Assignment 1

My goals include understanding the intersection between human rights and conflict resolution and to acquire the skills for the effective application this alternative dispute resolution to the development of the individuals and their communties. I could identify myself as a human rights practitioner because the protection and promotion of the human rights of all especially the most vulnerable are at the core of my advocacy work at the the United Nations. 

My goal for this course is to update my knowledge on the latest thinking, research, controversies, lessons learned, and areas where human rights and conflict resolution have been jointly applied. This will better inform my interest in conducting a training course on these areas in my current mission. 

Currently, I would characterize myself more as a conflict resolution practitioner simply because I am able to apply the constituent skills in this area more readily on a daily basis. However, I remain most passionate in the area of human rights. Human rights represent to me the continuous struggle against injustice and oppression, not so different from the various struggles encountered throughout my life growing up as an African American in the United States. As such, I remain interested in securing opportunities to reengage in the area of human rights on a more sustained basis.

My goal for the course is doing some case studies that three respective approaches can work well together with their differences complementing one another. I have to admit that I was quite surprised when I found out what this course is about, as I have studied Int’l law which includes International humanitarian law and human rights law, but never had considered them separately, or realized the disparities of their ways to achieve each goal. I am expecting this course would give me a more comprehensive sight to see my field of interest.

I definitely identify myself as a human rights practitioner. I believe the notion that there is a set of universal human rights, and it should be protected and enjoyed even in any types of conflicts. I am a human rights advocate for North Korean, especially North Korean refugees seeking for haven. Currently, their human rights are being brutally violated by a single perpetrator, and there seems no likelihood of finding common ground to negotiate or cooperate between the parties. I denounce North Korean regime using various international laws and treaties, and believe that their long history of atrocities should be punished one day eventually by the efforts of international societies. However, through this course, I might be able to be equipped with a new perspective to see the problem that I have considered impossible so far.

My personal goal for this course is to be able to get an understanding of that which I´d like to study someday soon. Although at this moment I cannot apply it to any kind of job, I believe that gaining deeper knowledge of how these two areas can relate and interract will give me a broader and more open view and approch to certain situations. It is great to understand from the beggining that these two areas do not need to be necessarily seen as completely separate areas of work, but to take in the best of both and unite those strenghths in a common ground, as in some ways you need human rights to make the ending result of conflict resolution to work more effectively and also the other way around.

I cannot entirely identify myself completely either of the two, or even say I consider myself "more" of one or the other. Both human rights praticioners and conflict resolutions praticioners have things that I agree and diagree with. I believe that to be able to reach a point not only of peace in a nation, but also of making that peace last for as long as possible you need both areas working together in unison and not just focusing on their own view and what they deem as "right". I believe that in reaching peace agreements it is important to have a neutral mindset open to listening to both sides and not just set on pointing a finger on the "bad guys". Even so I believe that to be able to achieve long lasting peace in a nation it is essential to establish a very strong foudation based in the human rights of individuals. I know that in certain nations this may be a struggle at first, maybe even the first few years. It may cause some conflict, but once achieved and established it is most likely the full potential of that which they have been struggling for to be reached. I believe that everything in life is about reaching a balance and I think that a balance between these two can be achieved.

My goals for this class are to gain more in depth knowledge of human rights and dispute resolution. I have first hand experience on a lower level in dealing with these issues from my work in Africa, but I want a more formal education and to learn the methodilogy. I feel there is so much I can learn from this coarse that could supplement the work I'm already doing through my job and provide a great foundation for whatever my future holds. In laymans terms, I want to know if I'm on the right track with what I've been doing, how to improve on it, and if I'm not on the right track, how to get redirect my approach. I also hope to put it towards pursuing my masters degree.

I would have to say I identify with a combination of human rights practitioners & conflict resolution practitioners, if that's allowed. :-) I agree with the statement in the conclusion..."where there is peace, human rights are more likely to be enforced. Where human rights are upheld, peace is more likely to be achieved." People are less likely to agree to peaceful terms if they feel their rights have been violated, or will not be respected in the future. Human rights is of utmost importance, but when there are violations on both sides, there has to be careful mediation so both sides feel that they are represented and have a foundation to move forward.

