Global and Domestic Governance

This annual invitation only conference on best practice for support for political parties will explore issues such as aid effectiveness in strengthening political parties and how political strengthening fits into overall development plans and poverty eradication. Major institutions with parliamentary and political party support programmes and specialists from transition and developing countries will participate. Participation to this conference is by invitation only.

The challenge of justice and accountability is often considered one of the most vexing issues in peace negotiations. Those involved in peace negotiations may often be responsible for past atrocities. The conference aims to reflect on the lessons emerging from past peace negotiations in the arena of accountability, and draw lessons for the future. It will address not only the possibilities of criminal justice, but also the range of non-criminal methods – such as truth commissions, reparations and vetting – which are sometimes included in a peace agreement. In this way, it seeks positively to influence peace negotiations in the future that must grapple with these issues. Situations to be examined at the conference include Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The conference is organised in partnership with the International Center for Transitional Justice, New York.
Location: Wilton Park

How to move from the theory of public diplomacy to practical application? How can lessons from previous public diplomacy strategies assist in planning for high profile events such as the Olympics? What are the tools and measures of successful diplomacy? Has digital diplomacy gone far enough? How effective is ‘soft power’? How best to harness ‘citizen power’? Can city to city diplomacy build relationships at a local level? What is the role of the corporate sector? How to ensure that diasporas are effective diplomats? What is the relationship between military perceptions of strategic communications and public diplomacy?
Location: Wilton Park

What is ‘science diplomacy’? In addition to nuclear power, environmental security and food security, what are the key issues that need to be addressed? What tools are needed for effective science diplomacy? How to build this capacity? How can science diplomacy help build international links and, in particular, foster positive re-engagement with the Islamic World? How to balance tensions between scientific independence and the needs of the state?
Location: Wilton Park