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UN Mediation Standby Team. (November 08 ongoing) Member of UN Mediation Support Unit Mediation Stand-by Team. Responsible for assisting with the design and implementation of mediation processes supported by the UN. Principle focus is issues related to transboundary waters in addition to general mediation process design advice. Contract extended beyond the end of the Standby team mandate (April 2009) to December 2009 in order to continue to work with the MSU on a standby basis.
Negotiation of the Permanent Location of the Mekong River Commission. (February – March 2008) Retained by the MRC secretariat to facilitated negotiations between representatives of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam regarding the permanent location of the MRC. These services involved drafting the report of the sub-committee mandated to develop recommendations on the issue for the governing bodies of the MRC.
Negotiation Skills, International Water Law and Strategic Scenario Development – Training for Water Treaty Negotiators in the Nile Basin. (December 2007) Retained by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and the Nile Basin Secretariat to provide training in Negotiation and Mediation skills to 40 representatives of Nile basin countries. The six day program also incorporated relevant aspects of international water law and strategic scenario development to enhance the capacity of negotiations to produce durable agreements that reflect international legal standards while also stimulating mutually beneficial economic arrangements for the countries that are party to the agreement.
Application Of International Water Law to Multilateral Water Treaty Negotiations – Training for Water Treaty Negotiators in the Kingdom of Jordan. (June 07) Retained by the German aid organization, BGR, to provide training on the relevance and potential applications of international water law to water treaty negotiations underway between Jordan, Syria, Israel and Saudi Arabia to Jordanian negotiators, legal advisors and other senior officials.
Training for parties involved in Indigenous Land Use Agreement Negotiations in South Australia. (April 2007) Alex Grzybowski and Daniel Johnston delivered negotiation training to representatives of the South Australian Government, Aboriginal People, and representatives of the Mining sector. Alex Grzybowski subsequently delivered a follow up training with legal council from the Native Title unit of the Attorney Generals Ministry.
Strategic Plan for Canadian Governance Assistance to the Iraqi Marshlands. (September 2006) The Iraqi marshlands were substantially drained and poisoned by the previous regime in Iraq resulting in the devastation of the marshland ecosystems and the Marshland Arab communities that depend upon them. Subsequent assistance from Canada and other Nations has supported restoration of the marshlands and the marshland communities. Further restoration work is required particularly in the area of governance. Alex Grzybowski along with several other Canadian experts was retained by CIDA to meet with 75 Iraqi officials in Amman Jordan to develop a strategy for Canadian support in the governance area. This 4 day session generated a consensus based plan for Canadian investment in governance in the region. Alex Grzybowski played an instrumental role in facilitating the development of the plan along with several other Canadian facilitators and governance experts.
Negotiation Training for Nile Basin Treaty Making. (January to March 2006) The Nile basin countries are in the process of negotiating a treaty to share the waters and benefits of the Nile. Alex Grzybowski was retained along with two colleagues from the University of British Columbia to design and deliver a negotiation training program that would assist the parties in their negotiation. The training was delivered in Burundi in February of 2006 to over 36 representatives of 10 countries. Feedback on the relevance and value of the training from the participants and the sponsors was overwhelmingly positive.
Philippines Economic and Environmental Management Project Review. (2005) Alex Grzybowski was retained to review progress with implementation of this bilateral project of the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Mr. Grzybowski convened and led a Review Team which involved representatives of the GOP, CIDA, and the project implementation agencies. The Team implemented a collaborative process that engaged a wide range of project stakeholders in an assessment of what the project has achieved and what the stakeholders and implementing agencies need to do in order to sustain the results. The consensus recommendations of the Review outlined practical measures that can be undertaken both locally and nationally to reinforce the successes of the project.
Mekong River Commission
Procedures Facilitation. (2003) Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam
are negotiating implementation procedures for the 1995 Mekong Agreement.
Pacific Resolutions was retained by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat
to facilitate negotiations regarding procedures for notification,
consultation and agreement as well as water use monitoring.
Urban Land and Water Use Conflicts in Sao
Paulo Brazil. (1999-2003) Over
1,000,000 people are currently living within a watershed that provides
domestic water supplies for Greater Sao Paulo. Many of the settlements
are impoverished squatter communities and all of them are in conflict
with the legal and regulatory framework which is oriented towards
protecting the quality of water in the watershed. Pacific Resolutions
provided training and advice on cooperative approaches to reducing
impacts on water quality that are resulting from the settlements,
and facilitation support to multi-party discussions on a new land
law that would both legalize currently illegal settlements and facilitate
relocations to reduce water quality impacts and health and safety
risks for communities.
Community
Sustainability and Mining in Southeastern
Venezuela. (2000) With support from Business
Partners for Development, Placerdome Inc. engaged in consensus building
activities at the community level in southeastern Venzuela. Key issues
and initiatives included improvements to health care services and
facilities development, domestic water supply in local communities
and ongoing relations with the small mining operators. The negotiations
resulted in agreements involving seven aboriginal and criollio communities,
three levels of government, the military, a US based Foundation and Placerdome.
