Health as a Bridge for Peace - Training course in Colombo, Sri Lanka – 8 to 12 March 1999
Background. objectives, logistics and agenda
1. BACKGROUND
The main purpose of the Health as a Bridge for Peace Programme is to identify actions and strategies that can maximise peace-building effects of health programmes implemented in a conflict prone or conflict affected area. The work undertaken by the World Health Organisation on HBP (regional initiatives, preparation of case studies, international meetings) identified active training for health professionals as one of its key activities.
In this framework WHO-EHA/SEARO, in collaboration with the International Training Programme for Conflict Management of the Scuola Superiore S.Anna of Pisa-Italy, organised this workshop for health professionals working in the South East Asia Region. This initiative, financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is to be considered as a first step of the process to create a bulk of common knowledge and skills among health professionals working or due to work in a conflict environment.
2. OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP
General objectives of the workshop were to sensitise health professionals to HBP concepts and to test the Active Learning Package on Health as a Bridge for Peace. The specific learning objectives aimed to transfer basic skills and knowledge on Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, Medical Ethics, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Analysis (annex i).
The Active Learning Package will be modified according to the feedback received during the Colombo workshop and re tested in a workshop to be held in Addis Ababa autumn 1999. The final product will be a flexible training tool that will provide material, indications and instructions to replicate these kind of initiatives.
3. PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES
The Training Course took place within the facilities of the Galadari Hotel in Colombo. Beside the ones resident in Colombo all lecturers, facilitator and participants were hosted in the Hotel. Secretariat services were organised by WHO country office within the Hotel. The course ran smoothly thanks to the outstanding job done by the WR and his staff. WHO seconded a consultant to the Scuola S. Anna to guarantee liaison among the institutions.
A preparatory meeting was held in New Delhi on 5-6 January 1999 to define methodologies and contents, task and responsibilities and to meet participants/resources persons and lecturers (annex vi).
Almost daily contacts via e-mail, fax, telephone took place between the Scuola, WHO/EHA, SEARO, WHO Sri Lanka office and lecturers.
3.1 Background material
Two packages of background material have been prepared for the participants. One to be delivered two/three weeks in advance with basic logistic information and basic documents on the main topics to be treated during the training. The second, to be delivered at the beginning of the workshop, with more detailed material to provide a basic bibliography and to support the training activities (annexes viii and ix for list of contents of the packages).
4. LOGISTIC AND SECRETARIAT SERVICES
The Training Course took place within the facilities of the Galadari Hotel in Colombo. Beside the ones resident in Colombo all lecturers, facilitator and participants were hosted in the Hotel. Secretariat services were organised by WHO country office within the Hotel. The course ran smoothly thanks to the outstanding job done by the WR and his staff.
5. AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The training was organised over five days. The morning of the first day was partly devoted to the official opening session where representatives of WHO and of the Scuola S.Anna made addresses. The Sri Lankan Minister of Science and Technology made the Inaugural Address (annex v for the inauguration agenda and annex iv for the workshop agenda).
The training sessions were generally structured with part of the day devoted to formal lectures followed by working groups, presentation of case studies and simulations. The day generally ended with a plenary session with an open discussion over the topics of the day. Due to its specific training techniques the conflict resolution session followed a different structure.
Wednesday afternoon was free for leisure activities.
The morning of the last day was devoted to the Joint Exercise Session (see par. 8.1.8) and the early afternoon to the evaluation of the training through the final tests and the oral evaluation (annexes xiii to xx). The workshop was closed with the hand over of the certificate of attendance.
6. PARTICIPANTS
Participants were 16 coming from six different countries of the region. To these should be added 4 resource persons and 2 observers from Sri Lanka that played a double role (resource persons/participants) during the training and that received the certificate attendance (annex ii and iii).
They were 9 men and 7 women. Beside one coming from the largest Sri Lankan NGO, participants were all Government mid level and senior officers.
7. Faculty
Lecturers, facilitators and resources persons composed the faculty. Lecturers were in charge of the specific training sessions (see annex i); facilitators supported the training particularly during the active methodologies; resource persons had the role of providing input on specific aspects according to their professional background.
These figures sometime overlapped creating some confusion and their role need to be better defined; nevertheless the quality of the training was not affected and the presence of resource persons guaranteed high level discussion throughout the week.
Personnel of the International Training Programme of the Scuola S.Anna were present throughout the week to guarantee overall scientific co-ordination.
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