RIKO Annual Report 2014

RIKOANNUAL REPORT 2014

COUNCIL OF INTERNATIONALCONFLICT RESOLUTION

Council for International Conflict Resolution

in ternat iona l .R IKO.nu

r iko@RIKO.nu3\

ABOUT RIKO \ 4PREFATORY NOTE \ 5

RIKO IN 2014 \ 6VALUES, IDEAS AND DIRECTION IN 2015 \ 7

THE BOARD \ 8THE COUNCIL \ 8

RIRIKO ACTIVITIES IN 2014 \ 10LIST OF ACTIVITIES \ 13

OUTLOOK FOR 2015 \ 15

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ABOUT RIKO \ 4PREFATORY NOTE \ 5

RIKO IN 2014 \ 6VALUES, IDEAS AND DIRECTION IN 2015 \ 7

THE BOARD \ 8THE COUNCIL \ 8

RIRIKO ACTIVITIES IN 2014 \ 10LIST OF ACTIVITIES \ 13

OUTLOOK FOR 2015 \ 15

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The Council for International Conflict Resolution (RIKO) is a think tank aiming at promoting non-

military and non-violent resolutions to international conflicts. Furthermore, our aim is to contribute

to a sound basis for decision making in danish foreign policy and a qualified public debate

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PREFATORY NOTE

In!2014,!RIKO!went!into!its!fifth!year!as!a!think:tank.!This! isn’t!a! lot!of!years,!however,!we!have!seen! immense! changes,! not! only! in! RIKO,! but!also! in! the! political! sphere! of! Danish! foreign!policy.! While! international! engagement,! during!RIKOs!first!years!as!a!think:tank,!was!character:ised!by!a!securitization!rationale!and!militarized!strategy,! today! Danish! efforts! for! stabilization!and! development! in! fragile! countries! are!much!more! oriented! towards! a! “coordinated”! ap:proach,! acknowledging! much! more! the! role! of!non:violent!conflict!resolution1.!!This! change! is! encouraging! to! see.! RIKOs!main!goal!from!its!inaugural!was!indeed!to!move!deci:sion:makers! and! their! policies! in! this! direction,!to!bring!new!non:violent!solutions! for!engaging!in!conflicts!on!the!table,!as!well!as!to!shift!posi:tions! in! the! public! debate.!While! there! is! still! a!critical! role! to! play! for! RIKO! –! against! ill:considered! strategies! of!military! involvement! –!there! is! a! more! advocatory,! promotional! and!constructive!part!for!RIKO!to!play!now.!The!will!to! a! change! in! strategy! from! decision:makers,!should! be! complemented! with! an! orientation!towards! contributing!with! innovative! ideas! and!sound!non:violent! strategies! for! conflict! resolu:tion!from!the!side!of!RIKO.!!In! the! think:tanks! fifth! year! we! moved! in! this!direction! with! the! goal! of! contributing! with!more!information!on!on:going!conflicts,!by!writ:ing! articles,! arrange! events! and! invite! to! semi:nars.!Even!if!we!still!have!objectives!that!are!far!from!being! fulfilled,! 2014!was! characterized! by!the! fact,! that! we! once! again! published! several!articles,!conducted!several!events!and!meetings,!started! textbook! production,! organized! several!seminars!and!prepared!presentations! for!public!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!Also!sometimes!referred!to!as!non:military!conflict!resolution.!This!report!will!consistently!use!the!former!which!include!the!latter!in!its!meaning.!!

schools! and! universities.! Generally! RIKO! took!more!part! in! the!public!debate! than!earlier!and!council!members!have!shared!their!views!in!the!media!more!than!earlier.!!It's! been! great! to! see! the! continued! interest! in!developing!the!organization.!Especially!the!great!motivation! and! enthusiasm! of! our! new! volun:teers!are!an!important!addition!to!the!continued!activity! and!development!of!RIKO.!Without! am:bitious! new! volunteers,!we!wouldn’t! have! been!able! to! launch! new! projects,! new! partnerships!and!developed!new!parts!of!our!organization.!!The!newsletter!and!online!news!section!of!RIKO!has! taken! off! in! 2014;! however,! there! is! still!plenty! of! room! for! optimization.! The! voluntary!base! of! the! news:group!managed! to! get! a! plat:form! running! with! a! still! increasing! number! of!subscribers.! In! 2015! we! should! focus! on! opti:mising! this!platform!even! further! to!make! it! an!integrate!part!of!RIKOs!work.!