Tri-Sector Partnership Training Program. (1999-2000) Business
Partners for Development is a consortium on international organizations
dedicated to fostering constructive partnerships between civil society,
governments and mining and oil and gas companies (BPD includes CARE,
UK Aid, World Bank, several Min ing and Oil and Gas Companies). Pacific
Resolutions was retained by BPD to assist with the development and
delivery of a partnership training program to enhance the capacity
of potential partners to build and maintain partnerships. This is
a clinic based program that delivers assessment, consultation, consensus
building, and management skills in the field.
Khon
Kaen Institute For Dispute Resolution II. (1996-2000) Pacific Resolutions
partnered with the Khon Kaen Institute for Dispute Resolution to
develop and deliver a course in conflict prevention and resolution – building
peaceful solutions to complex problems. This project was supported
by Seafield, a CIDA funded initiative in Southeast Asia. This course
was attended by 40 individuals from 10 countries in Southeast Asia.
Myanmar Thailand Natural
Gas Pipeline. (1999) A consortium of Government Energy Agencies
and private Corporations constructed a natural Gas Pipeline from
the coast of Myanmar to Thailand to deliver gas to a new gas plant
in Thailand. Construction of the pipeline raised a number of issues
including allegations of human rights abuses in Myanmar, environmental
impacts at various locations, and local community impacts within
Thailand. Protests against the completion of the pipeline were staged
in Thailand. In an effort to initiate a collaborative effort to resolve
key issues in Thailand, a representative of the Senate requested that
the Khon Kaen Institute for Dispute Resolution meet with the various
parties. The Director of the Institute requested that Pacific Resolutions
join the mediation team to provide strategic advice. The Petroleum
Authority of Thailand subsequently contracted the Team to convene
a cooperative negotiation process amongst all parties.
Salween Basin Planning
Initiative. (1999) The Salaween river flows from Tibet and Yunan
province in China, to Burma and Thailand and the Andaman Sea. Facilitated
workshop discussions involving water resource experts from these
countries and UN water resource agencies examined the prospects for
collaborative management of the Basin and developed a common vision
for the basin and an action plan for future collaboration.
Southeast Asia Forum
for Peaceful Conflict Management. (1999) The Forum is a network
of practitioners from eight southeast Asian countries that are committed
to working together to increase their capacity to facilitate the
peaceful prevention and resolution of conflicts in their countries
and in the region. In collaboration with the Khon Kaen Institute
for Dispute Resolution in Thailand and the University of Victoria
Institute for Dispute Resolution in Canada, Pacific Resolutions
convened the Forum and provided facilitation support for the discussions
at the convening conference in September 1999.
Philippines Canada Environmental Management Project Evaluation. (1999) Pacific Resolutions was retained as part of a team to assess the progress of the PCEEM project in Cebu and Davao. The PCEEM project's overall goal was to strengthen and enhance the capacity of Metro-Cebu and Davao City to adopt innovative government, industry and local governance systems to address natural resource management problems affecting their watershed ecosystems. The evaluation engaged key project stakeholders in development of the assessment results including recommendations for improvement. These recommendations were subesequently implemented resulting in substantial improvements in the future success of the project.
North American Council on Environmental
Cooperation. (1998-1999) Under the North American Agreement on Environmental
Cooperation, Factual Records can be prepared to investigate the effectiveness
of the environmental law enforcement practices by of the countries
that are signatory to the Agreement (Canada, U.S.A. and Mexico).
Pacific Resolutions was retained to assist the Commission secretariat
with the preparation of a Factual Record on allegations that the
Canadian Fisheries Act has not been effectively enforced in cases
where a provincial Hydro Corporation has allegedly violated the Act.
This investigation required consultation with representatives of
Canada , the Provincial Government, the submitting parties, experts
in the field, the Hydro Corporation and other relevant stakeholders.
MEPC (Kwagga)Project, South Africa. (1996-1999) Pacific
Resolutions provided negotiation/process design advice and conflict
resolution and negotiation training to a CIDA funded project in South
Africa intended to address a wide array of issues currently facing
the mineral/mining sector in South Africa. This included a one week
field trip to South Africa for orientation and
to facilitate the development of a project workplan amongst the Kwagga
team members. Follow up included development and delivery of an intensive
training course relative to structuring, mediating/facilitating,
and negotiating complex multi-party negotiations.
Natural
Resource/Environmental Management Training, Thailand. (1996-1999)
Pacific Resolutions participated in a training program design team
to develop an integrated training program to support the implementation
of Management Frameworks for Sustainable Development (MFSD’s)
in Thailand. MFSD’s are a primary outcome of the CIDA NREM
project in Thailand. Pacific Resolutions took the lead in the development
of the facilitation training modules for Interior Ministry officials
and consultants that will be tasked with facilitating MFSD development
which is a multi-party, interagency planning process.
