“INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE PEACEMAKING AND PEACE BUILDING”

MARCH 6-8, 2015

RADISSON BLU DOWNTOWN

Under the auspices of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum inspires peacemaking by focusing on the work of Nobel Peace Prize winners and leading international peacemakers and peacebuilders.

Disarmament will be the central focus of this year’s Forum concentrating on the work of 2013 Nobel Laureate, The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). It will also feature former United States President and Nobel Laureate Jimmy Carter and his latest book: “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power.”

This year’s programme will explore disarmament in its relation to conflict resolution, mediation and peacebuilding. Disarmament is a critical component of a peace that can be sustained. Sustainable peace also requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including women. One current, tragic example of the failure of disarmament and inclusive and sustainable peacebuilding is the Central African Republic: where the lack of an effective disarmament process and insufficiently representative national and local dialogue process have resulted in detrimental consequences, including possible acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide. A UN Commission of Inquiry has found that “murder, torture, the looting and destruction of property and of buildings dedicated to religion are acts that could amount to genocide, crimes against humanity and/or war crimes, if combined and under specific circumstances, such acts could also be interpreted as ethnic cleansing.”

In honoring the work of the OPCW, the Forum will highlight the OPCW’s work in the reduction of chemical weapons, including in Syria where 1300 metric tons of chemical weapons have been removed and destroyed.

DAY 1 / MARCH 6

A FOCUS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
TIME SESSION THEME/TOPIC
7:30-8:45 Registration Coffee and Tea
9:00-9:30 Welcome: Gina Torry, Executive Director Nobel Peace Prize Forum Welcome and overview
9:30-10:15 Featured Speaker: Gro Harlem Brundtland, Deputy Chair of the Elders and Former Prime Minister of Norway Opening of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Forum by Dr. Brundtland who will speak to the day’s theme of human rights and democracy moderated by Tom Weber, host of MPR news.
10:15-10:20   Introduction of Featured Speaker by Peace Scholar
10:20-11:00 Featured Speaker: Daniel Wordsworth, Director of the American Refugee Committee Moderated discussion with Daniel Wordsworth, Director of the American Refugee Committee moderated by Tom Weber, host of MPR news.
11:00-11:30 Coffee Break  
11:30-1:00 Dialogue Sessions Dialogue Speakers
  The Ebola Crisis: Threats to Peace and the Role of Global Health Systems Eric Schwartz, Dean, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota (Moderator); John R. Finnegan, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; Dr. Michael Osterholm, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; Jacob Gayle, Vice President of Philanthropy, Medtronics; Vanessa Crowly, Coordinator for Entertainment-Education, PCI Media Impact; Laura Solia, Director, Partnership and Communications, Last Mile Health; and Imam Dukuly, Minnesota African Task Force Against Ebola
  Humanitarianism in the 21st Century: Where to from Here? Dialogue session led by Brian Grogan, Chief, Policy Analysis and Innovation Section, Policy
Development and Studies Branch, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs; moderated by Lilian Barajas Calles, Policy Analysis and Innovation Section, Policy
Development and Studies Branch, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs
  Who is my Neighbour? Religious Differences and the Possibilities they Offer for Peace. Dialogue session led by Reverend Mark Hanson, Christensen Center for Vocation, former Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
  The Dark Side of the Boom: Seeking Solutions for Human Exploitation and Trafficking in North Dakota’s Oil Patch. Dialogue session led by Timothy Pippert, Professor of Sociology, Augsburg College with: Brad Riley, Founder and President, iEmpathize; Anthony Baldassari, Film Narrator; and Christina Sambor, Coordinator at Force to End Human Sexual Exploitation (FUSE).
  Democracy in Crisis: Ukraine Dialogue session led by the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights US with: Janet Dolan, Moderator; US Federal Court Judge John Tunheim; former Congressman David Minge, US Foreign Service Diplomat Thomas R. Hanson and Roman Polishchuk, Lviv, Ukraine.
  Have We Seen the End of the Waging of War? A Discussion on Trends in Armed Conflict. Dialogue session led by Scott Gates, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
  Learning from the Non-Violence Struggle in Mexico – A Discussion with Activist and Peace Educator. Dialogue session led by Pietro Ameglio, 2014 El-Hibri Peace Education Prize Laureate.
  Preventing Violent Conflict: Why is the International Community Failing? Dialogue session led by Marie-Joëlle Zahar, Research Director and Professor, Réseau francophone de recherche sur les opérations de paix, University of Montreal and United Nations Department of Political Affairs Mediation Support Unit Standby Team Expert.
  Could Preventive Disarmament be the Ultimate Tool for Conflict Prevention? Dialogue session led by Francesc Claret, Policy Planning Unit, United Nations Department of Political Affairs.
1:00-2:00 Lunch Boxed Lunches Available for purchase at Radisson Blu
2:00-2:05   Introduction of Featured Speaker by Peace Scholar
2:05-3:00 Featured Speaker: Monica McWilliams, Former Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and Signatory to the Good Friday Agreement Discussion focusing on experience from Northern Ireland. Moderated by Tuija Talvitie, Executive Director, Crisis Management Initiative.
3:00-3:30 Coffee Break  
3:30-3:35   Introduction of Featured Speaker by Peace Scholar
3:30-3:45 Featured Speaker: Walter Mondale, former Vice President of the United States Introduction of Jimmy Carter
3:45-5:00 Honoured Laureate: Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States Discussion with former President Carter on “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power”. Moderated by Monica McWilliams
5:00-5:15 Paul Pribbenow, President of Augsburg College Summary of the day’s focus on Human Rights and Democracy
DAY 2 / MARCH 7