We! are! proud! of! our! work! in! 2014,! which! you!can!get!an!insight!in!on!the!following!pages.!We!look! forward! to! 2015!with! anticipation! and!we!will!continue!the!exciting!work!we!have!already!begun.!There!are!high!expectations,!and!we!will!work! for! and! look! forward! to! redeeming! them!with!your!support!in!2015."!"""

Kristian"Dalsgård"Svendsen"Deputy:chair!of!the!Board!

!Jørn"Boye"Nielsen"

Chairman!of!then!Board!!"

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RIKO IN 2014

2014!was! a! good! year! for! RIKO.!We! have! been!able! to!make!more!of!what!we! from!our!consti:tution! were! meant! to! do:! promote! non:violent!conflict! resolution! through! analyses,! debates,!articles,!policy:recommendations,!etc.!!Over! the! year! that! has! passed,! RIKO! has! devel:oped! new! projects! that! primarily! draw! on! the!massive!influx!of!volunteer!engagement.!!!In!2014,!we!established!a!news!group.!It!set!out!to! provide! up! to! date! information! on! current!conflicts!in!general!and!non:violent!conflict!reso:lution! in! specific,! in! the! form!of! articles! and! in:terviews! that! provide! knowledge! for! the! public!as! well! as! decision:makers! where! they! today!lack! understanding! and! credible! answers! for!conflicts!and!ideas!for!their!resolution.!!!RIKOs!growth!is!especially!seen!in!the!amount!of!subscriptions! to! the! newsletter! as! well! as! on!social!media! sites.! In! the!past!year,! the!number!of!followers!on!e.g.!Facebook!has!to!over!a!thou:sand!and!interest!is!still!steadily!growing.!!Similar,! RIKO! council! members! are! ever! more!present!in!the!media.!Isabel!Bramsen!(president!of! the! council)!has! thus!appeared! in! “Debatten”!twice,!and!several!others!have!appeared!on!tele:vision!(e.g.!in!Deadline)!and!participated!in!radio!programs!especially!when!Denmark’s!role!in!the!war! on! ISIS! has! been! discussed! but! also! when!other! current! and! on:going! conflicts! have! been!on!the!agenda.!!The!general!level!of!activity!grew!significantly!in!2014! –! especially! the! number! of! volunteers! in:creased! and! was! a! significant! factor! in! RIKOs!ability! to! launch! new! projects.! An! increase! we!hope!will! continue! in!2015.! In! addition,! a!num:ber! of! trainees! has! been! employed! in! the! RIKO!

secretariat! helping! out! on! the!daily! administra:tion!of!the!organization.!!RIKOs! economy! has! again! been! strengthened!and!grown!in!2014.!Especially!funding!for!three!seminars!has!seen!RIKOs!revenue!increased,!but!also!membership!fee!and!gifts!continue!to!be!an!important! source! for! RIKOs! economic! stability.!Net!surplus!has!also!improved.!In!2014!we!had!a!surplus!of!3627,48!!Dkr.!!Although!RIKO!is!a!non:profit!organisation!with!no!goal!to!generate!a!large!surplus,!it!is!nonethe:less! essential! that! our! economy! is! sustainable!and! stable! :! so!we! can! secure! our! future!work,!some!equity!is!an!important!part!of!this.!In!2015!RIKO! will! prioritise! work! towards! securing! its!economic!base.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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VALUES, IDEES AND DIRECTION IN 2015

