council of Caux-Initiatives of Change (IofC) decided to become a member of the Swiss Association that carries forward the Initiative multinationales responsables. The issue of Corporate Responsibility is close to activities and themes that have continuously been promoted by CAUX-IofC.

Switzerland has the highest per capita number of multinational incorporations. These Corporations are involved in global operations and face challenges related to human rights, labour law and environmental issues.

This recently launched Initiative is inspired by the UN Guiding principles on business and human rights, and ILO and environmental standards. It is of global relevance but will be implemented locally. The initiative aims to ensure that Swiss companies integrate the protection of human rights and the environment in their business practices by mandatory due diligence measures.

Cornelio Sommaruga, former Swiss State Secretary for Foreign Economic Affairs and subsequently also CAUX-IofC President in 2000-06, is a member of the Initiative Committee.  CAUX-IofC will integrate Corporate Responsibility topics in its action plan, as it is in line with one of the organization’s statutory purposes “to strengthen ethical commitment in economic life“.

As the Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE) conference is increasingly attracting participants from Switzerland, the CAUX-IofC project manager for Switzerland and two volunteers joined hands to organise an information and networking event for professionals on 30 April in Lausanne.

Following a presentation of TIGE and the 2015 conference’s speakers, workshops and trainings, the 15 participants engaged in dialogues over an Apero and structured conversations, exploring connections and opportunities and addressing questions such as “What have I been working on that has marked me? How has TIGE impacted me? What have I been challenged with concerning notions of trust and integrity in Switzerland? And how have I been facing these challenges?”. They highlighted the importance of taking responsibility and action, sometimes even experimenting, and shared inspiring stories of engagement and success.

Further TIGE-Switzerland events will be held during the year in order to provide inspiration and support for people who wish to positively impact their environment, to capture and spread inspiring stories and, whenever relevant, plan for common actions.

Please write to events@caux.ch if you wish to receive information on future TIGE-Switzerland events.

IofC Workshop for AIESEC Students in Bern

After the IofC’s “Leading a Team” workshop last December, the students’ organization AIESEC’s Bern team asked the CAUX-IofC Foundation to create a follow-up workshop on “Dealing with Leadership Challenges”, which The CAUX-IofC’s project manager for Switzerland Brigitt Altwegg and two experienced volunteers designed and held on 27 April 2015 in Bern.

The interactive 1h30 workshop addressed leadership challenges such as managing team members' motivation, supporting team members with different levels of experience, prioritizing and delegating. Whereas the trainers shared stories from their leadership experience, the students brought in many ideas and engaged in deep dialogues on their current challenges, both individually and as a team, and how to tackle them. They walked away inspired after working on and sharing their motivations for working with AIESEC. 

We hope that the workshop will make difference for the new team leaders, announced the same evening, and wish them all the best for their leadership-year with AIESEC!

WEEKEND WITH "FRIENDS OF CAUX" ASSOCIATION

On 18 and 19 April 2015, the association “Friends of Caux” organized its annual assembly in Caux. We welcomed anyone interested in discovering Initiatives of Change and the power of open and honest dialogue that can build relationships of trust beyond differences.

The weekend was a great opportunity to meet people with different backgrounds, to share with them the vision and the mission of the Foundation Caux-IofC, and to relax in the spectacular surroundings of the Lake Geneva.

VIERI JEWELLERY - A VISION RENEWED: GUYA MERKLE'S REMARKABLE STORY

Discover Guya's incredible story on how she trusted her intuition to change her family's business into what she believed in. Guya Merkle was invited to speak at the "Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy" conference (TIGE) in July 2014.

From Anger to Reflection to Forgiveness: John W Franklin of the Smithsonian Museum

Summer 2014: During his visit in at the Just Governance for Human Security Conference, John W Franklin took a moment to reflect on his own personal story and his work at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: how can he overcome that anger he feels against the perpetrators of slavery, discrimination, and racism?

A Dialogue on Just Governance brought people from 38 countries to Asia Plateau, the IofC centre in the Western Ghats of India, in February. Welcoming the participants, Professor Rajmohan Gandhi spoke of the ‘disappointments, civil wars and cruel violence’ which had followed the failure of the Arab Spring of 2011. ‘But,’ he continued, ‘the human spirit is not weak, and many refuse to give up on their faith in, or hope for, a struggle for justice, for inclusion, and for a voice. The tyrants of our world need to know this.’

