Welcome
Field Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) is an NGO since 1997. 'Field Diplomacy' as such is a way of responding to conflicts. Conflicts are part and parcel of society, but it depends of how we deal with it whether they escalate or can be solved peacefully. FDI wants to contribute to the knowledge and ability to respond to conflict in a more positive and preventive way. In this respect FDI provides training courses, publications and research. The aim is to build bridges between theory, policy and practice, because such a co-operation would improve the ability to deal with conflicts. Field Diplomacy is a way of transforming potential or escalated conflict towards sustainable peace by means of local or external efforts. This requires:
- a credible and long term engagement; building on local experience, knowledge and initiatives; a wide time perspective; past and future are taken into consideration, with an open discussion of events in the past and aspirations for the future; recognition of the complex relation between internal and external conflicts;
- an integrated approach towards economic, legal, political, cultural, emotional and spiritual factors.
Bringing together researchers, policy makers and NGO workers FDI undertakes initiatives in the following areas:
- training of field diplomats; support of interventions with a peace added value in conflict regions; conflict impact assesment: evaluation of the interaction between development projects and conflict; gender and conflict; human rights and conflict prevention;
- democratisation and conflict prevention, including election observation and assistance.
So far FDI has organised the following activities:
- briefing and debriefing of election observation missions, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; short term practice oriented training courses about 'working in conflict regions, including human rights monitoring and election observation', with the support of DGIS; policy oriented and applied research about preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, democratic peace building, election assistance and observation; identification, definition and evaluation of development programs and projects in respect of conflict management, democratisation and human rights;
- facilitation of field action for organisations from developing countries and countries from the former Eastern Bloc.