Ultimately,*the*vision*of*RIKO*is*a*world*free*of*violent*conflict*and*social*catastrophes,*where*disputes*are*resolved*through*methods*of*mediation,*dialogue,*diplomacy*and*other*creative*peacebuilding*proce=dures,*and*establish*stable*societies*that*allow*development*and*people*to*reach*full*potential*in*life.**!RIKO!is!pursuing!its!vision!guided!by!a!set!of!core!values!for!how!to!undertake!its!activities.!These!are!foremost! collaboration! with! experts! and! practitioners! to! provide! sound! insights! into! issues! facing!peacebuilding! practitioners! and! conflict! experts;!we! aspire! independent" informed," and" evidence>based!commentaries!on,!and!recommendations!for,!Danish!conflict!resolution!strategies!and!efforts!to!build! peace;! and! finally!we! aspire! to! impact" the! public! debate! and! political! decision:making! in! the!area!of!international!conflict!resolution.!!!!"A NUANCED FOREIGN POLICY The!overall!objective!of!RIKO!is!to!contribute!to!decision! on! Danish! foreign! policy! are! based! on!an! informed! fundament,! and! to! strengthen! a!genuine!democratic!dialogue!on!its!course.!!We!work!in!RIKO!with!the!principles!of!'Interna:tional! Conflict! Resolution'! and! towards! these!increasingly! becoming! a! part! of! the!Danish! for:eign! policy! strategy.! These! principles! is! in! ac:cordance!with! RIKOs! values! and!maintain! that:!the! solution! of! conflicts! must! be! in! accordance!with!the!UN!and!international!law;!and!conflicts!can! only! be! solved! by! involving! all! parties,!stakeholders!and!regional!players!in!the!negotia:

tions!so!that!a!solution!:!out!of!several!possible!:!can!be!found,!thereby!simultaneously!creating!a!better!relation!between!the!warring!parties.!""IMPROVED ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE RIKO!is!today!functioning!with!a!reduced!size!of!the!board.!This!necessitated!in!principle!a!great:er! commitment! from! the! Council.! Therefore!committees! to! work! on! fundraising! and! media!strategy!and! later! in! the!year! also! a! group!who!follow! and! participate! in! whistleblower! debate!was! set!up! at! a! recent! council!meeting.!Though!working!with!a!reduced!board,!RIKO!has!grown!in!strength!in!the!form!of!volunteers.!They!have!

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contributed! to! RIKOs! organizational! work! and!participated!in!fundraising!and!the!development!of!an!organizational!strategy.!!!

THE BOARD !The!daily!work!of!RIKO!conducted!by!the!Board!(see!list!of!members!below).!In!addition!to!carry!out! the! daily! organizational! work,! the! board!members! may! supplement! the! Council! as! eyes!and!ears! for! impending!conflicts.!This!has!often!resulted! in! comments! and! reports!made! by! the!Board,! thus!exist!as!an!active!part! in!mobilizing!an! effective! response! from! the! Danish! politi:cians.!!The! Board! is! the! executive! organ! of! RIKO! and!meets!normally!once!a!months!and!takes!care!of!all!actual!and!running!issues!and!questions.!!

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THE COUNCIL !The! Council! of! RIKO! consists! of! 31! individuals!and!5!collective!members!(see!a!full!list!of!mem:bers!below).!The!Council! is!composed!of!people!with! conflict! resolution! expertise! and! foreign!policy!knowledge.! It! consists!of!a!wide!range!of!stakeholders! from! academic! researchers! and!university! teachers! and! professors,! commenta:tors,! former! government! and! international! or:ganization! staff,! practitioners! of! different! kind!including!the!defense!area!and!young!candidates!and!students!from!the!universities.!!Within! the! framework,! the! council! discuss! and!debate!international!conflicts!and!issues,!and!the!participants! report! on! their! involvements! and!relevant! study! travels! abroad.! The! debates! pri:oritize!on:going!conflicts!relevant!to!Danish!for:eign!policy.!!!!

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(continued*from*previous*page)*

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!"Every! member! of! the! RIKO:Council! are! volun:tary! and! unpaid! and! represent! in! their! work,!statements! and! publications! for! RIKO! neither!their!employers!or!other!organizations!(with!the!exception!of!Council!collective!members).!!

