Kosovar Unity Team signing the Pocantico Declaration at Developing a Strategy for Kosovo’s First 100 Days, Pocantico, USA, 2007

Politics without Violence, Colombia, 2008.

Current Initiatives

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 two types of programming: geographic and thematic.

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 in Kosovo, Colombia and Central America.

• Bosnia-Herzegovina: Working with civil society and government leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to identify new and innovative solutions to the current constitutional dead lock in BiH.

• Colombia: Together with the Center for International Conflict Resolution at Colombia University, the Project has been involved since 2006 in assisting the Government of Colombia and the leadership of the ELN guerilla movement transition from an armed guerilla group into the democratic political process.

• Cuba: Helping leaders to identify creative approaches that can facilitate improved relations between the US and Cuba and meet the needs of a future Cuba.

• Iran: In conjunction with the Foundation for Civil Society and Ambassador William Luers, the Project on Justice in Times of Transition has been assisting in a series of closed door conferences and meetings aimed at strengthening relations between the US and Iran.

• Kosovo: The Project has been working in Kosovo since 2002 helping to prepare both Albanian and Serb leaders in Kosovo for negotiations with Serbia and the United Nations on final status issues. Current programming is focused on improving the Kosovar Foreign Ministry capacity to navigate the international arena.

• Philippines: Assisting key stakeholders define the terms of reference and most effective process for the newly established Philippine Truth Commission

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.

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. Through its geographic programming it has sought to influence policy related to negotiations and post conflict management across the globe.

Specifically, the 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, policymakers and conflict resolution practitioners. In an attempt to make a contribution on these issues, the Project has developed several exciting, new, multi-year initiatives that seek to identify and stimulate new solutions. These include:

• “Neuroscience and Social Conflict ”: Facilitating research across disciplines that explores the latest findings in neuroscience and its implications for conflict management and foreign policy formulation.

• Talking with the Enemy: A unique three-part documentary film that will explore recent US and international examples of leaders who negotiated with the enemy in an effort to better inform the US public and policy makers about the challenges these processes pose. A vibrant on-line environment will supplement the documentary film where policymakers, leaders, journalists, scholars and the public can explore these issues virtually.

•Revisiting Transitional Justice in Divided Societies: A multi year initiative that will bring together key leaders from conflict affected communities including Sudan, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Northern Ireland to explore the impact of truth commissions and other efforts to establish accountability and reconciliation. The discussion seeks to identify a new set of policy recommendations and mechanisms for fostering peace and reconciliation in deeply divided societies.