WINTER/SUMMER OPPORTUNITY IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION
WHO: The Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution (IIMCR)
WHAT: The 2003/2004 African Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
WHERE: Cape Town, South Africa
WHEN: December 27, 2003 – January 17, 2004 (Application Deadlines: Early Decision—October 17; Regular Decision—November 14)
COST: $3000 Early Decision, $3250 Regular Decision (see program brochure online for more info)

No other region today needs or deserves the attention of world citizens more than Africa. A continent burdened by disease, poverty, and armed conflict, Africa faces significant obstacles in its path toward economic and political development. Indeed, these three issues—health, wealth, and ethnic strife—interact with one another to make Africa the home of some of the world’s oldest and most intractable conflicts. In Sudan, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Congo, the lure of so-called “conflict diamonds,” as well as gold, oil, and timber has made war a profit-driven enterprise. This is just one of many reasons why half of all countries in Africa that emerge from war slip back into armed conflict within 5 years. In addition, heavy debt, government corruption, and the scourges of AIDS, TB, and malaria only serve to fuel civil conflict.

African problems require African solutions. In recent years, the most successful efforts to end conflict and build peaceful and sustainable settlements have been led by intellectuals, activists, and policymakers on the continent. For those from other parts of the world, understanding the unique challenges that Africa faces is crucial to helping these groups achieve further success. Today’s students and young professionals, in Africa and elsewhere, will inevitably be called upon to manage Africa’s transformation, and their ability to do so effectively will determine the fate of the region.

IIMCR's African Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution aims to equip them with this ability. The Symposium is specifically designed to narrow the divide between the theory and practice of conflict resolution—to prepare young people to understand and constructively address conflict in a rapidly changing international environment. During a three-week program, participants from around the world will sharpen their understanding of conflict resolution through lectures, negotiation and mediation trainings and detailed multilateral simulations. They will learn from and network with IIMCR's renowned faculty of conflict resolution practitioners, diplomats, academics and activists.

The Symposium is academically accredited by IIMCR’s university partner, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and open to graduate students, highly-qualified undergraduate students, and young professionals. Students may earn up to 5 university credits for their participation in this intensive program.

And, the IIMCR Symposium experience does not end after three weeks. Participants can always turn to IIMCR and its first-rate instructors for support in the form of career and project guidance, and for resources in the field. They also will have continued access to their greatest collective asset—each other—through the vast IIMCR Alumni Network of students and young professionals making a difference in the field of conflict resolution.

For more information, or to apply, visit our website.