A FOCUS ON DISARMAMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
TIME SESSION THEME/TOPIC
7:30-8:45 Registration Coffee and Tea
9:00-9:15 Opening & Recap: Gina Torry, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum  
9:20-10:15 Honoured Laureate: Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, represented by Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü Discussion on issues related to disarmament and peace. Moderated by Tom Crann, host of All Things Considered on MPR News
10:15-10:20   Introduction of Featured Speaker by Peace Scholar
10:20-11:15 Featured Speaker: Adama Dieng, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide Discussion on the prevention of genocide and current situations, including the Central African Republic. Moderated by Marie-Joëlle Zahar, Research Director and Professor, Réseau francophone de recherche sur les opérations de paix, University of Montreal and United Nations Department of Political Affairs Mediation Support Unit Standby Team Expert
11:15-11:45 Coffee Break  
11:45-1:15 Dialogue Sessions Dialogue Speakers
  Chemical Disarmament after Syria: What Happens Next? Dialogue session led by Peter Sawczak, Head, Government Relations and Political Affairs branch, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, with Paul Walker, Director, Environmental Security and Sustainability, Green Cross International
  Grounding Security: Land, Lives, Peace Dialogue session led by Martin Frick, Director, Climate Change and Energy, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Moderated by Tom Crann, host of All Things Considered on MPR News
  Social Enterprise in Eastern Congo Dialogue session led by: Ashish Gadnis, Chief Executive Officer, Forward Hindsight
  Imagine No-Cost, Open Online Education for All Dialogue session led by Igor Tulchinsky, CEO of WorldQuant and Founder, WorldQuant University to focus on how technology can allow us to provide no- or low-cost online education … for all.
  Giving Citizens a Say: National Dialogues and Peacebuilding in the Central African Republic, Mali and Beyond Dialogue session led by Marie-Joëlle Zahar, Research Director and Professor, Réseau francophone de recherche sur les opérations de paix, University of Montreal and United Nations Department of Political Affairs Mediation Support Unit Standby Team Expert
  The Role of Private Diplomacy Actors in Peace Mediation Dialogue session led by Tuija Talvitie, Executive Director, Crisis Management Initiative
  Managing Diversity and Inter-Ethnic Relations in Peacemaking: Herding Cats and Cutting Pies Dialogue session led by John Packer, Director, Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa.
  Minnesota 2015: Global Summit on Democracy for Sustainable Future: Tools, Solutions and Best Practices Dialogue session led by Partnership for Change, with David V. Hamilton, Minnesota 2015 Summit Director, Thomas Hanson, Diplomat in Residence at the Alworth Institute for International Affairs, UMN/Senior Advisor to Partnership for Change, Ingrid Stange, Founder of Partnership for Change and Shiloh Fetzek, Director of Content for the “Minnesota 2015.”
  Dialogue session on the Profit of Selling Weapons of War Dialogue session by Larry Johnson, Immediate Past President of Veterans for Peace Minneapolis, currently serving on Leadership Team for Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers; Steve McKeown, long-time Peace Activist, and founder of Veterans for Peace in Minneapolis; and Jack A. Nelson-Pallmeyer professor of Peace and Justice at St. Thomas University, founder of Minnesota Arms Spending Alternatives Project
1:15-2:15 Lunch Boxed Lunches Available for purchase at Radisson Blu
2:15-2:30 Featured Speaker: Courtney Radsch: Advocacy Director of Committee to Protect Journalists Candlelight moment of silence for journalists killed in conflict
2:30-2:35   Introduction of Featured Speakers by Peace Scholar
2:35-3:30 Featured Speakers: Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye
Moderated by Reverend Mark Hanson		 Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye are religious leaders who live in Kaduna, a city in northern Nigeria. Today, they work together to teach warring religious youth militias to resolve their conflicts peacefully. But they did not start out as peacemakers. Over a decade ago, Imam Ashafa and Pastor James were mortal enemies, intent on killing one another in the name of religion.
3:30-4:00 Coffee Break  
4:00-4:05   Introduction of Featured Speaker by Peace Scholar
4:05-5:00 Featured Speaker: Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined” is a 2011 book by Steven Pinker, arguing that violence in the world has declined both in the long run and in the short. The phrase “the better angels of our nature” stems from US President Lincoln’s first inaugural address. Pinker uses the phrase as a metaphor for four human motivations that, he writes, can “orient us away from violence and towards cooperation and altruism,” namely: empathy, self-control, the “moral sense,” and reason. Moderated by Tom Crann, host of All Things Considered on MPR News.
5:00-5:15   Introduction of Feature Speaker by Peace Scholar
5:05-5:20 Featured Speaker: Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe and Leader of the Lakota Dakota Nakota Oyate, the Great Sioux Nation Closing of Day 2 of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, focused on Disarmament and Sustainability
5:20-6:20 Delegates Soirée Delegates cocktail hour featuring a performance by Jordanian Virtuoso Vocalist Farah Siraj, the “Norah Jones” of the Middle East.
6:20-8:20 Documentary Food Chains
Produced by Sanjay Rawal, Eva Longoria, Eric Schlosser, Forest Whitaker		 Film followed by discussion with producers and those featured in the film.
DAY 3 / MARCH 8

