December 19-20, 2022
Background
In Nepal, after the end of armed conflict in 2006, there have been efforts to find dialogue as a way of building peace and weaving the social fabric. Various organizations have run dialogue programs to build constitution during the post-conflict era in their own capacities. Building on these works of dialogue and peacebuilding, Nepal Dialogues Forums were organized in 2018 and 2019 with an aim of creating shared spaces of sharing and learning among dialogue practicing individuals and institutions. The previous Dialogues Forums were organized in collaboration with The Asia Foundation and since then GIZ and The Asia Foundation, along with Nepal Forum for Restorative Justice (NFRJ) have taken a lead in converging nationwide efforts on dialogue and peacebuilding in Nepal.
For 2022, the dialogue organizations aim to build on this momentum and organize a Nepal Dialogues Summit in 19=20 December 2022. This year, the Summit will be organized by NFRJ, a non-governmental organization working in the fields of dialogue, peacebuilding, and restorative justice since 2017. NFRJ currently works as a Secretariat for Nepal Dialogues Initiatives and towards this end, it has convened several meetings of dialogue practitioners, and recently collected profiles of dialogue practitioners and organizations.
Objectives of the Nepal Dialogues Summit 2022
Two main objectives of the Summit stand out:
a. To learn from international experts on the experience of dialogue and peacebuilding; and
b. To create a sharing space for dialogue practicing individuals and institutions in Nepal
Activities
a. Learning from international expert on dialogue practice NFRJ and GIZ will invite an internationally esteemed dialogue practitioner, possibly a member from Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for 2015, and have her share insights on the importance of dialogue on peacebuilding and justice.
This will be a public event and it will be attended by about 200 individuals representing judiciary, social service, academics, law enforcement agencies from government and non-government sectors.Nepal Dialogues Summit 2022
b. Sharing space for dialogue practicing individuals and institutions
The other aspect of the National Dialogues Summit is to provide a shared space for about 70 practitioner organizations and individuals from around Nepal to share their experiences and expertise with fellow practitioners.
Organizational profile
Nepal Forum for Restorative Justice (NFRJ) is a non-governmental non-profit organization working in the fields of restorative justice, dialogue, and peacebuilding in Nepal. Since its formal establishment in 2017, it has been involved in promoting principles and practices of restorative justice in formal and community systems in Nepal, and furthering regional and global movements in these fields. NFRJ’s works are founded on the value systems of respect, interconnectedness, inclusion, humility, accountability, and co-empowerment.
NFRJ has been running various national and international programs related to restorative justice, transitional justice, dialogue and peacebuilding. Since 2021, it has been running a Dialogue Resource Center as a hub of learning for dialogue practitioners and operates its online portal (www.nepaldialogues.org) which has been a source of resources, news and knowledge about dialogue and peacebuilding. As a way of building a culture of dialogue, it has been running various trainings and workshops related to dialogue and peacebuilding at local, provincial and national levels.