Since its inception in 1992, the Project has facilitated progress in negotiations, helped to break down barriers to agreements, and brought former combatants and enemies together to find new solutions to the entrenched problems their societies face. In over 55 initiatives, the Project has been invited by in country actors to apply our powerful and proven shared experience methodology. Utilizing this methodology we activate our network of extraordinary practitioners who have overcome these problems and identify appropriate leaders to assist in each conflict setting. At present the Project has three types of programming: geographic, thematic and educational.
Geographic Programming
The Project’s geographic programming facilitates progress in particular negotiation processes and helps build leadership capacity with the goal of making change or reconciliation possible in specific post-war contexts. In these in-country programs, the Project applies its powerful methodology to facilitate trust and build capacity to engender progress toward peace and/or reconciliation. The Project is currently working on initiatives for Bahrain and Kosovo.
- Bahrain: Since the spring of 2011, PJTT has organized trips for top leaders from South Africa and elsewhere to Bahrain to share experiences and help create a space for meaningful dialogue between the opposition and the government of Bahrain.
- Kosovo: The Project has been working in Kosovo since 2002 to prepare both Albanian and Serb leaders in Kosovo for negotiations with Serbia and the United Nations on final status issues. In February 2011, PJTT convened an expert workshop to evaluate the current proposals for Northern Kosovo and develop policy recommendations for a more inclusive negotiation process. Current programming remains focused on Northern Kosovo and how to generate creative, effective solutions to violence in this disputed territory.
Thematic Programming
The Project’s thematic programming utilizes its network of people and its long experience to help better understand the challenges to conflict transformation. Specifically, the Project believes that the global conflict resolution and foreign policy community needs to reassess its approach to conflict in the 21st century and find new strategies to address some of the central challenges that confront negotiators, policy makers and conflict resolution practitioners. Current thematic programming includes:
- “Neuroscience and Social Conflict”: This initiative seeks to utilize the new tools we have available through neuroscience to better understand and educate key audiences about the universal human reactions to conflict and how the brain processes those experiences. In February 2012 PJTT in partnership with the SaxeLab hosted a first meeting that brought together a dynamic group of conflict leaders, neuroscientists, policymakers, and social psychologists to discuss how recent findings in neuroscience can advance knowledge of best practices in conflict resolution. Our plan is to build on that conversation, stimulate relevant research in the field of neuroscience and disseminate key ideas into the conflict resolution and public diplomacy field.
Educational Programming
- ACCESS “Engaging undergraduates with senior negotiators and diplomats”: A Mentorship program and joint partnership with the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University that enables Tufts undergraduate students to participate in high level international events focusing on diplomacy, conflict transformation and reconciliation.