Our Staff Out and About

23 December 2009

Read about the outcomes of the Global Reconciliation Summit in Jordan, attended by members of InterHealth staff.

Last week, Kevin Belcher (InterHealth), Ian Campbell (Affirm Facilitation Associates) and Zannah Jeffreys (Community Health Global Network) attended the Global Reconciliation Summit in Amman, Jordan.

The Summit was organised as a response to the paradox that political violence and insecurity have been intensifying across the world, despite the expansion of security regimes and other short-term solutions. The objective was to explore alternative 'pathways to peace'.

The Summit was hosted by HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan. It brought together over 200 delegates from around the world, including individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to reconciliation, representatives from NGOs, activist organisations and bodies such as the United Nations, as well as academics and the media.

There were six main seminar themes:

Arts and Culture
Healthcare and Medicine
Learning and Education
Livelihoods and Money
Sport and Recreation
Spirituality and Celebration

Ian Campbell was one of three delegates to receive the “Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Fellowship” award from Prince Hassan at the outset of the Summit. He helped to facilitate the Spirituality stream.

Ian summarised the experience of coming together with the recognition that 'blessing' is an indicator of success for spiritual communities. Whilst referencing the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Archbishop Elias Chacour also said that 'blessed' means 'to get up and straighten yourself out, so that you can orientate yourself toward your goal'. He went on to encourage others that if we are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, or if we want to be peacemakers wherever we live, we must not merely contemplate what to do, but take action, for we have an ‘active calling’.

Those who attended the Summit left with increased energy and hope. There was also enthusiasm for continued engagement and dialogue in and across the different thematic areas. The Global Reconciliation committee will therefore develop a reconciliation website which will include a ‘living archive’ to record the developments, strengths and weaknesses of different reconciliation projects around the world, and discussion forums to help facilitate such ongoing communications.

As we near a new decade, let’s not give up hope that peace is possible here on earth, and that we all have a part to play to ensure that it prevails…

For more information about the Summit, please visit www.global-cities.info/amman09 and read the Jordan Times Article.

To read more about InterHealth staff out and about, visit the Global Health section of the website.