Kem Sokha, Vice President of Cambodia’s Opposition, the National Rescue Party, said he had come to the dialogue because millions of Cambodians are calling for change. After last year’s disputed national elections, the ruling party has asked the Opposition to negotiate. ‘I have come to learn what might build sufficient trust between us to bring change,’ said Mr Sokha. ‘I affirm that from now on, Cambodia will not have change with violence.’

Speakers came from conflict zones such as South Sudan, Ukraine and Palestine, and from countries, such as Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Philippines, which are struggling to heal the legacy of past conflicts and oppression. Eight ethnic and racial affairs ministers from Regions and States of Myanmar participated as part of a learning and exposure trip.

‘The war in Sri Lanka is over,’ said Jehan Perera, Director of the National Peace Council, ‘but conflict remains. In a divided society politicians will not speak the truth that brings people together. Our role as civil society is to say the things the politicians won’t say: to be prophets.’

Sarah Awel James Ajith, Chair of the South Sudan Women Association, spoke of her devastation when tribal conflict erupted in her country in December 2013, only 18 months after independence, and close relatives were killed. ‘We didn’t create a shared identity and accept our diversity,’ she said. ‘We are one country but not one nation, torn apart by hatred and suspicion.’ After the killings, she was unable to speak for three months. ‘Then I thought – I didn’t choose to be born Dinka, they didn’t choose to be born Nuer. I must work for peace.’

‘The great strength of Indian democracy is the laws that give every villager the rights of a legislator in his or her village,’ said Wajahat Habibullah, India’s first Chief Information Commissioner. ‘This participation guards against democracy becoming a tyranny of the majority.’ Speaking in a session on overcoming corruption, he warned that democracy does not of itself guarantee just governance; it needs measures which ensure transparency and accountability.

Guled Osman, an advisor to the Foreign Ministry of Somalia, described what had led him to leave his ‘comfortable life’ in UK and return to his country of birth, to engage with its problems, not least the challenge of corruption. ‘I realised that criticising from afar was just shallow activism.’ His co-panelist, Opis Kakumi, a teacher from the Democratic Republic of Congo, told of his school’s stand against the bribery which pervades his country’s educational system.

Another plenary focussed on ‘healing the wounds of history’, with speakers from Tibet, Palestine, Myanmar and the Philippines. Youdon Aukatsang, elected member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile and founder of Empower the Vision, spoke of her hopes for open dialogue with China and her vision of a peaceful future for Tibet. Filipino lawyer Jose Luis Martin ‘Chito’ Gascon said his country is still dealing with the wounds resulting from the Marcos dictatorship which ended 29 years ago. He is active in negotiations to end the long-standing war between the government and rebels representing the 5 million Muslims in Mindanao. ‘There is a deep need for social inclusion and fundamental reforms that acknowledge their legitimate concerns and ensure that those excluded are included,’ he said.

In plenaries and workshops, participants told of the challenges they face, and what they are doing about them. Sudhakar Varanasi from Andhra Pradesh told how the death of a close friend inspired him to launch India’s 108 emergency service, which is credited with saving 2 million lives. Mediatrix Shokoli and Anne Gitu from Kenya described how personal experiences of forgiving had led them to bring women together in Creators of Peace Circles, most recently in a region in northern Kenya where conflict rages over resources and cattle rustling.

Mohamud Hassan, a Somali refugee in Sweden, had reconciled with a fellow Somali from another clan, and returned with him to Somalia to work for reconciliation. 17,000 children are now receiving education in schools he has established. Workshops with Letlapa Mphahlele on forgiving, and with Florina Benoit and Sriprakash Myasandra on peace building and refugees, provided useful tools for participants to take back to their own communities.

Music played a prominent role in fostering a spirit of community during the Dialogue. A concert by classical Indian vocalist, Rasika Garud, drew rapturous applause and prompted Madeeha Gauhar, Founder of Ajoka Theatre in Pakistan, to recall India and Pakistan’s shared musical heritage. Vernita Pearl Fort from USA presented her insightful research on the role of music and art in community building.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Leon Dash, now a professor at the University of Illinois, described the teenage experience which convinced him that ‘ethnicity trumps merit’ in the United States, and led him into cynicism, anger and alcoholism. When he went into recovery and made restitution to those he had harmed, he found a new energy. His articles in The Washington Post have brought hidden causes of social disadvantage to national attention. Of the Dialogue, he said that the sessions of silence had been challenging – ‘I don’t do silence, I don’t do inactivity’ – but he had welcomed time to ‘reflect on the past and to look to the future’.

