Rotary-Carter-Cyprus 2024-25 Peacebuilding Initiative
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The Cyprus-Rotary-Carter-2024-25 Peacebuilding initiative, was a project funded by Rotary International and a generous donation from the Jubitz Family Foundation, and implemented by Future Worlds Center and the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Center (CPDC). It aspired to empower Greek and Turkish-speaking Cypriot Rotarians to deepen and expand their joint peace-building engagement and strengthen and raise the profile of Rotarians at large.
A team from Cyprus, led by Senior Rotarians and Profs. Harry Anastasiou and Birol Yesilada from Portland State University, in collaboration with Drs. Yiannis Laouris from Future Worlds Center and Meltem Onurkan Samani from the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Center, implemented the first pilot program.
The Cyprus initiative stood at a pivotal moment, aligning perfectly with the UN Secretary-General's recent efforts to reignite high-level negotiations after a seven-year hiatus. This initiative also coincided with the warming relations between Turkey and Greece and the European Union's heightened interest in fostering a durable resolution, as well as with many geopolitical developments in the region including the change of government in the US.
The project began with interviews designed to select, but also to prepare the participants (15 Sep - 20 Oct, 2024). A group of fourteen Rotarians (7 Greek- and 7 Turkish speaking Cypriots) was enhanced with six additional experts, well-known academics and peace activists, and two high-profile social media personalities[1], [2] . The TC past negotiator Özdil Nami[3] was invited to join all activities, while the GC negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis [4] joined selected activities.
Between 23 Oct - 6 Nov, 2024, the 22 participants engaged in 4 virtual sessions to examine the current state of affairs and apply the Structured Democratic Dialogue (SDD) methodology to identify root obstacles that prevent progress towards agreeing on a final settlement and contribute towards maintaining the status quo. The development of shared understanding of the problématique would serve as the basis for preparing the selected participants for the Main Event: A dynamic five-day facilitated structured workshop that took place at the Point of View facility of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (part of George Mason University) in Washington DC.
The participants of the SDD at the Point of View were the same fourteen senior Cypriot Rotarians and eight experts (academics, activists, past negotiators, social media). The aim was to generate actionable ideas, innovative projects, strategic frameworks, and policy recommendations that local and regional Rotarians, in collaboration with other local actors, could take to revitalize and elevate peace-building efforts. All discussions were contextualized within global developments, highlighting the pivotal role Cyprus can play in promoting sustainable and peaceful global change.
Project Objectives
The project aspired to achieve the following objectives:
- Empower Greek and Turkish-speaking Cypriot Rotarians to deepen and expand their joint peacebuilding initiatives across the ethnic divide by implementing more impactful and upgraded actionable projects.
- Strengthen and raise the profile of Rotarians (supported by other expert participants) as constructive and creative peacebuilders, making their efforts more visible and influential.
- Enable Cypriot Rotarians to share their experiences, learning, and proposed activities with other Cypriot and regional Rotarians and civil society organizations, encouraging and inviting them to take action.
- Render the visibility of the extended team globally, leveraging the engagement of high profile personalities and organizations, to amplify its impact on peacebuilding efforts.
- Compile a White Paper reflecting the outcomes of the Point of View process to be submitted to relevant parties, such as the UN Cyprus envoy team, political parties, business leaders, journalists, academics, educators, and others as deemed appropriate by the participating Rotarians.
- Legitimize initiatives undertaken by peace scholars, activists, and politicians, including those initiated by the project’s participants.
The project implementation consisted of 7 phases:
1. Onboarding and Induction Period
Participants received digital copies of articles and book chapters published by Cypriot and international scholars and peace activists on the Cyprus issue. While they were not required to read and study these works in detail, they were encouraged to review them and appreciate the extensive scholarly investment in the Cyprus problem, reflecting on how this knowledge can be effectively utilized. Yiannis Laouris conducted one-on-one Zoom conversations with all participants to build rapport, discuss the project's vision and objectives, and ensure a clear understanding of the various stages and the commitment required. Each participant was required to identify and clarify up to three obstacles they perceived as important in the current state of affairs. These conversations also secured participants' consent for the transparent and public use of all data, including utilization of recorded video clips.
