Ms Bigombe is world renowned as one of the main negotiators in the conflict between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in the north of the country. The award ceremony will take place in Vlaardingen in the Netherlands on 13 March 2010. The day after, March 14, Betty Bigombe will be present in Amsterdam for a public interview at the Dutch Resistance Museum.

The constant and unresolved conflict between the LRA, a self-proclaimed Christian guerilla group, and the Ugandan government goes back to 1987. Betty Bigombe is best known for her work as chief mediator in the northern Uganda conflict. Betty Bigombe has been at the forefront of the peace negotiations. She is one of the few individuals that have negotiated with the LRA leadership personally.  She has tirelessly played the role of peace advocate and advisor to the warring factions, and been a voice to international community for the people of Northern Uganda in a conflict that has lasted over 20 years, caused death to thousands of people, seen over 80,000 children abducted and turned into child soldiers and displaced about 1.7 million people. She is still a valued advisor for the Sudanese government that nowadays holds the Ugandan peace talks.

Betty Bigombe interviewed by Harm Ede Botje
Venue: Dutch Resistance Museum
Date and time: Sunday March 14, 2010
Time: 02.00 pm
Entrance: free
Language: English

14 March 2008: Lecture by Martti Ahtisaari

Lecture by Special UN-Envoy for Kosovo and Laureate of the Geuzen Medal 2008
MarttiAhtisaari followed by debate entitled “Kosovo: the future is now”

Mr. Ahtisaari will be speaking about his ‘Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement’, presented to the UN in early 2007, and his vision on Kosovo’s independence now the former Serb province declared itself independent on the 17th of February 2008. The lecture will be followed by a debate, organised by IKV Pax Christi, Amnesty International and the Dutch Resistance Museum and moderated by Ms Christa Meindersma, Director of Conflict Management at the The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, entitled “Kosovo: the future is now”. The debate will focus on the rule of law, the position and return of minorities, stability and the role of Europe.

Mr. Martti Ahtisaari mediated the difficult negotiation process between Serbia and Kosovo until the end of 2006. On the basis of the negotiation process the UN-envoy wrote a ‘Comprehensive Proposal’, commonly known as the Ahtisaari Plan. This Plan envisaged conditional independence for Kosovo with substantial autonomy of Serbian areas. Due to Russian resistance the proposal was not adopted by the Security Council. On the 17th of February 2008 Kosovo’s government declared independence on the basis of the Ahtisaari Plan. The EU will monitor its implementation and send around 2000 police officers and legal officials to Kosovo for the rule of law mission EULEX. The majority of Kosovo Serbs is against the independence of Kosovo and the support and involvement of Western countries in this.

Participants in the debate are:
Ilir Dugolli (Researcher, KIPRED, Pristina)
Sian Jones (Researcher, Amnesty International, London)
Joost Lagendijk (Member of the European Parliament for Groen Links, Brussels)
Filip Pavlovic (Chair, NGO Fractal, Belgrade)

The Geuzen Medal is an initiative of the Geuzen Resistance 1940-1945 Foundation (Stichting Geuzenverzet). The Geuzen were the first major resistance group in The Netherlands during World War II. They resisted German occupation immediately after the start of the war. The execution of the first Geuzen is commemorated each year on the 13th of March. On this day in 1941, fifteen ‘Geuzen’ and three leaders of the February Strike in Amsterdam were executed by firing squad on Waalsdorpervlakte. Since 1987 a Geuzen Medal is awarded on this day as a tribute to individuals or institutions that have devoted themselves to fighting for democracy or against dictatorship, discrimination and racism. In connection to the award ceremony every year the Dutch Resistance Museum Amsterdam organises a public meeting with the laureate of this prestigious price as a special guest. Previous guests in Amsterdam were among others the International Campaign for Tibet, Asma Jahangir, Defence for Children and Human Rights Watch. For more information see also www.ikvpaxchristi.nl or www.amnesty.nl

Venue:  Dutch Resistance Museum, Plantage Kerklaan 61, Amsterdam
Date and time: Friday the 14th of March, 14.00 – 16.30  / Language: English
Free entrance; reservations required, by phone: (+) 31 (0)20 620 25 35 or by e-mail info@verzetsmuseum.org