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The U.S. Consulate General in Krakow along with the Villa Decius Association, co-organized an international conference: "Rebuilding Peace in Post-Conflict Communities: Role of Media and Civil Organizations" at the Villa Decius in Krakow on September 29-30, 2004.
At the conference speakers and panelists presented issues and discussed solutions connected with rebuilding peace and restoring stability in post-conflict communities, focusing on the role of outstanding authorities, international institutions, international and local media and NGOs.
Participants were drawn from Poland, USA, Iraq, Ukraine, Germany, Brazil, Italy, and the Czech Republic and U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe provided introductory remarks. First-hand accounts were delivered by journalists who covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia and Iraq and by representatives of international organizations such as the UN. Representatives of the Polish and American military, General Mieczyslaw Bieniek, commander of the Central-Southern Multinational Division in Iraq in 2003 and Major General William L. Nash (ret.), director of the Council on Foreign Relations' Center for Preventive Action, discussed the military's role in building peace in post-conflict countries.
The proceedings concluded with the awarding of the first Sergio Vieira de Mello Award, for the promotion of activities aimed at fostering peaceful co-existence among nations and their co-operation in the fields of religion and culture, to former Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki. In the category of organizations the award was given to Stowarzyszenie Jeden Swiat of Poznan. Mazowiecki was awarded for his activities as the Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights in former Yugoslavia (1992- 95). Stowarzyszenie Jeden Swiat (One World Association) was awarded for the "Equal-Different" program of organizing classes of tolerance in Polish high schools.
Sergio Vieira de Mello was killed in 2003 in a terror attack in Baghdad while serving as UN Secretary-General Special Representative in Iraq.
The conference is a continuation of Bridges to Tolerance program, a joint initiative of the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, the Znak Foundation, the internet portal Onet.pl and the Villa Decius Association.
Links:
Decius Villa Association
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