PAULA
GREEN
Paula
Green, Ed.D., is the Founder and Director of the Karuna Center
for Peacebuilding. She has extensive international experience
in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, working as an
international consultant, facilitator and lecturer. As a psychologist,
educator and consultant, Dr. Green brings to her work a synthesis
of personal change, social responsibility and spiritual awareness.
Dr. Green is also professor of Conflict Transformation at the
School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont,
where she co-directs the Conflict Transformation Across Cultures
- CONTACT program, a summer institute and graduate certificate
program designed to strengthen and support the community-building,
coexistence and conflict intervention efforts of peacebuilders
from the United States and around the world. In addition to
authoring numerous articles published internationally, Dr. Green
co-edited the textbook, Psychology and Social Responsibility:
Facing Global Challenges. She has been an active board member
of several international peace organizations, including the
International Fellowship of Reconciliation. Dr. Green is actively
involved in supporting peacebuilding processes around the world,
and has recently been called upon to work in South Africa, Kosovo
and Nepal. Dr. Green has led seminars in peacebuilding and inter-communal
relations in Nepal for many years for participants from many
sectors. In 2006 she has offered workshops at the invitation
of HURON, the Human Rights Network of Nepal, and CCO, the Canadian
Cooperation Office, in Kathmandu, Nepalganj and Biratnagar.
Further training is planned for Nepali community leaders for
2007 to accompany this time of transition.
Dr.
Green will deliver the key note speech during the opening session
of the international conference on Sustainable Development in
Conflict Environments: Challenges and Opportunities on January
16th, 2007. Her presentation is entitled "Fostering the
Ties that Bind: Best Practices in Peacebuilding and Development
in Conflict Environments"
Fostering the Ties that
Bind: Practicing Peacebuilding and Development in
Conflict Sensitive Environments
Summary of Keynote
by Dr. Paula Green
Dr. Green will reflect on
experiences, lessons learned and case studies of international
efforts in peacebuilding, development and social healing in
relationship to the current context in Nepal. She will focus
on the corrosive effects of dehumanization, exclusion and oppression
within and beyond Nepal, and will encourage joint efforts by
peacebuilding and development professionals to address these
concerns through carefully structured and coordinated initiatives.
She will talk about development as a social contract and cite
examples of international successes and failures in honoring
that contract. She believes that the window of opportunity and
good will currently available in Nepal should be used promptly
and thoroughly to offer some immediate and tangible gains to
the general population, which will help bridge the inevitable
gap between expectations and the slow pace of social change.
More information about
Dr. Green's work and organizations can be found at:
www.karunacenter.org
www.sit.edu/contact
