Ways
of Working
"I pin my hopes to quiet processes and small circles, in which vital and transforming events take place". Rufus Jones, Quaker Faith and Practice,
Britain Yearly Meeting, 1995:24.56
The Quaker International Affairs Programme (QIAP) and Quaker United Nations Offices in Geneva and New York use a facilitative, non-partisan, methodology that brings information and various perspectives to decision-makers, along with opportunities for informal and off-the-record dialogue. QIAP works with stakeholders on all sides of an issue.
Off-the-record
dialogue
It has been the Quaker experience that informal and off-the-record dialogue
in a quiet meeting place, detached from political pressures and publicity,
provides a setting where exploratory conversations on difficult, controversial
or sensitive issues can happen on an equal footing. The participation
of people affected directly by an issue, expressing seldom-heard voices
in a confidential and trusting environment, is often a key element in
the process.
This approach provides space for sharing information, discovering mutual interests, finding common ground or creative solutions and — can be catalytic in transforming conflict into productive, equitable collaboration.
Who we work with:
- Quaker agencies
- Government officials & diplomats (in Canada & internationally)
- Intergovernmental officials (United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, etc.)
- Non-Governmental & Faith-based Organisations
- Marginalised groups directly affected by an issue or conflict (e.g. Indigenous Peoples)
- Academics and experts
© 2003-2007 QIAP Canada. All Rights Reserved.