A FOCUS ON ISSUES RELATED TO INCLUSIVITY
TIME SESSION THEME/TOPIC
9:00-9:15 Opening & Recap: Gina Torry, Executive Director of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum Welcome and introduction
9:15-9:20   Introduction of the panel by Peace Scholar
9:20-10:15 Moderated Panel: Toward Inclusive Disarmament: the voices of women and civil society: Bonnie Jenkins, U.S. Department of State Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs, Jonathan Granoff, President, Global Security Institute; and Paul Walker, Director, Environmental Security and Sustainability, Green Cross International A moderated discussion with senior leaders in the field of disarmament who will share views on how the inclusion of diverse voices — from women, from civil society — has contributed to strengthening disarmament efforts. Moderated by Carina Van Vliet, Senior Adviser, NPPF.
10:15-10:20   Introduction of speaker by Peace Scholar
10:20-11:00 Moderated Panel: How We Lead Matters – Women, Business and Peace: Roxanne Mankin Cason, Chief Executive Officer, Cason Family Foundation, Ingrid Stange, Founder of Partnership for Change and Tuija Talvitie, Executive Director, Crisis Management Initiative. The panel will discuss how women business leaders are promoting peace and human rights, often with a focus on empowering women and girls.
11:00-11:30 Coffee Break & Refreshments  
11:30 -1:00 Dialogue Sessions  
  The Imperative for Ending Humanity’s Greatest Threat: Nuclear Weapons Dialogue session led by Jonathan Granoff, President, Global Security Institute with Paul Walker, Director, Environmental Security and Sustainability, Green Cross International
  Women – Food Security – Peace and Conflict Dialogue session led by Lois A. Herman, Coordinator WUNRN, Women’s UN Report Network with Alexandra Spieldoch, Executive Director, Compatible Technology International.
  War Child: Growing Up in Adolf Hitler’s Germany Dialogue session led by Annelee Woodstrom, author who will discuss Adolf Hitler’s indoctrination machine as experienced by ordinary German citizens.
  Inclusive Security: Challenging – and changing – the face of peacebuilding Dialogue session with Dr. Atema Eclai, Kenyan Activist, Managing Partner for the Chefs4Kids Foundation; Jacqueline O’Neill, Director, The Institute for Inclusive Security; and John Packer, Director, Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa
  Social Entrepreneurship: Turning Social Need into Social Capital Dialogue session led by Becky Norvang, Peace Committee Coordinator, the American College of Norway with Anita Svendheim and Lene Tollefsen Rodegård, from the Midlands Children Hope Project.
1:00-2:00 Lunch Boxed Lunches Available for purchase at Radisson Blu
2:00-2:05   Introduction of the panel by Peace Scholar
2:05-3:00 Protecting our Sacred Women (Mother Earth & Indigenous Women) Session on Challenges Facing Native American Girls and Women in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Canada, including Sex trafficking and Disappearances.
3:00-3:30 Coffee Break & Refreshments  
3:30-3:35   Introduction of the panel by Peace Scholar
3:35-4:30 Featured Speaker: Sanam Anderlini, Co-founder of the International Civil Society Action Network A leading advocate, researcher, trainer, and writer on the issue of women’s protection and participation in conflict management and peacebuilding, Sanam Anderlini will discuss women and extremism and links to peacebuilding. Moderated by Stephen Smith, Host of American Radio Works, MPR.
4:30-4:45 Introduction of new Peace Scholars President Paul Pribbenow introduces the 2015 Peace Scholars.
4:45-5:00 Paul Pribbenow, President of Augsburg College Closing Remarks
5:00-5:10 Musical Performance by the Calliope Women’s Chorus of Minnesota Musical Dedication to Peace