Others took the practice of ‘inner listening’ away with them from the Dialogue. ‘I come from a community of talking and talking,’ said one. ‘I have learned the gift of silence.’ ‘I have been looking for a clear path in the context of peace building,’ said another. ‘I have found one I can embark on. There are a lot of changes that I will have to make.’

‘What has touched me these past few days is the spirit of community,’ concluded Jose Luis Martin Gascon. ‘We’ve been sharing stories of pain, adversity, tragedy, oppression, yet we are able to face them with dignity. What encourages me is the generosity, the openness, the patience, the love, the steadfastness, the solidarity, the hope, the enthusiasm and the joy that each person brings.’

Archana Rao and Mary Lean

Redefining Victims and Oppressors: Healing, Reconciliation and Fight against Impunity

Geneva Round Table Victims Oppressors

Victims and oppressors – can categories such as these be redefined? The lunchtime roundtable discussion which took place on 20 Feb 2015 at the Maison des Associations in Geneva, bringing together experts in the field of healing memories, peace-building, and fighting against torture, discussed this question in front of an eager audience. The event which brought together 42 participants, was organized around the launching of the French version of Michael Lapsley’s book, Redeeming the Past.

Michael Laspley is an activist Anglican priest who lost an eye and both his hands as a result of a letter bomb exploding in his hands at the height of his fight against apartheid. Now he works for the Institute he created, the Institute for Healing of Memories, which exists to create safe and sacred spaces to deal with what happened when other public (and governmental) spaces do not fulfill this role. Daphrose Burampama, second speaker on the panel, sought refuge in Switzerland as a young woman, after having fled oppression in Burundi, where she had made her dissent with the current government public. She has now returned to Burundi in order to lead Peace Circles for women (and some men), that address wounds of the past and explore new ways of working together and sharing one’s story. Gerald Staberock has a background in law and works as Secretary General of the OMCT to fight torture and address impunity. He was the third panel speaker, giving a perspective on how NGOs can promote torture prevention and support victims of injustice and organisations working in the field.

Each speaker gave a slightly different perspective on the moderator’s questions, which led to an animated dialogue. After sharing their personal stories and the main lines of their work, the panelists were asked how their work complements the work of other actors in situations of past violence.

Lapsley and Barampama focus their work on individual healing and dealing with the past. According to them, the healing of a nation comes through individual healing. As Lapsley put it: “It is important to focus not on what we think of the past, but on what we feel. In the end it doesn’t destroy the enemies, it destroys us. We become prisoners of what happened to us.” For Barampama, first step to healing and to deal with the past is to accept what has happened, and play an active role in forgiving oneself but also forgiving the offender: “We often wait for others to give us back our freedom, when in fact we have the power to take it back.” The OMCT focuses on strengthening civil society but also on directing the international community’s attention to “early warnings” of pending conflict situations.

The moderator’s last question was about whether and how to go beyond the categories of “victim” or “oppressor”.

Lapsley and Barampama both argued that labels do not reflect the truth: “All human beings are capable of being victims and/or perpetrators. There are many situations where we can be both at the same time. Those who were once victims could be perpetrators out of vengence and the perpetrators could be victims of their own actions“. Especially in times of violent conflict, the line between victims and oppressors gets blurred. In Burundi and in the Peace Circles, the word “Unbuntu” is used very often – you are me and I am you. Barampama explained that if one person is fragile or is ill, everyone will be ill. It is therefore important to care for one another to build a strong community.

In law, the terms victims and oppressors are defined notions, and each come with their rights and responsibilities. A victim of torture, be this person “good” or “bad”, will always have the right to be protected under law. An “oppressor” will have the obligation to accept all responsibility and consequences. Staberock argued that in order to completely heal the individuals and get to a healthy society, governments should have an active role in bringing to light what happened. He also agreed with Barampama and Lapsley that the personal level of healing is crucial.

The discussion ended on questions by the audience on the importance of restorative vs. retributive justice as well as on the importance of forgiveness. The speakers agreed that restorative justice was in many ways a more sustainable solution than retributive justice, where the cycle of victim and oppressor is rarely broken.

Speakers:

Michael Lapsley, Institute for Healing of Memories, invited by Association des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT)

Daphrose Barampama, Creators of Peace, Initiatives of Change (IofC) International

Gerald Staberock, Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT)

Moderated by:

Julie Bernath, Head of Department « Dealing with the Past », Swisspeace