Some of the answers to this question were provided last week at the European Green Academy in Warsaw, where we were engaging in discussions with activists, experts, and institutional representatives within the panel titled 'Hope Amidst Hardship: Pathways to Peace in Times of Crisis.'
To the interested participants, we shared experiences and successful models, as well as challenges in working with youth, civil society organizations, and government representatives as forms of building social dialogue at the local level.
As an organization engaged in reconciliation in post-conflict contexts for many years, we emphasized:
- The importance of individualizing guilt for crimes and the achievements of international humanitarian law.
- The need for systematic policies prioritizing peace as a fundamental societal value.
- How to involve young, new generations in a dialogue about heritage and methods of dealing with a conflicted past.
We look forward to new opportunities for discussion and active work in creating methods that approach peacebuilding in an inclusive way and nurture the importance of collaboration between environmental, gender, economic, and other rights with an understanding and responsibility towards the conflicted past.
We thank the Green European Foundation, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Warszawa, and Fundacja Strefa Zieleni for the invitation!
Photo: Kaja Pavlinić, Forum za održivi razvoj Zeleni prozor