I was attracted to this course by its title,  'human rights and alternative dispute resolution.' I therefore hope to be led to appreciate the dynamics of this concept and how this understanding would be effected in particular situations of human rights abuse, especially those that lead to or are consequences of violent conflicts.  

Most of the cases I come across in my work with civil society that focus on issues of empowerment and development of the youth and women have some dimensions of human rights abuse. In this light I might consider my self a human right practitioner rather than conflict resolution practitoner. 

First I want to say that I'm very excited with this course, and I have high expectations and goals about it.
About my goals: First of all my goal is to learn a lot, and share my knowledge. I love the idea of ​​meeting new cultures, new people and different points of view. 
I identify myself as an alternative resolution practitioner because when I received the first training as a mediator (Mediation is an ADR mechanism in Costa Rica) I have tried to apply it in all areas of my life. About human rights, I think the line that joins them is essential since one is a consequence of the other, in my opinion in a country through the ADR we could reach Human rights. 
I would also like to strengthen my skills and abilities in the ADR through the course, I feel that the global view of the conflict and their resolution will be invaluable to the human rights work.

My goal for this class is to learn more about the interconnctedness of human rights and alternative dispute resolution from a theoretical perspective and to enhance my knowledge in this area with the view to applying it to my daily practice.

I identify as both a human rights practitioner and a restorative facilitator (conflict resolution practitioner) as I work as a restorative facilitator with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. I have a long standing interest in both human rights and restorative justice and have finally found an organization where both my interests and career goals intersect.

In my view, human rights and conflict resolution are a compliment of each other. However this may not be as evident as it I would think. For this reason, my goal is to gain further insight into the nature of each and how they interact with each other at an academic level.

I identify myself as both a human rights practitioner and a conflict resolution practitioner.  I work as a human rights officer in the dispute resolution unit at a human rights commission. In my role I apply and help preserve fundamental human rights values and I assist parties in resolving their own disputes. the balance of my role is a delicate one,but nonetheless interesting.

My goals for this class are to get more knowledge of human rights and dispute resolution. I have some experience in dealing with human rights practice, but I haven´t had the chance to learn about conflict resolution. For me both human rights and conflict resolutions are linked and compliment of each other, and therefore is important to learn the way they work together.

My goals for this class is to learn more about different tools when working with human rights violations. I think I am both a human rights practitioner and a conflict resolution practitioner because I work in the red cross as a legal adviser. I studied law and in many ways I am naturally a human rights practitioner. But since I work in the red cross I have learned over the years to solve conflicts by using dialog as a form of mediation, and not only by using the law and  the legal system. Since red cross is a neutral and impartial organisation we dont take sides in a conflict. The way I see it is that human rights law in many ways are netural and can therfore be used as a constructive and impartial tool in the dialog with the parties in conflict. Human rights from a law perspective (not from a political perspective) will always take into consideration the situation of the State when interpreting the States legal human rights obligation. If there is an internal conflict or external, the States legal obligations are different than  in peace time. Human rights law regulates the relationship between the State and its citizens. The State have obligations and the citizans have obligations towards each other and the State. From that point of view  I believe that a human rights practitioner must understand the way conflict resolution practitioners think, and the other way around.

My goal for this class is to gain a deeper understanding of how alternative dispute resolution can be used in practice to resolve issues of human rights. I am especially keen to explore the relationship between culture and ADR and form ideas about how the methods may be applied in the Samoan context, where I currently work.

If I can gain a good enough understanding of ADR in practice I will produce and run a mini-training series for the staff of the National Human Rights Commission of Samoa, to introduce them to the concept and further explore how it may be used within the national context.

My background is in human rights so I guess that I would have to say I identify more as a human rights practitioner but this is not a conclusion I have ever come to before. I have always been interested in helping to establish human rights frameworks that help prevent violations against the person but am well aware that ‘human rights’ is not the answer to all world problems.  

