Baalbeck on June 22nd, 2013
LOST organized two round tables to revise the content of the guide on civil peace building in the presence of various stakeholders including security officials, school principals, NGO leaders, university professors and academics, tribal reconciliation group leaders, lawyers, media representatives in addition to some social figures and activists. This guide is a major output of the Peace Building Unit at LOST established in a partnership with GIZ, a well-known German NGO in the field of peace building.
The peace expert at LOST, Assem Shraif, first explained the objectives behind establishing this unit namely enhancing the capacity and expertise of LOST as a reference body in peace building and fostering networking and organic linkages among civil society organizations. He asserted that establishing a peace-oriented library, crafting out an updated and refined guide on peace building tailored to the local context of Baalbeck Hermel region, and providing NGOs, educational institutions, and existing tribal reconciliation groups with relevant trainings would create an independent and credible platform for real and constructive dialogue in the region.
Mr. Shraif then indicated that an extensive effort has been exerted to put together such a guide and has so far addressed the academic side of peace building, so conducting a series of focus groups with experienced practitioners and gurus in the field will create a medium for information and experience exchange thus coming up with a customized context-based guide to be distributed on schools, NGOs, and existing tribal reconciliation groups.
Dr. Abbas Shamas, the president of the Lebanese Association for Students (LAS) hired by LOST to help in the design of the guide, introduced the chapters covered in the guide and facilitated input and feedback suggested by focus groups. Participants discussed content and agreed on the final draft.
