The First International Conference on Innovations in Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Tel Aviv University is hosting the first International Conference: Innovations in Conflict Resolution and Mediation (ICRM).
As opposed to conventional conference designs, which conform to a “top-down” orientation, the ICRM conference is intended to serve as a conflict management incubator where new ideas can be presented, much as creative processes take place in the hi-tech world. Accordingly, the gathering will be home to a broad range of formal parallel sessions involving the full range of disciplines as well as more informal workshops to facilitate creative thinking.
The central event of the conference and the opening plenary will be a commemoration of the twentieth anniversary since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, and the lessons that might be applied to the Middle East. Additional sessions on the issue, exploring lessons that can be learned from the resolution of what was long-perceived as an intractable conflict, will be conducted.
Over the past decades considerable efforts have been directed at better understanding the nature of conflicts and how to solve them. Effective strategies require comprehensive responses, with expertise and insights from a range of disciplines. The conference therefore aims to achieve the following goals:
- The promotion of improved international understanding of conflicts, and the refinement of different methodologies to address them;
- The exploration of potential areas of cooperation in transboundary management of natural resources, parks and water and to better characterize the effect of climate change on refugees in conflict;
- The diffusion of best practices and techniques in mediation;
- The development and dissemination of cutting edge theoretical and applied research about conflict management along with practical methods for preventing and combating conflicts;
- Increased collaboration between Israeli and Middle Eastern scholars and practitioners with an eye towards cooperation on multinational initiatives.
We look forward to seeing you in Israel in November!
Prof. Alon Tal, Chair of the Organizing Committee