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RIKO's! website! www.riko.nu! continue! to! func:tion! as! the! basic! platform! for!RIKO's! communi:cations!and!activities,!all!of!which!are!advertised!on! the!page.!Moreover,! the!platform! is!used! for!blog! contributions,! analysis,! opinion:papers! on!current! issues! and! links! to! contributions! from!other!sources.!It!may!also!be!mentioned!that!the!website! has! been! redesigned! to! reflect! RIKOs!priorities.! Among! other! things,! the!menu! setup!has! changed! to! ease! the! search! for!material! on!specific! countries/regions! or! topics! within!RIKO's!area.!""SEMINARS !!Three! Seminars/Panel:discussions! on! peace:building! funded! by! DANIDA’s! funds! for! devel:opment! information! has! been! undertaken.! The!first!meeting!was!titled:!“How!can!Denmark!con:tribute! to!peace!building! in!Mali?”! It! took!place!March!18,!2014.!This!theme!was!chosen!because!of!the!strong!Danish!involvement!in!Mali!–!both!in! terms! of! development! and! security! matters!(peacekeeping),! and! the! need! for! resolution! of!the! conflicts! between! the! underprivileged!northern! territory!with! Tuaregs! and! the! south:ern! elites.! The! speakers!were:! Birgitte!Nygaard!Markussen,! UM;! Ingrid! Poulsen,! anthropologist!and! former! development! worker! in! Sahel! and!Signe! Cold! Ravnkilde,! DIIS,! Ph.D.! and! specialist!in!Mali.!!The! second! seminar! took! place! on! 26th! of!May!2014.!The!theme!was:!“Peacemaking!in!Afghani:stan”!and!had!as!speakers!Michael!Semple!(spe:cialist! in!Afghanistan,!N.! Ireland),!Nagieb!Khaja,!Danish! journalist,! filmproducer,! and! Allan!Myging! Volkstrup! (worked! for! several! NGOs! in!Afghanistan).!!The!two!first!panel!meetings!took!place!in!Café!Liva,!Nyhavn.!!The!third!Seminar!took!place!August!26,!2014!at!Vartov.! The! theme! was! peacebuilding! in! Libya!with! Richard! Mac! Cormac! (leader! of! the! Libya!work! for! Danchurch! Aid)! and! Ahlam! Chemlali!(programme! coordinator! in! the! organization!

Dignity!–!and!with!many!missions! to!Libya!–!as!main!speakers.!!!

NEWSGROUP AND ONLINE PLATFORMS !The! News! group! consists! of! 14:16! volunteers.!There! are! 4! members! from! the! Board! in! the!group.!It!is!responsible!for!the!publication!of!the!newsletter.! One! of! the!members! is! an! educated!journalist.!We! have! a!mailing! list! of! more! than!600! subscribers,! to! whom! we! distribute! news:letters!on!current!on:goings!in!RIKO!and!conflict!news.! It! is! sent! to! politicians;! media! people;!NGO’s;! and! to! private! recipients! who! have!signed!up!from!our!web!site.!All!articles!are!ad:ditionally!published!at!our!web!site.!We!have!an!active!web!site!www.riko.nu;!an!active!facebook!site! with! more! than! 1.100! likes! and! a! twitter!account,!which!is!developing.!!

THE OUTREACH GROUP !A! group! which! goes! out! and! give! talks! and!presentations! on! international! conflict! resolu:tion! and! themes! of! international! politics! :! for!instance!actual!and!burning!conflicts.!They!visit!public! schools,! high! schools,! business! schools,!and! other! interested! organizations.! A! general!power!point!show!on!international!conflict!reso:lution! has! been! developed! and! more! is! in! the!making.!!!

MEDIA !We! have! also! used! the! traditional! print! media!when! possible.! Poul! Villaume! and! Isabel! Bram:sen! from! the! Board! have! several! times! been! at!TV2!News!and!several!times!in!Clement’s!Debat:ten.!Some!examples!of!contributions!to!the!daily!press! are:! “Mangel! på! kritisk! selvrefleksion! i!Ukraine:krisen”;! “Konfliktforsker:! Danmark!risikerer! at! skabe! endnu! flere! terrorister”! and!“Hvad!blev!der!af!Krigsmodstanden”.!!!

