The Sinews of Sustainable Development: Why Conflict Resolution is the Key in a Changing World

Conflict resolution is a dynamic decision-making process, in which the resolution of the problem is obtained by making a series of interdependent decisions to adapt to the changing realities, interests, and relationships between the conflicting parties. Conflict and its resolution occur at many levels: between individuals, organizations, and societies. What is the role of conflict resolution in driving the global agenda for resilience and sustainable development? What needs to happen to achieve a resolution the protracted conflicts such as Syrian or Palestinian or Ukrainian one? Are they commercial interests to maintain these conflicts unresolved?

Discussants will challenge and debate on the roles of the conflict resolution in the context of resilience and sustainable development.

SPEAKERS:

General The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux GCB CBE DSO DL

• General Richards led operations in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan. He is best known for his command in Sierra Leone in 2000 when he interpreted his orders creatively to achieve more than was at first thought possible, ensuring the ultimate defeat of the RUF rebels and the avoidance of much bloodshed in the capital Freetown. His UK operational awards include a Mention in Despatches, Commander of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order and Knight Commander of the Bath; the first officer to receive an operational knighthood since World War II.

RIGHT HONOURABLE CLARE SHORT

• The Rt Hon. Clare Short is a British politician and former Labour Party MP. She is currently Chair of Cities Alliance, an intergovernmental advocacy organization committed to meeting the UN target to abolish slums in cities across the globe. In 1997 she became the first cabinet-level Secretary of State for the Department of International Development (DfID). Since leaving the UK government, Clare has continued to campaign on development issues, serving as a trustee of Trade Out of Poverty, the Welfare Association, and African Humanitarian Action, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and a patron of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

DISCUSSANT:

DR DEVON E.A. CURTIS

• Devon Curtis is a University Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Emmanuel College. Her main research interests and publications deal with power-sharing and governance arrangements following conflict, UN peacebuilding, non-state armed movements in Africa, and critical perspectives on conflict, peacebuilding, and development. Her field research concentrates on the Great Lakes region of Africa, especially Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

CHAIR:

RIGHT HONOURABLE ANDREW MITCHELL

• Andrew Mitchell has been the Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield since 2001. He served as the Minister for Social Security, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party (1992-93), the Army (Royal Tank Regiment) and was a United Nations Peacekeeper in Cyprus before joining Lazard, the international investment bank. In November 2003 he was pointed Shadow Minister for Economic Affairs and from September 2004 he was the Shadow Minister for Police. Following the General Election in May 2005, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. He then served as the Secretary of State for International Development from May 2010 - September 2012 and Government Chief Whip from September – October 2012. Andrew was elected as President of the Cambridge Union in 1978 while he was a student at Cambridge. He has returned to Cambridge as the Senior Fellow of the Resilience and Sustainable Development Programme (RSDP) to lead this distinguished lecture series, Sinews of Sustainable Development.

Networking Reception

Jesus College, Cambridge University

CONTACT: cis-admin@eng.cam.ac.uk