Foreword

• Author: Cedric Grant
• Pages: 8-8

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Clark Atlanta University (CAU) and the

University of Guyana (UG) launched the

‘Democratization and Conflict Resolution in

Guyana’ project in 2001, with funding from

the United Negro College Fund Special

Programs Corporation (UNCFSP). Over a

period of three years, they established a strong

collaborative partnership that focused on the

particularities of conflict in Guyana while at

the same time contributing to the enhancement

of research activity and the cross-fertilization

of knowledge in the hemisphere. The

culminating activity of the project was an

International Conference on ‘Governance,

Conflict Analysis and Conflict Resolution’.

As Director of UNCFSP’s Global Center, I

worked closely with the director of the CAU/

UG project. I participated in a regional

workshop and observed first hand the

effectiveness of project implementation

strategies as well as some of the outcomes of

outreach to local, regional and national

officials and university personnel in Atlanta and

Georgetown. I also read with interest quarterly

reports on the progress of the project. Thus, it

is with pleasure that I write the foreword to

the proceedings of the international

conference.

The articles compiled for the publication

highlight the scholarly dimension of the project

and signal a commitment to collaborative

research, knowledge production and the

transformation and resolution of conflict. A

variety of topics and themes are addressed in

the compilation, including governance and

Foreword

management of global and regional conflicts,

links between intra-state conflicts, economic

development and regional stability, risk factors

for complex conflicts including poverty and

inequality, high intensity and territorial

conflicts, and strategies for managing and

advancing conflict resolution. The authors

include eminent scholars, university

administrators, government officials and

multinational practitioners with global, regional

and local portfolios and diverse backgrounds

and perspectives. Collectively, they provide

readers with context, the information and

analysis essential for understanding and

reflecting on the causes, dimensions, severity,

management and resolution of contemporary

global conflicts, and offer recommendations

for conflict transformation and conflict

resolution that require a redoubling of

collective efforts in the hemisphere.

The achievements of the CAU/UG project

and the publication of the proceedings of the

international conference are examples of

development funding well spent. Moreover,

the conference proceedings are a tribute to

Cedric Grant, Project Director and Co-editor

of the publication. They augment our enduring

memory of the remarkable life of a

distinguished scholar, administrator,

ambassador, patriot, and friend.

Shelby F. Lewis

July 2005