Project
What is INFOCON?
The International Civil Society Forum on Conflicts (INFOCON) is a research project financed under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission.
INFOCON is the unique result of extensive consultations and discussions between members of civil society (notably groups or individuals representing transnational communities and NGOs working in the field of minority rights or conflict resolution) and leading scholars in various disciplines. The overall objective of the project is to create a better understanding of how Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) representing Transnational Communities (TCs) can help in preventing and resolving conflicts in Europe and the world. Furthermore, the project strives to attain the following objectives:
1. Provide recommendations and strategic tools for CSOs. In order to increase the efficiency and involvement of CSOs in the elaboration of policies related to transnational communities and active in conflict- or development-sensitive fields, INFOCON includes a specific objective of formulating sound recommendations and strategic tools based on the project’s research results.
2. Verify past research on TCs and their role and impact in conflict. With the benefit of CSOs’ experience and their involvement in the research process, INFOCON strives to shed new light on past research results. This specific objective also addresses the current gap between civil society knowledge and academic expertise that treated transnational communities merely as objects of research.
3. Produce new insights into the dynamics and current potential role of CSOs in different conflicts. By elaborating new and innovative comparisons of TCs across Europe and the world, INFOCON desires to advance the scientific knowledge on the underlying phenomena and therefore contribute to a better understanding of conflicts and transnational social networks.
4. Provide conflict-sensitive policy recommendations. In order to enhance current conflict policy and to use the leverage and opportunities that transnational community CSOs offer in the field of conflict and peace, INFOCON will elaborate relevant and comprehensive policy recommendation to policy-makers at the European, national and local level.
A unique integration of CSO actors in the research process.
INFOCON proposes a new and unique way of carrying out research on transnational communities by focusing on transnational actors and by creating a complementary research strategy — blending the knowledge and needs of civil society with the expertise and rigour of academic research. Our innovative civil society approach (via participative panels, seminars and workshops with relevant CSOs and other networks) will allow us to tackle different types of conflict, spanning from poverty reduction issues to management of violent conflict. By integrating civil society in the research process and the debate on TCs we aim to provide a better understanding of their origin, internal dynamics and external relations. Past research has exceedingly treated transnational communities as pure objects, without effectively tapping into their knowledge (by giving them an active role in the research process). We are convinced that the knowledge of civil society actors on TCs will greatly enhance the effectiveness of research and therefore help preventing and solving existing or latent conflict associated with TCs. The fact that members of transnational communities have a very special motivation and personal stake in the respective conflicts makes them an extremely valuable partner for research on these conflicts. The principle of helping involved actors that strive for peaceful solutions to help and organise themselves is fundamental to our approach.
Given that the research of INFOCON will be produced to the benefit of civil society organisations, they will have an active stake in the success of the project. This is an invaluable asset since CSOs are capable of understanding the common man; in fact, they are the “mouthpiece of the masses”. In the framework of INFOCON, civil society serves three functions along the research process: (1) Civil society is an object of research (the role of civil society in conflict prevention, management and resolution); (2) civil society is a recipient of research (via training workshops, seminars, and tailored publications) and (3) civil society is an important instrument and provides input to carry out the research (via participative panels and continuous discussion and involvement). These functions imply that CSOs, other involved individuals and/or private companies are implicated in all processes of the research project. Their role in society and conflict prevention is the object of intense research and all information collected during the project will be made available to them. In addition, their input and aid will be solicited during the research process via participative panels, workshops and seminars. This is integral to the methodology and uniqueness of our approach, based on the demand and needs of the different members of the research consortium.
The cases covered by INFOCON.
Four major European cities
The case studies will focus on four major European cities which share many characteristic features and which have been selected to assure general comparability of the field work: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels and London.
Three regions of origin
In each of these four cities, the transnational communities of three different origins will be examined. The selected regions of origin are: Turkey, Kosovo and the Great Lakes region. The case studies chosen enlarge the geographical scope of the FP6 project PEACE-COM which examined conflicts in the European Union and its periphery. INFOCON will study the “core conflicts” between different communities in Turkey, Kosovo and the Great Lakes region. The case studies included in this project have been selected according to criteria of diversity and geographical scope. But above all, we have been careful to include conflicts presenting various shapes, both in terms of issues at stake, and of levels of violence.
Find out more … download the description of work
