PREFACE

When the Institute for Practical Research and Training was founded three years ago, one of its principal goals was to establish an institution where local and international scholars could do focused research and where they could, with governmental and civil institutions, engage in  open discussions on their findings.  The process began with the convening in October 1998 of the First Conference on Reconstruction Strategies and the Challenges beyond Rehabilitation.   At the conclusion of that first-of-its-kind conference, IPR produced a recommendations document summarizing the nearly fifty presentations discussed at the conference.  IPR received many favorable comments following the release of the document, which was entitled “Recommendations from the First Conference on Reconstruction Strategies and Challenges beyond Rehabilitation.” Many of our readers found useful a concise synthesis of all the papers and the many discussions.  We were also gratified that some of the recommendations contained in the document were eventually implemented by the Government of Somaliland (although we certainly do not claim that implementation followed directly from our recommendations).

Issuing only a “recommendations document” from a large conference has some shortcomings.  The summary document cannot present all the arguments that form the basis of the recommendation nor the detailed research findings and the essential raw data.  These details are often as important for the reader as the final set of conclusions.  Therefore, despite the cost and difficulty of compiling full conference proceedings, we have decided this year to issue the full proceedings of the follow up conference, the 2^nd Post-War Reconstruction Strategies Conference, which was held in Hargeisa during July 20-25, 2000.    The five-day second conference was very successful, and we wish to take this opportunity to thank all the participants, who included visitors from the Diaspora, from the Middle East, Europe, the Horn of Africa region and the United States..  The proceedings contains nearly all the paper presented at the gathering.  Only a few of the papers had not been received in a final form at the time of going to press.  These late papers will be available on our website (www.iprt.org) along with all the papers published in this book.

We organized the conference in response to numerous requests to continue the process of convening formal discussions  on the formulation of a post-war reconstruction strategy.  Proponents of this process pointed out that our society is not used to open and frank discussions outside of the political arena and in the absence of an immediate controversy.  Moreover, many pointed out that in our oral society discussions are egalitarian, equally open to the “expert” and the layman on any subject.  Formal “western style” conferences were proposed as an addition rather than as a substitutes for our traditional deliberations, whose value in the society cannot be denied.  The first conference was considered a breakthrough.  For the first time scholars, technocrats, government policy makers and politicians from the full spectrum of the political arena gathered to discuss national issues without polemic and without political rancor. 

The theme of the 2^nd Conference was “A CELEBRATION OF PEACE”.  We chose this theme to recognize and celebrate the profound achievement of the people of Somaliland and to underscore the importance of safe guarding that achievement.  Peace in Somaliland was not coerced.  It is not enforced through the apparatus of a police state, but was brought about and is maintained by the will of the people of Somaliland.  The organizers of the conference, therefore, wanted to focus on research and expert presentations that may shed light on how to extend and consolidate that peace.  We were very pleased that the honorable Minister of Education, who opened the conference on behalf of the President of Somaliland, launched the conference in the right direction by strongly emphasizing the importance of maintaining the hard won peace in Somaliland.  The Minister also indicated that the Ministry of Education has resolved to include a “culture of peace” component in the curricula of all public schools. To further the peace process the Minister of Education challenged Somaliland intellectuals in the Diaspora to initiate a “Peace Corps” of their own for middle and primary schools by volunteering short periods of their time to teaching in these schools.  We believe that educated and skilled Somalilanders in the Diaspora can meet this challenge, and we at the Institute for Practical Research and Training have decided to provide all necessary logistical support to any one who volunteers for three months or more to teaching in primary and elementary schools.

The conference would not have taken place without the hard work of many people.  The Institute for Practical Research and Training is grateful to the local organizing committee chaired by Dr. Adan Yusuf Abokor of the International Cooperation for Development (ICD) and including the following: Edna Aden Ismail, Abdilkadir Jirdeh, Noreen Michael Mariano, Amina Yusuf, Sahra Ahmed Gulaid, Suleiman Ahmed Gulaid, the Hon. Mohamed Said Gees, the Hon. Yusuf Ainab.

We were saddened by the untimely passing of Noreen (Nuri) Michael Mariano a member of the local organizing committee.  Noreen, dedicated many years to humanitarian causes and in the last decade focused all her energy to helping Somaliland recover from the ravages of war.  May Allah rest her soul in peace.

The Institute for Practical Research wishes to thank again all the sponsors of the conference for their financial support.  In organizing these conferences, we have decided to rely only on community resources and we are grateful for the support that we received from Dhabshiil, Barakat, Star Airlines, STC, SOLTELCO, ICD, Mr. Abdulrahman Haji Ali Ismail of Kuwait, Dr. Amina Adan and Mr. Saeed Megag Samater, Aerolite, and Friends of IPR in the Washington DC Metropolitan area.

  Ahmed H. Esa

The Institute for Practical Research and Training