Nam Chuen
Watershed Planning Project, Thailand. (1997-1998) This
initiative was a multi-stakeholder planning process to develop an
integrated natural resources and environmental plan for the Nam Chuen
watershed in northeast Thailand. Primary issues included: forest
encroachment and degradation, lack of land title and poverty. The
process required ongoing facilitation support and technical planning
advice delivered in collaboration with a Thai consulting team. Consensus
on the plan was developed and the process is now
in the implementation and monitoring phase.
Parliamentary and Cabinet Briefings, Papua New Guinea. (1997) In
recent years, the World Bank has been involved in a Structural Adjustment
Program in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The program includes multilateral financing and a
wide range of long - term policy initiatives aimed at restructuring
the economy of PNG. Pacific Resolutions was retained by the World
Bank to assist the Secretary of Finance and various Divisional Heads
with the development of a series of presentations to Parliament and
the Cabinet detailing key aspects of the Structural Adjustment Program
including strategic priorities in the future.
Southeast Asia Energy
Project. (1996) Khon Kaen University Institute for Dispute Resolution
was retained by the Thai Government to facilitate discussions between
officials from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia on energy issues. Pacific
Resolutions was retained by the Institute to assist with the design
and delivery of the process.
Cambodia Center for Conflict Resolution. (1995-1996) In response to the growing need for alternative dispute resolution capacity and insitutions in Cambodia, the Cambodia Development Research Institute (CDRI) initiated an institutional development program aimed at establishing an independent conflict resolution center. CIDA provided initial funding for the initiative which involved a number of agencies including the BC Commission on Resources and Environment and Pacific Resolutions. After the initial CIDA sponsored activities, Pacific Resolutions continued to work with CDRI and the newly formed center to develop a strategic plan for the new organization and to develop and deliver training programs.
Khon Kaen Institute
For Dispute Resolution I. (1995) In response to the growing need
for alternative dispute resolution capacity and institutions in Thailand, Khon Kaen University initiated an institutional development program
aimed at establishing an Institute for Dispute Resolution. CIDA provided
initial funding for the initiative which involved Pacific Resolutions,
the B.C. Commission on Resources and Environment, the University
of Victoria Institute for Dispute Resolution and the International
Ombudsman Institute. After the initial CIDA sponsored activities,
Pacific Resolutions has continued to work with the Khon Kaen Institute
for Dispute Resolution on a wide range of projects funded by local
as well as multilateral agencies.
Thailand National Security
Council Seminar. With the assistance of the Southeast Asia
Fund for Institutional and Legal Development and the Asia Foundation,
Khon Kaen University Institute for Dispute Resolution provided a
two day seminar on Conflict Management to senior staff at the National
Security Council as well as other RTG agencies. Pacific Resolutions
Directors were invited to participate in the seminar. They presented
on mediation techniques in a multi-party public policy dispute context
as well as case studies from Canada and Thailand.
Thailand Public Participation
and Conflict Management Training Program. A wide range
of Thai government agencies with responsibilities for natural resource
management are seeking improved methods of public participation and
conflict management. In response to this need the CIDA Natural Resource and Environmental Management (NREM) project
retained Pacific Resolutions to develop a training program aimed
at introducing public participation and conflict management approaches
and methods into internal Royal Thai Government Agency training programs.
The initiative included the development of training materials, case
studies and a trainer’s manual as well as pilot training sessions
in different locations around the country.
Cambodia Human
Rights Committee Training. The Cambodia Human Rights Committee
requested that Pacific Resolutions develop and deliver a training
program on complaint investigation, non-adjudicative dispute resolution,
Ombudsmanship and land policy development. The Team consisted of
experts in the field from British Columbia and Alberta including
Stephen Owen, Member of Parliament, Minister of Public Works and
past Deputy Attorney General and Ombudsman for British Columbia,
and Harley Johnson past Ombudsmen for Alberta. Pacific Resolutions
developed and managed the project and assisted with the dispute resolution
component of the training. This project was sponsored by the CIDA
Southeast Asia Fund for Institutional and Legal Development.
Bangkok Metropolitan
Police Training. Public demonstrations over public policy
issues are common in Thailand. Many of these protests are staged
in Bangkok - the center of political and administrative power in
the country. The Bangkok Metropolitan Police are often on the frontline
responding to these conflict situations. After several senior members
of the force responsible for riot control attended conflict management
training sessions delivered by Pacific Resolutions in association
with Khon Kaen Institute for Dispute Resolution, they requested that
the training team deliver the program to all 120 police chiefs in
Bangkok. The course material was supplemented with information on
approaches used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in responding
to hostage taking and barricade incidents. The BKK Police Chiefs
worked through the program using real cases that they have been involved
in.
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See also projects in National
and Provincial Canada
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