Quakers have a long history of quiet assistance in peace processes in areas as diverse as Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine and South Africa.
Conciliation work is the process of bringing people together and creating enough trust between them for them to talk constructively together. It usually involves the help of facilitators to encourage the parties to move to that point and to engage in dialogue to resolve the conflict that has divided them.
Quaker work in this area focuses on supporting the reconciliation of opposed groups in conflict-ridden areas. The confidential nature of these peace processes means that it is rarely talked about.
In this short film, a new generation of peacemakers shares their experiences of international conciliation work.
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In March 2020 Quakers in Britain published a book that looks at what conciliation involves. Written by Anne Bennett, Dining with diplomats, praying with gunmen is available to purchase from the Quaker Centre Bookshop.
20 February 2020 by Oliver Robertson
