ADVANCED COURSE IN CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATION

Today, more than 90 per cent of armed conflicts occur within rather than between states. With relatively few inter-state wars, traditional rationales for intervention have become decreasingly significant. At the same time, humanitarian and human rights sanctions have been used far more frequently than ever before against armed responses to violent conflicts. The need to resolve, manage, and prevent these conflicts and equally deal with the socio-economic challenges arising from them has become a source of worry to peace and security analysts.

One of the major encouraging developments of the last decades has been an increase in the number of violent conflicts settled by negotiation. As a result of these actions, it has reinforced the Dutch philosopher Erasmus, theory that prevention is better than cure by addressing the root causes of conflicts and not merely their symptoms. Early warning is now universally agreed to be a necessary condition for effective preventive diplomacy. 

International negotiations are complex because the parties involved do not have a pre-established structural relationship. There are also multiple roles and no established concept of how they should be defined. The negotiation process typically involves a preliminary draft that is used as a starting point. Delegations can then submit proposals to add, remove, or amend parts of the text. 

Effective understanding of the elements and components of negotiation and skills are important for managing interdependencies, influencing outcomes, and leveraging power. 

It is in light of the foregoing that the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and the Peace Building Development Consult (PBDC) are hosting this 3-day Advanced Course in Conflict Analysis and International Negotiation.

• Train participants on overcoming fear and developing the skills for conflict management and resolution.

• Train participants on the spectrum of alternative dispute resolution, Knowledge of negotiation as a multi-party decision-making process, Knowledge of key elements of negotiation, Knowledge on the process of creating and claiming value in negotiation, Knowledge of coalition building in negotiation

• Reinforce Nigeria’s foreign and security policy in the area of international peace-building by training military, para-military, academics, diplomats and other opinion leaders deployed through rapid – response mechanism to assist in areas such as protection of human rights, democratisation, the rule of law, good governance, election support and security sector reforms.

• Train participants on building trust internally within a team and externally, learning to recognise symptoms of bias and stress, 

• To learn to live together peacefully and constructively in a multicultural world 

• Train participants on basic psychology and understanding human nature

• To learn how dialogue can be a tool for the prevention and resolution of conflicts by enhancing the respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. 

• To share visions of the world, to understand and learn from those that do not see the world with the same perspective as we do

• To identify similarities and differences between different cultural traditions and perceptions

• Train participants on skills for effective mediation and strategic negotiation

• To achieve a consensus that disputes should not only be resolved by violence

• To help manage diversity in a democratic manner, by making the necessary adjustments to all types of existing social and political arrangements;

• To bridge the divide between those who perceive diversity as a threat and those who view it as enrichment;

• To share best practices particularly in the areas of international dialogue, the democratic management of social diversity and the promotion of social cohesion

The course targets current and potential leaders actively engaged in peacebuilding challenges, most notably representatives of:

• Diplomats, Attachés, International Traders, Politicians, Legislators

• Military and para-military staff, international organizations, Security experts and humanitarian worker

• National institutions, including government, ministries, commissions and the security sector

• Civil society, including traditional and religious leaders, NGOs, INGOs, trade unions, media, business, professional associations and women’s groups