The Secretariat of Political Affairs, through its Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions, in conjunction with the Government of Suriname and the National Assembly of Suriname, held a Conference on International Experiences on National Dialogue in Paramaribo, on March 5th and 6th.

The purpose of the meeting was to share with all sectors of Surinamese society conceptual frameworks and international experiences, particularly from the Americas and Africa, on when and how national dialogue processes can be established and conducted. The conference provided participants with an opportunity to learn about how dialogue works, exchange information, reflect and understand the advantages as well as the challenges that these processes pose.

The inauguration event was attended by Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary for Political Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS) along H.E Winston G. Lackin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Suriname, and Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simmons, Speaker of the Surinamese National Assembly. Speakers of the Conference included experts from the General Secretariat of the OAS, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, the African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, Interpeace and other international consultants.

As mentioned by Dr. Casas-Zamora, “this conference forms part of the technical work and effort of the OAS all over the hemisphere to improve governance”, considering that, “national dialogue is an important tool in the arsenal of all democracies”.

The conference focused on:


During the event, the “Practical Guide on Democratic Dialogue” -a joint publication between the OAS and the UNDP- was presented and distributed among participants and was received with wide attention.

Wednesday March 5, 2014

16:30 -17:30        Welcome Address by Surinamese authorities and the Organization of American States (OAS)

• H.E. Winston G. Lackin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic  of Suriname
• Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary for Political Affairs of the OAS
• Drs. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Suriname

                               
17:30 – 19:00      Reception offered by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Suriname

Thursday March 6, 2014

9:00 - 9:30            Registration of Participants

9:30-10:30           Panel Discussion 1: Essential Elements for a National Dialogue
Moderator: Stella Mystica Sabiiti

• National Dialogue in the World: Chetan Kumar, Head of the Conflict Prevention Group, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• The Principles of Democratic Dialogue:  Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Director of the Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions of the Organization of American States (OAS)
• How Dialogue Contributes to Change: Giselle Huamani, International Consultant in Dialogue

10:30- 10:45        Coffee Break

10:45:-12:00        Panel Discussion 1: Essential Elements for a National Dialogue
Moderator: Stella Mystica Sabiiti

• The Role of the OAS in National Dialogues: Yadira Soto, Senior Political Adviser on Conflict Prevention and Governance for the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS)
• The Role of the UN  in National Dialogues Roxaneh Bazergan, Team Leader, Mediation Support Unit, United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPA/MSU)
• Why dialogue: lessons from the South African Case: Vasu Gounden, Founder and Executive Director of the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)

12:00- 12:30        Questions & Answers Session

12:30- 13:30        Lunch

13:30- 14:30        Panel Discussion 2: Experiences of National Dialogue in the Americas
Moderator: Christopher Hernandez-Roy

• The experience of National Dialogue in Guatemala: Bernardo Arévalo de León, Senior Peacebuilding Advisor, International Peacebuilding Advisory Team (IPAT), Interpeace
• A story of dialogue, conflict and peacebuilding in Bolivia: Gaston Ain, Conflict Adviser, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Regional Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean

14:30- 14:45        Coffee Break

14:45- 15:45        Panel Discussion 3: Experiences of National Dialogue in Africa
Moderator: Christopher Hernandez-Roy

• Building reconciliation through dialogue in South Africa: Graeme Simpson, Director, Interpeace USA
• A personal path to dialogue in Uganda: Stella Mystica Sabiiti, Peace and Security Consultant, Former RECs/RMs/Standby Forces, Capacity-building Program, African Union

15:45 – 16:15      Questions & Answers Session

16:15- 16: 45       Conclusions and final remarks

• Mr. Ricardo Panka, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Suriname
• Christopher Hernandez-Roy, Director of the Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions of the Organization of American States (OAS)

Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary for Political Affairs of the OAS

Panel Discussion 1: Essential Elements for a National Dialogue

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Panel Discussion 2: Experiences of National Dialogue in the Americas

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Panel Discussion 3: Experiences of National Dialogue in Africa

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OAS Organizes a Technical Meeting on International Experiences on National Dialogue Processes

Persbericht: Conferentie internationale ervaringen m.b.t. nationale dialoog
(available in Dutch)

Dr. Casas-Zamora during the inauguration of the event

Dr. Casas-Zamora during the inauguration of the event

Experts included members of the OAS, the UN, Interpeace and ACCORD

The Director of the DSDSM, Christopher Hernandez-Roy,
presenting the “Practical Guide on Democratic Dialogue