Having read the course literature this week I have become aware of a dysfunctional relationship between conflict resolution and human rights that I did not know previously existed. It has been interesting to examine and reasonably easy to understand. There are fundamental differences in the objectives of these two disciplines that has led to, at times, an exacerbation of the very problem both are trying to address. Both can be protective of their methodologies, goals and assumptions and spend time defending these against the other, rather than focussing on the actual issue at hand. For me, this comes down to individual personalities and an unwillingness to consider operating outside of your safety net. Rather than spending time understanding each particular situation, gaining a deep understanding of those directly involved and then trying to apply a collective knowledge to allow people to make informed choices, people can get caught up in defending their own point of view – allowing the situation to at times worsen. From the reading and seminar this week, it appears conflict resolution and human rights practitioners (especially in the academic world) have allowed exactly this to occur.

I have also been made aware this week of how the two disciplines can co-exist, but also reinforce each other, and throughout this course I would be very interested to learn how the Canadian Human Rights Commission appears to have made such a success of this.

For me, conflict resolution and human rights have many similarities. They are both about helping people to enjoy a dignified peaceful life. Both disciplines have many professionals dedicated to helping to achieve this. My worry is that even within these two concepts we still have to try to define ourselves as one or the other, forgetting why we entered into that field in the first place. I am looking forward to exploring the ways in which that can be prevented.

My goal for this class is multifaceted. Firsty, I hope to depeen my knowledge of ADR and secondly, I hope I am able to better understand the very complicated concept of human rights as it effects individuals, communities, and international conflicts. 

As of now, I identify as a conflict resolution practitioner because my educational background and knowledge as a result is based solely on these types of ADR practices. However, I would like to move away from this method and develop into a human rights practioner, as this is more my area of interest.

My goals for this course are, of course, to learn about ADR. I am currently working in a conflict situation in Chiapas, Mexico and am that this course will help me and my organisation to make a bigger difference for the people here. I am looking forward to learning about the theory of ADR and practical applications of that theory.

Apart from that my personal goal is to get a firmer theorethical background as a human rights practicioner. I have a BA in Development Sociology, but that has taught me little about human rights, I am hoping that this course will help me to grow as a professional for my current and future jobs.

I think that there is a lot of overlap between human rights practicioning and conflict resolution. If a conflict is based on human rights violations, taking away those violations will also contribute to a solution for the conflict. Nonetheless, I see myself more as a human rights practicioner than a conflict resolution practioner. The reason being that thus far, my main expeience has been training and empowering people to improve the human rights situation of their group, rather than directly interferring in the conflict.

My goal for this class is to learn new ways of facing disputes, to know more and depply about human rights, specially indigenous rights, and to know how other countries manage disputes similar to those we have in our country.

One of the discussions had in the first webinar, was about the relationship between human rights and conflict resolution ad its relationship in the practice, and I believe that there´s a really tight relationship between both practices. Since my point of view, there couldn´t be respect to human rights if disputes are no face with responsability, and I also think that even in general human rights are the same for every human being, sometimes believes make that some human rights become more important for some people that other, and that brings discords between peaople. So I see myself, trying to bring agreements between those people that have differences.

Hi, my goals for taking this course are to try once and for all to decide whether ADR is actually a workable option for me to be offering in resolving human rights cases. Over the last 20-something years I have worked in several contexts that span from Central and South America, Africa and now Asia and mainly alongside human rights defenders and vicitms of human rights violations. Very few of these people have ever advocated for anything they considered "less" than justice. However the last few years in Asia have opened to my eyes to the possibilty of other mechanisms that can provide forms of remedy to the vicitms. Contextually, at least here in Mindanao, where access to the formal justice system is both difficult and often regarded as belonging to the "colonizers". The role of ADR in Aceh has served in the absence of any wider transitional justice programme. This course I am hoping will give me an idea of how to look at ADR in the build up, during and after the transitional justice programme here in Mindanao.

The question whether I see myself as either a human rights or a conflict resolution practioner or both I find interesting given that human rights often go largely ignored in peace processes and when recognised are widely considered as obstacles to peace. Human rights practioners, advocates or defenders are often branded as troublemakers opposing the necessary compromises that bring peace. It that respect I think I would identify myself as a trouble maker considering there is still much ground to cover to ensure peace is built on the protection of human rights.