The Human Rights and Conflict Management Programme (HRCMP)

The Centre for Conflict Resolution established the HRCMP in 1999 to explore, understand and promote the relationship between the fields of human rights and conflict management. Its establishment was based on CCR’s observation that few, if any, of the many training courses conducted by governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental bodies consider the fields of human rights and conflict management in conjunction with one another. Most courses focus on only one of these. Through training, intervention, research, and technical assistance, the HRCMP works with actors in both fields to build their capacity to deal with conflicts over rights issues and develop their understanding of how the protection of rights is essential for the prevention and management of conflict. The positive response to the programme to date from human rights actors and conflict management practitioners indicates that the link between the fields is found to be highly appropriate and relevant.

Goals and Strategies

The HRCMP’s primary goal is to help actors in the fields of human rights and conflict management understand how peace, justice, and reconciliation are strengthened through both the constructive management of conflict and the promotion and protection of human rights. To this end, the HRCMP seeks to:

• raise awareness among actors in both fields about each others’ aims, missions, goals, principles, and methods;

• build their understanding of how they can relate to one another and how their activities can be strengthened by methods, insights, and skills from the other field;

• raise their awareness of the links between human rights protection and the prevention and management of conflict so that they work co-operatively and can deal with tensions between the fields; provide them with an overview of conflict management theory and practice and build their understanding of international, regional, and national human rights instruments;

• develop their skills in communication, problem-solving, negotiation, facilitation, conflict analysis, conflict-handling, monitoring, use of human rights instruments, and recording of human rights violations.

Conceptual Framework

The HRCM programme has developed considerable expertise and experience in approaching conflict resolution from a human rights perspective. We understand the relationship between human rights and conflict to be two-fold: conflict can lead to human rights violations, but a (sustained) denial of rights can also lead to conflict. Consequently, conflict management can only be successful on the long term if it takes human rights concerns into account. This framework informs CCR’s approach to conflict resolution and human rights. We seek to build our clients’ understanding of how conflict resolution needs to take place within a legislative and constitutional framework in which human rights are recognized as non-negotiable. We also focus on how conflict resolution can advance an understanding and respect for human rights among all affected role-players.

Approach

The HRCMP has emphasised training as its core activity from the outset. In training workshops, the programme looks at how conflict resolution skills — such as communication, mediation, negotiation, problem-solving, etc. — can strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights, and how they can facilitate access to rights. How can human rights issues be framed in such a way that they speak to parties’ interests? Differently put, how can parties be made to understand that respecting rights is in their interests? Training courses build participants’ skills in discerning the interests of parties, and judging how parties can be moved from their fixed positions to mutually acceptable agreements. Other questions include: when can conflicts be dealt with through mediation, and in what cases is litigation more appropriate? Which challenges do human rights actors face when intervening in conflicts, and how can these be addressed? How can conflict resolution practitioners integrate human rights concerns into their activities, and what knowledge about human rights should they have? HRCMP training covers general conflict resolution theory, skills and practice, but places these consistently within a human rights framework.

Tailor-made Training

Training courses are specifically designed for particular audiences and focus on their needs and context. In consultation with the partner/client, we develop role-plays, case-studies and other exercises that are relevant to the clients’ context and draw on actual conflict scenarios. Training for the South African Police Services may, for example, include role-plays on the illegitimate use of force or on allegations of racism within the institution. If training is conducted with paralegals dealing with eviction cases, participants may act out negotiations between a farmer and an Advice Officer acting on behalf of a farm worker. Training workshops with the Independent Complaints Directorate included an exercise assessing the relationships of the ICD with the police and the general public, prompting trainees to reflect on ways in which these are enhanced or negatively affected by their own activities and attitudes. Training workshops are generally highly interactive and draw on participants’ experiences in order to maximise participation by trainees, provide them with opportunities to practise skills, and enhance the relevance of the training.

Clients and Partners

The HRCMP seeks to develop long-term partnerships with its clients in order to build effective capacity and to ensure sustainability. Actors that have benefited from the programme’s services include Lawyers for Human Rights, the Independent Complaints Directorate, the Cape Town Refugee Forum, the Department of Land Affairs, local conflict resolution organisations such as the Quaker Peace Centre and UMAC, and the Human Rights Unit of the South African Police Services. The HRCMP has a partnership with the National Training Centre of the South African Human Rights Commission, in the context of which a series of three training workshops has been conducted. These workshops focused on dealing with conflict in human rights training and education; workshop design, training and facilitation in a human rights environment; and development of human rights training materials. Other CCR projects also regularly draw on the expertise of the HRCMP, especially the Senior Government Project and the Africa Project. In addition, the HRCMP is frequently asked to provide training sessions for seminars or training courses arranged by other organisations or institutions. In 2000, a member of staff of the programme acted as the resource person for the African Human Rights Training Camp of the Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA). In 2001, the HRCMP conducted a training session on human rights and peacebuilding for the peacebuilding seminar of the Austrian Centre for Peace and Conflict Research (ASPR).

CONTENTS  HOME