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Our!media! strategy! is! partly! based! on! our! own!electronic! platforms! (newsletter,! homepage;!facebook,! twitter),!partly!printed!media!such!as!newspapers!and!electronic!media!especially!TV2!and! special! programmes! like! Clements! “Debat:ten”,!when!invitations!are!recieved.!!!Other! activities! have! included! timely! opinion:papers! on! especially! the! crisis’! in! Ukraine! and!Syria;!a!number!of!articles!and!discussion!posts!on!RIKO.nu!on,!among!other!things,!the!possibil:ity! of! negotiation! in! Syria! and! Afghanistan;! RI:KO:view! video;! a! series! of! blog! articles,! article!series! on! conflict! resolution;! and!RIKO:relevant!contributions! to! radio!broadcasts! and! the! like! :!including! on! Denmark's! experience! from! 12!years!of!war!in!Afghanistan!!Activities!with! a! revenue! has! included! the! pro:duction! of! two! articles! on! the! Israel:Palestine!conflict! and! the! Falklands!War! written! for! Clio!Online.!!In!addition,!we!have!got!a!few!posts!from!exter:nal! sources! including! comments! and! book! re:views.!!(see!an!extensive!list!of!activities!on!page!13).!!A! note! must! be! made! on! the! tendency! of! only!being! Politiken! that! publish! RIKOs! contribu:tions.! Moreover,! it! is! said! to! be! limited! in! how!much!expansion!RIKO!get!in!these!cases!because!RIKO! rarely! is! mentioned! by! name! but! instead!articles!are! referred! to!by! the!authors!/!discus:sants.!""NEWSLETTER !RIKOs! primary! focus! areas! for! engagement! in!the! foreign! policy! debate! is! with! information!activities!aimed!at! conflict! resolution!and!nego:tiation!strategies.!This!is!reflected!in!RIKOs!new!project,!the!RIKO!newsletter.!To!encourage!more!products,! the!RIKO!Board!has!set!up!a!newslet:ter! service! committee! composed! of! members!

from!the!board!and!as!well!as!a!range!of!volun:teers.! The! Committee! determines! the! topics! in!Danish!foreign!policy!and!international!conflicts,!and! deliver! analysis,! comments! and! interviews!to!be!published!in!the!newsletter.!Criteria!for!all!articles!are!that!they!must!relate!to!the!field!and!principles!of!RIKOs!work.!!The! newsletter! is! intended! as! an! incentive! to!provide! more! publications! and! information! ac:tivities!through!RIKO.!At!an!expectation!vote,!the!newsletter!committee!decided!that! the!newslet:ter!should!be!published!up!to!twice!a!month.!The!newsletter! is! :! apart! from! sharing! the! various!RIKO! outputs! :! a! platform! for! a! new! range! of!basic!and!understandable!articles!on!the!themes!RIKO!emphasize:!conflict!resolution,!negotiation,!mediation!and!dialogue.!!!The! newsletter! had! at! the! first! publication! in!2014!over!400!subscribers.!From!politicians!and!journalists! to! students! and! other! persons! with!an!interest!in!international!conflict!resolution.!!

TEXTBOOK ON CONFLICT RESOLUTION !Isabel! Bramsen,! Jørn! Boye! Nielsen! and! Vibeke!Vindeløv! have! in! 2014! onwards! been! working!on!a!book!on!international!conflict!resolution!in!Danish.!It!is!scheduled!for!publication!in!2015!at!Roskilde!University!Press.!The!book's!purpose!is!to! inform! the!Danish! students,! academics,! jour:nalists,! politicians,! lay! people! and! other! inter:ested! parties! on! the! principles! of! international!conflict! resolution.! It! is! the!desire! to!promote!a!paradigm! of! dialogue! and! non:military! ap:proaches!to!conflict!and!challenge!the!prevailing!ways!of! thinking!about! international!relations!–!e.g.!Realism.!The!book!is!thought!to!be!of!use!in!new!courses!on!conflict!resolution.!!!!!!!

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SEMINARSPeacemaking in AfghanistanHow can Denmark contribute to peace building in Mali?Peacebuilding in Libya

FEATURE ARTICLES IN DANISH PRESS (by RIKO and/or council members)Inddrag Rusland i løsningen af Ukraines krise [Involve Russia in addressing the crisis in Ukraine]UdUdnyt momentum for at gentænke fredsprocessen i Israel-Palæstina [Take advantage of momentum to rethink the peace-process in Israel-Palestine]Et helt og frit europa vil aldrig kunne opnås imod Rusland [A whole and free Europe will never be achieved against Russia]

