Peace by Peaceful Means - A Code of Conduct

Today's inspiration, the TRANSCEND network's code of conduct. I first read these words in Gultung, Jacobsen and Brand-Jacobsen's Searching for Peace: the Road to TRANSCEND, years ago, but was struck by it again today as I begin a paper on the contributions of Galtung to the field of Peace Research. I like this Galtung character!!

Conflict Transformation: A TRANSCEND Code of Conduct

to guide conflict workers at the micro (intra- and inter-personal), meso (intra-social), macro (inter-state/inter-nation) and mega (inter-region/inter-civilization) levels:

[A] Mission Statement: Peace by Peaceful Means

By peace we mean the capacity to transform conflicts with empathy, without violence; and creatively; a never-ending process;

By transforming conflicts we mean enabling the parties to go ahead in a self-reliant, acceptable, and sustainable manner;

By with empathy we mean the ability also to understand the conflict the way the parties understand the conflict themselves;

By without violence we mean that this process should avoid

- any threat or use of direct violence that hurts and harms

- any use of structural violence that demobilizes the parties;

By creatively we mean channeling conflict energy toward new realities accommodating the parties and meeting basic human needs.

[B] The relation between the conflict worker and him/ herself:

[1] Your motivation should be to help the parties transform the conflict, not your own promotion, materially, non-materially

[2] You should have skills/knowledge for the task, and develop them further, not using the conflicts of others to acquire them

[3] You should not have a hidden agenda, for yourself or for others, beyond conflict transformation but have nothing to conceal

[4] Your legitimacy is in your skills, knowledge, creativity, compassion and perseverance, and ability to stimulate the same in the conflict parties; not in a mandate or organizational backing.

[C] The relation between the conflict worker and the parties

[5] Do not enter a conflict if you yourself have an unresolved conflict with any one of the parties, or bear too deep grudges

[6] Empathy/dialogues with all parties, also those you dislike

[7] Do not manipulate. Play with open cards, tell what you do

[8] Respect demands for confidentiality, do not attribute

[9] Do not receive honoraria, gifts etc. from the parties beyond ordinary hospitality

[10] Communicate between the parties only with their permission

[11] Speak with one tongue, not one version for one party and another for the others, granted that the focus may be different

[12] Be open to new ideas, do not become a prisoner to any plan

[13] Never propose any outcome or any process that cannot be undone You may be wrong; any process initiated should be reversible

[D] The relation between the conflict worker and society

[14] Do not seek personal or organizational credit

[15] Disappear from the conflict when no longer needed

[16] Plans for conflict outcomes and conflict processes belong neither to you, nor to the parties, but to the public at large

[17] Share your skills, knowledge, experience with others; try to contribute to a general conflict transformation culture

[18] Do not receive direct funding from past, present or future conflict parties who have used, use or may use your services

[19] Conflict work is a public service. The reward is to do it well

[20] All conflicts are born equal and have the same right to transformation. No conflict is "higher level" than another