Specific Objectives of one-to-one conversations
- Ensure that all participants understood the project's vision and objectives.
- Encourage participants to review work done previously.
- Establish a common foundation, encouraging everyone to take a leap of faith and move to the next level.
- Communicate key requirements, including:
- Partial contribution to the cost of traveling to the Main Event.
- Permission to record all sessions and publish short video clips on social media.
- Commitment to propose and engage in project activities following the Main Event.
- Ensure that each participant identified and submitted up to three obstacles they perceived as significant in the current state of affairs.
2. Virtual Dialogue - Identify Root Obstacles
The obstacles submitted by each participant during the induction session served as input for a virtual Structured Democratic Dialogue (vSDD). The dialogue is documented here:
A vSDD closely resembles a face-to-face session, with two key differences:
- It is spread across several 2-hour synchronous Zoom sessions, and
- Participants engage in individual work, such as selecting and sharing their preferences, asynchronously between sessions.
The goal was to develop a shared understanding of the Problématique before participants travelled to Washington, DC, for the Main Event. Establishing a common language and a shared understanding of how the various obstacles are interconnected enabled participants to propose more targeted and effective actions and interventions through their projects.
To avoid duplication and ensure that the obstacles discussed were current and extended beyond previously identified issues, participants were encouraged to review selected materials from the digital copies shared during the induction session. Specifically, the Influence Trees of obstacles identified in the 1990s and those following the negative outcome of the Annan Plan Referendum were shared, presented, and discussed before the first vSDD session.
Dates of the vSDD
The dates have been scheduled for consecutive Wednesdays in the evening to provide participants with ample time and flexibility to make necessary arrangements. Participation in all three sessions was crucial, as the Structured Democratic Dialogue approach follows an evolutionary learning model, where each session builds upon the previous one.
- Wed 23 Oct, 20.00-22.00
- Wed 30 Oct, 20.00-22.00
- Wed 6 Nov, 20.00-22.00
- Mon 11 Nov, 20.00-21.30
The results are documented in:
3. Point of View Dialogue - Explore Actions
At the Point of View, the participants generated 84 actionable ideas, innovative projects, strategic frameworks, and policy recommendations that local and regional Rotarians, in collaboration with other local actors, can take to revitalize and elevate peacebuilding efforts.
Formation of a Knowledge Management Team
The implementation of SDDs requires the formation of a team called Knowledge Management Team (KMT) composed of representatives of the Sponsor (or owner), Project Managers, Facilitators, and representative and knowledgeable participants. The KMT’s major task is to formulate the Triggering Questions that will drive the SDD process and to ensure that all requirements for planning and implementing a successful SDD are satisfied.
Key requirements for Planning and Implementing an SDD
| Logistics | Place, dates, space design, facilities, materials, technology, equipment, breaks, accommodation, food, transport. |
|---|---|
| Scientific | Participants meet the requisite variety requirement, Triggering Question is tested and agreed in advance, Assistant Facilitators are prepared and trained. |
Logistics: Place, dates, space design, facilities, materials, technology, equipment, breaks, accommodation, food, transport. Scientific: Participants meet the requisite variety requirement, Triggering Question is tested and agreed in advance, Assistant Facilitators are prepared and trained.
| Individual | LD | R | PC | F/P | CS | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Anastasiou | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Christina Covotsou-Patroclou | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Tastan Altuner | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| Meltem Onurkan Samani | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Yiannis Laouris | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Ilke Dagli | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Karina Korostelina | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| Gul Mescioglu | ✔ |
LD: Lead Project Management
R: Rotarian
PC: Local Project Coordinator
F/P: Facilitator/Practitioner
CS: Civil Society Expert
A: Academic
P: Participant
Citations
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidias_Panayiotou Fidias_Panayiotou
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@urbancypriot Ibrahim @urban_cypriot Beycanli
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Özdil_Nami Özdil Nami
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Mavroyiannis Andreas Mavroyiannis
