ABSTRACT
As was true in the theoretical discussion, the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy was one of the first conflict resolution organizations actively seeking to resolve conflict with the assistance of business. The organization initially engaged businesspeople in East Asia, doing research on business perspectives on peacebuilding in Taiwan and Hong Kong and finding that, while business leaders were interested in peacebuilding, they were largely unaware of resources for peacebuilding that were available to them. Also, in 1995 the organization began focusing on developing a business-based approach to
conflict in India and Pakistan. With funding from foundations and the cooperation of the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan and the Management Development Institute in India, it launched the Business and Conflict Resolution Executive Seminars in 2000. These seminars have been supplemented with case study research materials from South Africa, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, and Israel-Palestine (IMTD 2005). Wenger and Mockli (2003: 110-111) note that IMTD has been concerned with involving businesspeople in mediation and peace negotiation efforts. International Alert is another organization that focuses on conflict, that has been active in business-based peacebuilding, especially in the South Caucasus and Sri Lanka. In 2004, International Alert completed an 18-month research project on the link between economics and conflict in the South Caucasus. Based on that research, it decided to start working with small and medium-sized companies and convened meetings in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia. At these meetings, the costs of conflict were discussed and businesspeople often remarked that the conflicts needed to stop. International Alert hopes to develop this into a larger program linking companies throughout the region (Killick, Srikantha, and Gündüz 2006: 9-10). However, the lack of political cooperation means that legitimate cross-border cooperation among businesses in Azerbaijan and Armenia is unlikely. Businesses must first create the political possibility for trade before they can engage in it (Champain 2005). The organization has also taken action in Azerbaijan itself. Along with a local business association and the International Business Leaders Forum, International Alert organized a meeting with local businesspeople, oil company representatives, government representatives, and representatives from international organizations, including the World Bank and IMF in order to address conflict-related concerns. This meeting led to the creation of the Enterprise Development Committee (EDC). The EDC now has fifteen to twenty regular participants and has been meeting since 2000. This process has not necessarily been smooth, but it has been steady (Killick 2002: 26-27). International Alert and the International Institute of Sustainable Development have also been developing a “Conflict-Sensitive Business Practice Toolbox.” The goal is to provide conflict assessments to go along with the social and environmental ones already done by most extractive companies (Goldwyn and Switzer 2004). International Alert’s efforts in Sri Lanka came after the early success of the business community there, so it will be addressed with the other examples of collective business initiatives below. The Business Council for Peace (Bpeace) focuses on assisting women in areas of conflict and after conflict to develop businesses. “Our belief is that when women are stronger economically, they have a stronger voice for peace in their local communities and societies” (Bpeace 2006). It provides distance training, mentoring, and networking, assisted by individuals from large companies like American Express, Goldman Sachs, and Reuters. In Rwanda,
they have linked a village to retailers in the US. The village produces baskets and each basket brings in enough income to feed a family of four for a month. After this success, they assisted sixteen knitting cooperatives in developing saleable goods. Catholic Relief Services has promoted the use of conflict resolution in business in Peru by providing educational materials and has tried to reduce ethnic tensions with multiethnic banking projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Neufeldt 2004: 13). In Israel, the Peres Center for Peace has undertaken a number of business initiatives. For the Palestinian-Israeli Young Businesspeople Forums, it partnered with DATA (Research Institute of Bethlehem), the Palestinian Information Technology Association, and the Palestinian Trade Center and received funding assistance from international donors including the public affairs section of the US Embassy. These forums are divided by sector and included meetings of young businesspeople in the telecommunications, shipping and transportation, IT, small business, and banking sectors. The meetings started in 2003 and are ongoing. The purpose is to address obstacles to economic cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian companies (Peres Center for Peace 2006). The Center also held colloquia relating to the economic aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli relationship and the need for private sector cooperation. Three meetings were held with industry representatives from Jordan and Israel between 2003 and 2005 in Wittenberg, Germany. These were organized by the Center and the Amman Center for Peace and Development and sponsored by DaimlerChrysler. DaimlerChrysler representatives also actively participated in the meetings. In February 2003, the Center, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, and the Israeli and Palestinian Ministries of Industry and Trade held a joint Israeli-Palestinian businessperson conference in Istanbul. After this event, a joint Steering Committee to continue work on economic cooperation was established. In July 2005, the Center organized the first Israeli-Palestinian business-to-business meeting for the handicrafts industry. It allowed for presentations by Palestinian producers and prearranged time to discuss the creation of specific business deals (Peres Center for Peace 2006). Three consulting organizations have become involved in business-based peacebuilding: the International Peace Forum, Political and Economic Link Consulting, and Collaborative for Development Action (CDA) (Wenger and Mockli 2003: 102). CDA is representative of these efforts, which are “focused on gathering experience across many contexts and from many corporate types in order to identify the common patterns that show up repeatedly” and to funnel this understanding to businesses (Anderson 2002). The CDA’s Corporate Engagement Project performs conflict assessments and tries to figure out how well-meaning programs from businesses can contribute to negative effects in a conflict. At this point, the consultancies primarily promote engagement with local populations and changing core business practices in ways that reduce harms.
