Bill Huntley Memorial Peace Seminar 2024
Peacebuilding in a Divided World: Reflections from the Global South
Saturday 26 October 2024
The 2024 Bill Huntley Memorial Peace Seminar took place on Saturday, 26th October 2024 at the Norcroft Conference Centre, University of Bradford.
'Peacebuilding in a Divided World' reflected on the issues, challenges, best practices and future possibilities of peacebuilding. The majority of our Class 22 Rotary Peace Fellows originate from the global south, and shared personal stories and insights from their varied backgrounds. They discussed the current issues and potential breakthroughs from their own contexts, reflecting on what peace and peacebuilding means today. In a divided world there is an immediate need to bridge the gaps, and work collaboratively towards a common vision.
Panel Discussions
Our Class 22 Peace Fellows formed four panels during the seminar, presenting their work on the below themes.
Practising at a Crucial Intersection – Social Justice, Peace and Wellbeing
Panel members - Ufra Mir, Mohammed Alshurafa.
This panel will bring together Fellows who are working on mental health, psychosocial support, wellbeing, and social justice issues within peacebuilding. They will share their professional experiences from these fields and topics to help understand the importance of intersectional work in peacebuilding, with examples from their contexts in the Global South.
Beyond Binaries: Understanding Gender in Today’s World
Panel members - Mina Hanna, Blanca Ríos Rodríguez, Omogolo Taunyane.
This panel aims to understand the layers of complexity between goals/objectives and reality on the ground. One reason why the gender question in development has not been effectively addressed is the mistaken belief that policies, strategies, and laws alone can create change. This panel recognises that culture plays a significant role as a patriarchal institution, that hinders the progress toward more peaceful relations between women and men.
Community-based and Youth-focused solutions for climate action and economic empowerment
Panel members - Yasin Hejri, Frederik Sarira, Sharmin Shakila.
This panel discussion explores critical aspects of youth empowerment within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, the conversation will centre around two SDGs: Climate Action (SDG 13) and Quality Education (SDG 4).
The panel aims to share the multifaceted roles young people and community-based organisations can play in tackling climate challenges and ensuring equitable access to education. It will also discuss how young people can contribute to building a more sustainable future with innovative solutions.
Qualifying and Quantifying Pathways to Peace through Institutions and Communities
Panel members - Bilal Alsalehi, Juan Daray, Miriam Mylvaganam.
How can institutions and communities work together towards sustainable peace? In a deeply divided world, how can institutions utilise governance, local engagement and data to emphasise inclusive policies and grassroots participation in peacebuilding efforts?
Drawing from their past experience and field research across both the Global North and the Global South, and their work in governance, forced migration and displaced peoples and economics, Fellows will discuss how sustainable and positive peace can be enabled through the right approaches.