RIKO OPINION PAPERSIrak har ikke brug for flere koalitioner af villige! [Iraq don’t need further coalitions of the willing!]Om en kommende Afghanistan Evaluering [On a future evaluation of the efforts in Afghanistan]GenGeneve-aftalen om ukraine er et fremskridt – men den skal udbygges og konkretiseres [Agreement on Ukraine is pro-gressive - but it must be further developed and made operational]Tredje parter søges - I Ukraine Konflikten [Third parties sought - In the Ukraine conflict]Se Ukraine i et bredere perspektiv! [View Ukraine in a broader perspective!]Gode råd til Udenrigsministeren [Tips for the foreign minister]Sådan kan Danmark hjælpe forhandlingerne om Syrien i den rigtige retning [How Denmark can assist negotiations on Syria in the right direction]

RIKO VIEWSGetting Afghanistan Right

ARTICLES”Libya! What now?””Why are wars and conflicts not solved through a process of negotiations?” (Comment)”Is brics’s new development bank one step closer towards a new world order?””The authority of the un security council is undermined by the operation in northern iraq”

OOTHER ACTIVITIESAudience in the Danish Defence Committee concerning Danish military contribution against ISIL

FURTHER EXAMPLES OF ARTICLES (in danish)”Irakisk kaos øger kurdisk chance for løsrivelse”Interview: ”Om Ukraine og konfliktens identiteter””Legitimering af regeringen er vejen til forsoning i Afghanistan””Fn afstemning om Ukraine viser interessant stemmeadfærd blandt verdens lande”VillaumeVillaume: ”Frysningen af NATO - Rusland samarbejde” (blog)Krigsføring contra fredsbevaring i dansk udenrigspolitikFriis: ”Vinderen tager det hele? Om Ukraine, Rusland og Vesten” (blog)”Inklusion kan blive nøglen til varig fred i Afghanistan””Fredsskabelse – aftaler via forhandling og mægling””Tunesien lyser op i en ellers mørk arabisk vinter””Krigsføring contra fredsbevaring i dansk udenrigspolitik”

(This is an extract of RI(This is an extract of RIKO’s activities, see RIKO.nu for more info on completed and planned activities)

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OTHER ACTIVITIES TO MENTION !Apart! from! volunteers! who! contact! us,! RIKO!actively!advertise!for!volunteers!on!the!site!friv:illigjob.dk!when!help!is!needed!for!special!tasks.!We! have! about! 20! volunteers.! Replacement! is!however! often!moving! fast! and! new! volunteers!are!often!added.!!!Asking!for!meeting!to!deliver!a!message!in!par>liament"committees.!When!relevant,!we!ask!(or!are!being!asked)!to!deliver!a!message!in!the!For:eign!Relations!Committee!and!Defence!Commit:tee! in! Parliament.! In! relation! to! the! decision! to!send!7!F:16!planes!to!Iraq!we!asked!for!deliver:ing!a!message!in!Defence!Committee!and!got!15!min.!to!deliver!it!including!Q!&!A.!!Educational" activities.! 2014! has! been! a! very!busy!period!because!of! the! change! in! the! inter:national!politics!area!and!an!opening!and!bigger!interest! for! international!conflict!resolution!and!peaceful!changes!of! international!conflict!seems!to! be! happening.! ! As! example! of! that! we! can!mention!the!setting!up!of!CRIC!(Center!for!Reso:lution! of! International! Conflicts),! the! establish:ment! of! the! student! association! Consilium,! and!interest! from! schools! in! the! subject! of! conflict!resolution.!We!also!get! increasingly!more!ques:tions!and!inquiries!from!students!from!all!levels!who! have! questions! in! relation! to! essays! they!are!writing.!Journalists,!too,!contact!us!more!and!more!for!questions!and!interviews.!!"""""""""""""

