Peace Building, Development and Networks
Partners and USAID’s Conflict Management and Mitigation Office focused on the application of unique tools and organizational approaches to identify, analyze, prevent, and mitigate the causes and consequences of violence, instability and extremism.
Panelists:
Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Director, Partners-Yemen
Nadwa Al Dawsari is the director of Partners Yemen. Nadwa is a dedicated professional with background tackling the problem of tribal conflicts in her country. She is a Conflict Management trainer who has overseen numerous US-funded projects to mitigate conflict in remote and difficult tribal areas in Yemen. During the last 4 years, Nadwa intensievly led programs in tribal areas where she worked directly with tribal leaders, local CSOs, CBOs, women, youth, religious leaders, corporations as well as local authorities to help analyzing conflicts and establishing sustainable structures and systems to manage conflicts. With a high sensitivity to the specific and unique context of conflict in Yemen, Nadwa engaged leaders, people and institutions in tribal areas in collaborative activities which help reviving and strengthening existing informal traditional conflict prevention practices while also introducing modern tools to help strengthening the role of local NGOs and institutions in preventing and mitigating conflicts. Nadwa is a skilled trainer who has worked for US and international donors as well as implementors and in doing so has successfully reached out to the Yemeni government and citizenry. Additionally she is an expert in desiging and delivering Conflict Management, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Budgeting, Fundraising and Proposal Writing and NGO Management trainings.
Daniela Kolarova, Partners for Democratic Change International
Daniela Kolarova, Ph.D. is Director of Partners for Democratic Change International in Brussels, Belgium. Previously she was the Executive Director and founder of Partners Bulgaria Foundation (PBF), a nongovernmental organization committed to advancing civil society, working with Roma and other marginalized communities, promoting the rights of children in schools and the larger community, and providing mediation services to resolve neighborhood, family, business and other disputes. She has more than 15 years of experience designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs and projects funded by a variety of international aid organizations, including USAID, worth up to $5 million. Dr. Kolarova is an expert in administering grants, conducting needs assessments, preparing contracts, monitoring and evaluation, contracting and contract administration, and managing budgets. She has a proven ability to communicate effectively in diverse cultural environments, and has established good working relationships with international clients and donors, government institutions, and civil society leaders during her time as Executive Director.
Dr. Kolarova is also a highly experienced international trainer in cooperative planning, conflict resolution, consensus building, negotiation and communication, civic and human rights education, among other diverse topics. She has acted as a facilitator for many international meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars, and has worked for over 15 years as a lecturer at Sofia University. She has been certified as a trainer, project manager, and mediation credentialing program manager by the Center for Public Management in the United States, the National Conflict Resolution Center in the United States, and the EU Commission, among other respected institutions.
Neil Levine, Director, Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation, USAID
Neil Levine is the Director of the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation in USAID's Office of Democracy and Governance in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. CMM leads USAID efforts to develop approaches to the causes and consequences of conflict. From 2000-2007, Mr. Levine served as the Chief of the Governance Division in USAID’s Office of Democracy and Governance where he worked on issues involving promotion of transparent, accountable and effective democratic institutions. Mr. Levine served as deputy director for the Office of Central American Affairs (LAC/CEN) from 1995-2000. From October 1998 through June 2000, he worked to develop the strategy, budget justification, and implementation of the post-Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Reconstruction programs in Central America. From 1993 to 1995, he served as congressional liaison officer in the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs with responsibility for the Latin America Bureau and democracy and governance issues. Before coming to USAID, Mr. Levine served on Capitol Hill for 10 years, first on the House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs and then as legislative assistant for foreign affairs to Congressman Edward Feighan (OH). He has also worked as a research assistant at Human Rights Watch in New York. He has master’s degrees from the National War College (2008) and the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (1986), and a certificate from the Institute for Latin American and Iberian Studies, Columbia University (1986). He has a B.A. in International Studies from Earlham College (1983).
Moderator:
Since his initial retirement from his 33 year career as a diplomat in 1985, he has served for five years as the first President and CEO of the U.S. Institute of Peace, taught courses at Georgetown University, Hamilton College, and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, worked with several “think tanks” including the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations, served as Advisor or Board member for a number of non-profit organizations concerned with foreign policy in general and the Middle East in particular, including Search for Common Ground and the Israel Policy Forum, lectured widely and contributed to several books, scholarly journals and newspapers. He is the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees and numerous other awards.
Background Documents
Improving Democratic Governance in Conflict-Affected Countries: Case Study from PDCI
