Palu, Indonesia - August 10, 2009 — IRD’s SERASI program in Indonesia organized “After Ten Years: A Symposium on Reflection of Poso Conflict” in mid-August. Representatives of Poso and Tentena communities on the island of Sulawesi, local, regional, and federal government, community leaders, and local NGOs attended, along with a host of VIPs, including Indonesia’s vice president, Jusuf Kalla. Through panel and plenary presentations, the symposium addressed the complex challenges and opportunities 10 years after communal conflict and violence in Poso began.

In his opening remarks, SERASI Chief of Party, James Grall, said “I hope that your participation here will help to address the need to build a common perception and vision among all stakeholders in Central Sulawesi, especially in Poso District, in relation to ongoing peace development in Poso, and help harmonize policy and subsequent implementation of peace building programs in Central Sulawesi.”

Hundreds were killed and thousands displaced when violence between Muslim and Christian communities in Poso erupted in 1998. The Malino Declaration, signed by both sides, brought large-scale violence to an end in 2001, but the issues of peace and reconciliation in post-conflict Central Sulawesi are far from being completely resolved, which is why events such as this symposium are so necessary.

Grall explained, “SERASI feels strongly that a continued focus on the goal of establishing sustainable channels of communication is the best and most appropriate way at this point in time to provide opportunities that will foster interactions to help unite the people in Central Sulawesi, whatever their ethnic group, religion, age, social status, or geographical location. This gathering provides us all a forum in which to share and communicate; but to create a lasting peace, we must all take what we share and learn here back to our communities and put lessons learned into practice.”