WORKSHOP E - CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACE-BUILDING
The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Malaysia, Hon. Datuk Ronald Kiandee, MP, (left) and Mr Mitch O’Brien of the World Bank Institute (right) led discussions in Workshop E.
to increase their potential power of destroying themselves and the entire human race”. He stated that MPs can play an
important role in dispute resolution to ensure that relations between people do not “degenerate into a state of general violence”. They can also explore ways of strengthening the rule of law and democracy in countries. He cited, as an example of the latter, the Electoral Commission of Namibia, which promotes democratic strengthening in a number of way, including: implementation of forthcoming reform of the Electoral Act; training of judicial officers in
the application of the electoral law; training of Parliamentarians, political parties, media practitioners and members of civil society on the electoral cycle and elections; strengthening the capacity of the Electoral Commission to monitor media performance during elections; and exploring ways of developing a more efficient and effective election dispute resolution mechanism. Mr Kiandee mentioned the
relationship between food aid and conflict. He stated that studies have shown that there is a “direct correlation between food aid and civil conflicts”.
266 | The Parliamentarian | 2012: Issue Four
Good practices Mr Mitchell O’Brien, Government Specialist and Parliament Programme Team Leader for the World Bank Institute, highlighted the work between the CPA and WBI in the area of conflict resolution. He explained that the Institute is the capacity-building arm of the World Bank and that it had identified a need for and an interest in ensuring strong capacity in respect of Parliaments. He stated that two of the objectives of the Bank were to identify and capture good practice and knowledge with respect to parliamentary performance and parliamentary practice and to
develop institutional and individual capacity within Parliaments to strengthen the primary functions of Parliament. He stated that the CPA/WBI
work in this area has been in progress since 2004 and has focused on identifying knowledge, experience and good practice on the role of Parliaments in conflict affected areas. The key to finding solutions to conflict resolution resides within Parliaments. “We have to work with Parliaments to capture that in order to guard the practices of other Parliaments. So, really what I have to say is that it is