Information on the activities of the network can also be obtained from ASEM Education Hub pages at

http://www.aeh.asef.org/initiatives/index.asp?st=197

Annual Conferences:

• 8/2007: Hornbæk, Denmark,
• 11/2008: Banda Aceh,
• 8/2009: Korea

Annual advisory board meetings (Back-to-back with conferences):

• 8/2007: Hornbæk, Denmark,
• 11/2008: Banda Aceh,
• 8/2009: Korea

Teaching:

• Kalimantan lecture-program with the Indonesian Conflict Studies Network: The leader of the ASEM Network and Professor Syarif I. Alqadrie of the local Universitas Tanjungpura teach twice/year, altogether 120 h/year in Pontianak, Bengkayang, Sambas (sites of 1999 & 1997 cannibalistic riots, Indonesia). The structure of lecturing is such, that the leader of the network gives a general overview of the findings of conflict theory on a topic that is relevant for the conflict situation in the province. The local professor will apply the general lessons to the case of the province, and discussion will further discuss the lessons of conflict theory to the understanding of the local conflict and to the potential of peace building in the province. Lectures are tailor-made for a special M.A. class at Universitas Tanjungpura, consisting of provincial civil and military/police officials and communal leaders. The Dean of Universitas Cendrawasih, the main university in Papua participates and will try to emulate the idea in Papua. The costs of the project are covered by the Finnish Embassy (Regional Cooperation Funds) in Jakarta and for the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

• The Kalimantan lectures for ethnic and religious communication forums: will be expanded in 2008 to two directions. On the one hand, the provincial community leaders are establishing a new inter-ethnic communication forum, which aims at better inter-community community and inter-ethnic relations. This Forum has requested the ASEM Education Hub Thematic Network on Peace and Conflict Studies to asist in capacity building for the key personnel of the new forum, and expert assistance for the buildup of the statutes, operational principles and activity plan for the forum. On the other hand the province is implementing a national program for improving inter-religious communication and relations by establishing another inter-religious communication forum. For the forum the local Islamic university, STAIN, has created a center (CAIERU, Center for Acceleration of Religious and Ethnic Understanding in West Kalimantan) and staff for the support of inter-religious activities. Both the center and the inter-religious communication forum have requested capacity building assistance for the buildup of competence on religious conflict resolution in Kalimantan. In addition to NIAS manpower, the project will utilize expertise of the University of Helsinki for the buildup of competence on the role of religious institutions in peace building and conflict resolution. The cooperation between Indonesian Conflict Studies Network, ASEM Education Hub Thematic Network on Peace and Conflict Studies also offers a framework for a PhD project at the University of Helsinki on the role of religious institutions in peace building. The costs of the project are covered by the Finnish Embassy (Regional Cooperation Funds) in Jakarta and for the Finnish Foreign Ministry. Further funding is searched for the expanded teaching program and for the participation of the University of Helsinki. For a report on this education project spiling over into a peace process lead by Indonesia's vice president, see news in the portal.

• Aceh post-conflict peace building lectures with Interpeace, Indonesia: Interpeace, and international organization, that builds post-conflict structures of peace in Aceh is working in partnership with ASEM Education Hub Thematic Network on Peace and Conflict Studies for the capacity building of the Interpeace local staff in post-conflict peace building.

• Public lectures back-to-back with Annual conferences of the network.

Under Planning

• Lectures in collaboration between Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and NIAS and local universities in Pattani provinces and in Bangkok on conflict resolution and the case of Pattani.

• Lectures on Papuan conflict resolution at Universitas Cendrawasih, Papua, Indonesia (leader of the ASEM network, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the local university and another Indonesian professor, formula from the Kalimantan lectures project).

• Lectures related to the research and teaching project, “Lessons of Aceh”.

• Lectures within an Interpeace project, “Building Lasting Peace in Aceh”.

PhD Supervision·

• Supervision and cooperation in the empirical investigation is being offered to a University of Helsinki PhD project on the role of religious institutions in conflict resolution, which focuses on the experiences of religious peace actors in West Kalimantan. Student of the project will be Ms. Katri Kyllönen.

• Supervision in the framework of a project “Lessons of Aceh” by the leader of the network and other members of the network of PhD projects. Students of the project are:

1. Mr. Delsy Ronnie (b. 1974, Director of Social Affairs, Presidential Council for the Reconciliation and Reconstruction of Aceh and Nias),
2. Tengku Ismail Denudom (Prince of Pattani).
3. Santos Winarso Dwiyogo (Political Secretary of Indonesia’s vice-president Jusuf Kalla)
4. Kim Phar Beng (Political Assistant, Secretary General of ASEAN, Dr. Surin Pitsuawan.
5. European PhD student with a topic “EU instruments for supporting conflict resolution: “Lessons of Aceh”, Not selected yet.

Academic research and advisory roles in conflict issues:

• The expertise of the network and the network will continue to be at the disposal of possible conflict resolution and peace building projects, and other initiatives of the CMI – Conflict Management Initiative. Furthermore, the network will be at the disposal for projects laying ground for possible peace interventions by the CMI. While the academic work of the network will be suited to the needs of the CMI, the advisory roles of the network members in peace processes fall outside the scope of the network activities.

• The expertise of the network will be at the disposal of possible conflict resolution and peace building projects, and other ASEF initiatives, such as the Asia-Europe Roundtable involving practitioners and academics in conflict management. The leader of the network and several members of the advisory board will participate in the meetings and preparatory meetings of the Asia-Europe Roundtable. Again, while the academic work of the network will be suited to the needs of the ASEF/AER, the advisory roles of the network members in peace processes fall outside the scope of the network activities.

• The leader of the network and several members and board members will continue to participate in the EU-China Think-Tank Roundtable, organized by the European Policy Institute.

• The network participates in the discussions related to the development of Finland’s Asia policies under the Finnish Minister for International Trade and Development Cooperation. The academic work conducted in the network in support, will be considered network activities, while the advisory functions will not. This activity is supported by the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

• Burma/Myanmar Policy Studies: CMI implements in the framework of ASEM Education Hub Network on Peace and Conflict Studies a policy study on Burma/Myanmar Conflicts for the European Commission

Fact finding missions:

• Papua (Indonesia, 2007).
• Karen, Wa & Shan (Burma/Myanmar), with FES (2007) with CMI (2008).
• Pattani

Generation of larger research/teaching projects:

• “Lessons of Aceh-Project”: Comparative Peace Processes Studies project involving several book projects, and 6 PhD students (4 of them to be co-supervised by the leader of the ASEM network. Involving case studies from Aceh, Papua, Pattani, Burma/Myanmar ethnic conflicts (to be decided by the advisory board), Taiwan, Northern Ireland, and the Basque country. The project will compare peace processes and the various models of autonomy and self-governance arrived at in peace processes. While this project will be purely academic, it will also produce research-based knowledge for peace processes.
• A project on multilateral governance of global security is under development. This project will be lead by an Asian institute.
• A comparative project on violence and the integration of ethnic and religious minorities will be planned and launched in 2008.
• A research program aiming at explaining the long peace of East Asia, since 1979 has been launched by NIAS, Uppsala University and PRIO (Peace Research Institute of Oslo). This research program will be matched with another, Tokyo-based project that explains the long peace of Western Europe, since the Second World War.