Program

DAY I

12.30 Registration

13.30 Introduction, Workshop partners

13.45 Opening keynote – Timothy Fort (via video conference)

14.30 Panel I: Positioning Business actors-Conceptual discussions and theory

• The Private Sector in Peace Building: What it does, and why it does (Peter Davies, Overseas Initiative, UK)
• Returning to Resource Curse Theory & Examining the Role of International Oil Companies in Conflict Zones (Caroline Hilpert, UNIBW, Germany and Jennifer Girous, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
• Fostering productive linkages using effective value chain strategies in conflict-affected regions(Raymond Gilpin, USIP)

15.30 Coffee break

16.00 Panel II: Lens of Business Actors – Corporate Social Responsibility?

• A Critical Analysis of the Dynamics of Corporate-Community Relations in Nigeria’s Oil rich Niger Delta and its Implications for the Role of Business as Peacemakers in Africa’s Fragile – Rentier States (Uwafiokun Idemudia, York University, Toronto, CND)
• The Impact of Institutional Setting on the Extra Sector’s Role in the Promotion of Sustainable Development (Hevina S. Dashwood, Brock University, Toronto, CND and Bill Buenar Puplampu, Central University (Ghana)
• “Scientific Benevolence” meets “Good Neighbors”: Oil Companies face their Critics(Elena Shever, Colgate University, NY, USA)

17.30 Wrap-up of day I or Closing Keynote Timothy Fort (via video conference)

19.00 Workshop dinner

DAY 2

8.30 Morning Intro

8.45 Panel III: Business actors in conflict zones-Local & Transnational Actors

• Reconstruction Zones as Drivers for Investment, Trade, Employment and Entrepreneurship in Afghanistan (Graciana del Castillo, Columbia University, USa)

• A Win-Win Situation amidst in War-torn Afghanistan? How value-chains between Swiss TNCs and local Afghan business actors can support a transformation of current economic structures – A case study (Can Denis, Swisspeace)

• Business for Peace in the Holy Land – Empirical Findings from the Tourism Sector (Susanne Fischer, Universität der Bundeswehr München & PRIF, Germany)

• Business, Development and Armend Conflicts: The Case of Columbia (Gonzalo Vargas, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia)

10.30 Coffee break

11.00 Panel IV: Local Business Actors

• Local Ownership of Business & Peace: Success & Failures in Sri Lanka (Rina M. Alluri, Swisspeace)

• Informers as Transformers: Role of Media Houses in Post-conflict Nepal (Safal Ghimire, Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South, Nepal)

• Business and Peace in North-East India: Exploring the Interlinks (Bishnu Raj Upreti, Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) South Asia, Nepal)

• Mining and the Environment: Resources as a Pathway to Peace and Development in Mindanao (Maria Lourdes A. Arcenas, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand)

12.45 Lunch

13.45 Panel V: Human Rights & Legal Accountability

• Legal Accountability of Businesses in Zones of Conflict (Andrina Frey, UNIBAS)

• Implications of UNHR John Ruggie’s Guiding Principles for Human Rights: Implications for supply chains in conflict zones – a DRC case study (Susan Aaronson, George Washington University, DC, USA)

• Securing Human Rights Compliance for Business in Conflict Zones: A Southeast Asian Perspective (Christine Kaufmann, University of Zürich and Mahdev Mohan, Singapore Management University School of Law)

15.15 Coffee break

15.45 Panel VI: Voluntary vs. mandatory and beyond

• Business in the Governance of Natural Resources – the conflict-disjuncture (Melanie Coni-Zimmer, PRIF, Germany and Annegret Flohr, PRIF, Germany)

• Conflict-Sensitivity in the Extractive Industries: Weaknesses and Potential of International Initiatives (Andreas Graf, Swisspeace)

• Evaluating Mandatory or Voluntary Mechanisms: A Case for Voluntary Instruments (Adrienne Gardaz, UN Global Compact, NY, USA)

17.15 Wrap-up Plenary Panel and Group Discussion

18.00 End of Conference

19.00 Workshop Dinner