A Tool Box for Understanding

Mark Gerzon, a renowned author and conflict-resolution expert, introduced Tuesday afternoon the ground rules to be used in a series of dialogues that will take place among participants attending the sixth annual State of the World Forum. More than 2,000 people from some 130 countries, and including financiers, healers, child advocates and many others are here at the Forum to discuss globalization and its impact on society.

	Mark Gerzon, Author and Conflict-Resolution Expert

Gerzon, a leading figure in the organization of the event, laid out the necessary elements needed to participate in the scores of small meetings, known as "multi-stakeholder dialogues," which are at the heart of the Forum and which began Wednesday afternoon. The meetings are close encounters between antagonists and friends, where everyone discusses their different positions in open dialogue.

A master at consulting with communities facing complex and divisive conflicts, Gerzon took the audience through a series of skits and role-plays to illustrate how defined ideological positions shape, and obstruct, the discourse of globalization. The intent of these exercises is to understand the perspective that one's opponent brings to the table through caricatures of a Wall Street financier, a Third World laborer and a WTO street protester, among other players.

Gerzon is president of Mediators Foundation, a non-profit incubator of innovative social change projects focusing on building common ground, fostering civic leadership and strengthening community. He has advised the U.S. Congress and foreign governments in conflict resolution and civil discourse.

Gerzon's presentation reiterated why the Forum was organized—to encourage a respectful, if robust, dialogue between all the participants and to learn from each other.

copyright © 2000 State of the World, Inc.