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OUTLOOK FOR 2015 We*will*also*focus*on*a*stronger*media*strategy.*Our*messages*about*in=ternational*conflict*resolution*and*visions*for*Danish*foreign*policy*must*be*highlighted*and*our*identity*be*sharpened.*!RIKO!has!been! through!a!period!of! substitution!in! its! structure.! We! must! be! better! to! develop!the!organisation!not! least!by!drawing!on!volun:teers! who! share! RIKOs! attitudes! and! wish! to!participate! in! the! work! when! appropriate.! It! is!therefore! important! to! look! inwards! to!create!a!stable! innovative! base! to! work! from.! We! must!create! a! framework! with! the! possibility! of! a!growing!network!of!council!members!and!volun:teers.! In! addition,! the! maintenance! of! active!council!members!as!well!as!volunteers!must!be!a!priority! area! in! 2015.!Maintenance! and! regular!contact!with! council!members! should! be! struc:tured! and! built,! among! other! things! by! a!mem:ber! database! to! provide! an! overview! of! the!council!and!their!skills.!!We!will!also!focus!on!a!stronger!media!strategy.!Our!messages! about! international! conflict! reso:lution!and!visions!for!Danish!foreign!policy!must!be!highlighted!and!our!identity!be!sharpened.!!At!the!organizational! level!we!focus!in!the!com:ing!months!to!complete!at!least!two!projects!that!could! open!up!new!possibilities! for!RIKO.! First,!we! must! strengthen! the! RIKO! newsletter! (as!already! mentioned),! so! it! can! act! as! a! supple:ment! to! the!website!and!social!media!activities.!To! be! successful! with! a! newsletter! :! and! a! re:sponsible!committee!:!requires!that!we!from!the!board! side! bolster! our! tools! for! managing! and!developing! a! volunteer! project! committee.! It! is!important! that! we! allow! and! encourage! volun:teerism! in! RIKO,! something! we! have! not! been!particularly!successful!with!in!the!past.!This!will!ultimately!benefit!both!RIKO!and!the!volunteers!

and!enable!new!powers!and!activities!of!the!or:ganization.!!Secondly,! we! need! to! intensify! work! toward!building!the!economic!fundament!for!the!organi:zation.!The!goal! is! that!RIKO!can!develop!a!sus:tainable! economic! strategy! through! fundraising!and!initiatives!in!education,!training!and!presen:tations.!2015!will!be!a!year!with!strong!focus!on!this.!!!

FUNDRAISING "

We!are!in!the!organization!more!focused!on!the!economic!aspect.!It!is!essential!for!RIKO's!future!and!development.! In! connection!with! the! appli:cation! round! for! information! activities! on! non:military!conflict!resolution,!RIKO!will!seek!fund:ing! for! a! campaign! focusing! on! Syria,! Afghani:stan!and!Ukraine.!

We!hope!that!this!initiative!can!be!an!opener!to!similar!efforts!in!the!development!of!the!organi:zation.! There!must! always! be! a! continuation! of!RIKO's! independence! from! economic! contribu:tors!to!RIKO.!

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ECONOMY For! the! financing! of! RIKO's! activities,! we! have!received:!960!Dkr.!From!membership!fees,!3,900!Dkr.!From!the!production!of!educational!materi:al!to!the!publisher!Clio!Online!and!also!3,000!kr.!From!funding!56,110!Dkr.!!Our! expenses! add! to! the! sum! of! 60.372,87! Dkr!for!meetings!and!the!organisation!of!three!semi:nars.!!A!thank!you!to!all!who!have!offered!free!labor!to!the! production! of! teaching!material! and! helped!RIKO's! economic!base! to! look!better! for! the! fu:ture.!"!

MEMBERS !The!membership!has!been!at!the!maximum!limit!long! and! the! Board! has! therefore! proposed! an!amendment! to! the! Articles! of! Association! ac:cordingly.! Our! membership! at! the! end! of! 2013!was! consisting! of! 30! individual! members! and!three! collective! memberships.! 2014! has! seen!this! number! extended! and! opened! for! future!additions.!!!RIKO!is!the!sum!of! its!members,!volunteers!and!Board!involvement.!Responsibility!for!the!organ:ization! to! act! as! a! foundation! and! platform! for!knowledge,!debate!and!information!about!inter:national! conflict! resolution! lies! with! the! board.!Furthermore,!it!is!the!members'!responsibility!to!contribute! to! the! content.!We! therefore!urge! to!Council! members! involve! themselves! more! in!the!content!of!RIKO.!This!can!be!with!blog!posts,!short!book!reviews,!links!to!relevant!online!arti:cles/analyses! or! just! ideas! for! content! by! the!Board! can!work!out! from.!At! the! same! time!we!want! from! the!Management! Board! to! take! care!more! of! Council! Members! competences! includ:ing! by! doing! interviews! and! direct! inquiries!about!the!post!to!the!website!and!newsletter.!

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On!behalf!of!the!Board,!

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Jørn!Boye!Nielsen!(Chairman!of!the!Board);!and!

Kristian! Dalsgård! Svendsen! (Vice! Chairman! of!the!Board)!