Middle East Track 2010
The Middle East track will focus on the interaction of regional and international migration trends and its various root causes throughout the region. The past decade has seen a remarkable series of events leading to dramatic changes in the lives of people living in or displaced from their homes in the Middle East. Workshops will look specifically at the peace process and the politics of migration in Palestine and Israel, the humanitarian situation in Iraq and displacement in a conflict zone, and the growing issues of violence in regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and the implications for refugees and internally displaced persons.
Saturday, March 20th
10:30-12:00 Track Time I
Hill and Field Together: An Advocacy Workshop - Monroe
Advocating for peace with justice for Palestinians and Israelis requires Capitol Hill as well as field knowledge working together. The workshop will focus on tools, ideas, and approaches to solidify your message for peace in the Holy Land and make it heard by Congress.
Speakers
Amanda Rios, Deputy Director at Churches for Middle East Peace; Doris E. Warrell, Field Director at Churches for Middle East Peace.
Tough Road Home: Uprooted Iraqis in Jordan, Syria, and Iraq – Van Buren
A workshop to include topics such as an update on the situation of refugees in Jordan and Syria and the services and needs there, an update on the situation of IDPs inside Iraq and the issue of refugees returning home, funding for humanitarian assistance, resettlement efforts, and also looking forward at funding situations and the continued search for durable solutions to the situation of Iraqi refugees and IDPs. More Details Coming Soon!
Speakers
Sana Hardina, Internaional Rescue Committee
2:50-4:20 Track Time II
The Afghanistan-Pakistan Border: The Conflict, its Consequences and Options for US Policy in the Region - Jackson
(Co-sponsored with Aisa/Pacific Track and Peace & Global Security Track)
For better or worse the Obama Administration has linked together its policy strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan. But can the US play a more productive role in the region by focusing less on troop-based security and more on development and diplomacy? This workshop will address the political, historical and economic roots of the conflict that spans the border between these important states, as well as explore concerns particular to each country and solutions independent of NATO and US involvement. Special attention will be given to the causes of internal displacement and the refugee situation in this region.
Speakers
Marvin Parvez, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Church World Service (CWS)
David Wildman, Executive Secretary, Human Rights & Racial Justice, General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church
4:50-6:20pm Track Time III
Palestinian Refugees and the Peace Process - Monroe
The status of Palestinian refugees is an important and difficult topic in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. Providing background, current status and political insight, Ambassador Clark will discuss the impact of the status of refugees on the prospects of moving toward peace and right of people to live in peace and security, free of fears of harassment, oppression, and violence.
Speakers
Ambassador Warren Clark, Executive Director of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP).