The People's Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party will hold an international conference in Istanbul on 6-7 December. The conference will discuss the process that began after Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan's Call for Peace and a Democratic Society on 27 February, drawing on experiences from around the world. 

 

Many figures from the Basque Country, South Africa, Sinn Fein, the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan and Belgium are expected to attend the conference, which will be held under the name "International Conference on Peace and Democratic Society".

 

In addition to experiences of conflict and resolution, the conference will also address the steps towards democratisation and what the new social contract should look like. In addition to the speakers, international participants and journalists will also be invited to the two-day conference. 

 

NORMAN PEACH WILL ATTEND

 

The international figures confirmed to attend the conference are as follows: Former Member of the German Bundestag Norman Peach, Av. Mohammed Bhabha, one of the chief negotiators of the peace process in South Africa, Igor Zulaika, Member of the Basque Parliament and Bildu International Relations Coordinator, Belgian Parliamentarian Georges Dallemagne, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Refaat, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Damanhour University, Egypt, and Simon Dubbins, Director of International Relations at UNITE the Union (United Kingdom).”

 

It has been learned that various prominent figures from around the world will participate in the conference, although their names have not yet been finalised and will be confirmed in the coming days. Also participating in the conference will be Veysi Aktaş, who was imprisoned alongside Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan for 10 years, politician Gültan Kışanak, journalist Haydar Ergül, Özgür Erol, a lawyer from Asrın Law Office and member of the Imrali Delegation, legal expert Orhan Gazi Ertekin, journalist Nadire Mater, and former Co-Chair of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Eren Keskin. 

 

CONFERENCE DETAILS

 

The first session of the conference will be held under the title "Perspectives for Social Peace". This session will discuss "The Role of Abdullah Öcalan and the Right to Hope in the Resolution of the Kurdish Question and Building Social Peace," "The Role of Leadership in Building Law of Peace," "Regional and Global Implications of a Social Peace and Durable Solution in Türkiye" will be discussed.

 

The second session, entitled "Experiences in Conflict Resolution," will cover "The Basque Experience," "The Northern Ireland Experience," "The Catalonia-Spain Negotiations: Lessons from Asymmetric Conflicts", "Experiences of International Contributions to the Consolidation of Conflict Resolution and the Establishment of Peace", and "Bringing Social Peace into Prisons: A Roadmap for Transforming the Prison Regime" will be discussed.

 

DAY TWO 

 

The second day of the conference will continue under the title "From Nation-State to Democratic Nation". The session will cover "A new Social Contract in Light of Constitutional Citizenship, and Identity Definitions", "The Importance of Historical Experiences in Building a Democratic Nation ", "Strengthening Local Democracy Against Centralisation and the Resisting Hegemonic Relations", and "Freedom of the Press for Truth, the Language of Peace and Discourse". 

 

The second session, entitled "Freedom, Peace and Future Perspective", will address topics such as "Is it Possible to Overcome the Internationalised Kurdish Question Through the State-Society Contradiction?", "Turning Transnational Labor Struggles into a Dynamic for Regional and Global Peace", "Transforming Europe's Perception of the Kurdish Question: From Individual Rights to Collective Rights as a Ground for Freedom and Peace", and "Öcalan's Manifesto: The Perspective of Peace and a Democratic Society". 

 

The final session will be a forum. All participants will be able to speak at the session, and the prepared final declaration will be read out.