FPCD DC Intern Represents the Foundation

FPCD Intern Hits the Streets of DC to Increase Outreach

By Rachel McGuirk

FPCD Intern Rachel McGuirk attended the 4th World Children’s Festival at the National Mall, on June 17th-19th. WCF is an educational program that integrates arts and sports in order to foster children's creativity and co-creation. It brings together a diverse community focused on cooperative learning, giving the FPCD an opportunity to meet passionate members of the community, eminent educators, and field experts.

On June 8th-9th, FPCD Intern Rachel McGuirk had the opportunity to attend the Aid and International Development Forum in DC. Focused and involved in the delivery of humanitarian aid relief and development, the AIDF brings together over 1,500 members from USAID, US Government, NGOs, and the corporate sector. In this environment, FPCD was able to participate in dialogues with international NGO directors to continue to build partnerships to cohesively address development issues.


FPCD Intern Rachel McGuirk attended on June 22nd an InfoShop lecture at the World Bank titled “Managing Openness: Trade and Outward-Oriented Growth after the Crisis.” The World Bank lecture analyzed the question of how to manage trade strategies so as to maximize the benefits of open trade markets while minimizing the risks of volatility.


On the 22nd of June, 2011, FPCD Intern Rachel McGuirk attended World Refugee Day at the Rayburn House Office Building in DC. Human Rights First, a non-profit organization, hosted a photo exhibit of the refugee process, including images of individuals willing to host refugee families in their homes. The captivating display attracted members of congress and several members of the DC community to observe together the strength of those forced to leave their homeland.

FPCD Intern Hits the Streets of DC: Human Trafficking Awareness



FPCD Intern, Rachel McGuirk, attended several events focused on drawing attention to the ever present problem of human trafficking. The US State Department estimates that there are somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 people trafficked in the United States. DC Stop Modern Slavery (DC SMS), a diverse and growing community working to end modern slavery, hosted an informative session on July 13th, 2011 on current anti-human trafficking laws that now exist in the DC area. The speakers at the event were Katherine Chon, President and co-founder of Polaris Project, Mary C. Ellison, Director of Polaris Project, and James Dold, Policy Counsel for the Polaris Project.

Rachel McGuirk had an opportunity to talk with Mary Ellison, and engaged in a discussion of the current state and federal laws combating modern slavery. These include Senate Bill 1037, signed into law on August 8th, 2011, which will clear prostitution convictions for human trafficking victims.

On July 29th-31st, 2011, SID World Congress hosted an event aimed to tackle issues such as gender equality and development, and human trafficking. This event featured key individuals who are leading the policy discussions at the very top of the development and humanitarian aid food chain. They included Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, and Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to President Obama.


* * * * *

Rachel McGuirk studies geography and economics at the University of Mary Washington. She plans on receiving her Bachelor of Arts in May 2012. She received a national speaker award at the American Debate Association. Currently, she is the lead consultant at UMW Speaking Center, where she coaches students and carriers out presentations on communication techniques.




Copyright© 2011 The Foundation For Post Conflict Development. All Rights Reserved. The Foundation for Post Conflict Development is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501 (c) (3). Public inspection of legal documents, copies of FPCD’s annual federal tax return (Form 990’s), 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt application, IRS tax exemption determination letter or annual reports of the FPCD are available without additional charge, other than reasonable fees for copying and postage by writing to the FPCD Office. A copy of the official registration and annual report may be obtained from the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities bureau by calling (212) 416-8000 within the State, or by visiting their website at www.oag.ny.us. Our New York Registration number is: 21-33-70.

FPCD NY Intern Represents the Foundation at Key Events

Summer Recap: New York Intern Represents the Foundation at Key Events Across Manhattan

By Christie Campbell

Over the summer, the Foundation for Post Conflict Development has been present at many events, providing support for other development organizations involved in assisting emerging fragile states and learning more about what others in the field are doing. These interactions will help to strengthen the Foundation’s own projects by increasing an understanding about what others in the field are working on and forming potential partnerships.

Some of the events that the Foundation attended are highlighted below.

On June 16, the Foundation attended a US Institute of Peace panel discussion on “Funders, Implementers, and the Challenge of Effective Evaluation.” This symposium looked at the problems and possible solutions to the issue of project evaluation in the peacekeeping field. Understanding of these problems and possible solutions are essential to organizations such as the FPCD, as we try to remain accountable and reflective on our various projects.

On June 20, the Foundation attended a panel discussion celebrating World Refugee Day. In post conflict countries, the problem of refugees is a very real one, as people have been displaced from their homes and must start their lives again elsewhere, often under the most challenging of situations. Thus, the FPCD wishes to support both the UNHCR and other organizations involved with the protection of refugees.

The Foundation attended the launch of the Global Coalition to Protect Education Against Attack on June 22. The GCPEA is an organization that seeks to promote safe and secure education to children all over the world. This high level launch event highlighted many of the problems that children face with regards to security in countries experiencing and emerging from conflict, and affirmed a commitment to helping make schools a safe space for all. The FPCD supports this mission through our active involvement with the Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation, an organization that seeks to help women in this war-torn country develop skills that will help them to help in the development of their country.

On June 23, the FPCD attended the High Level Working Group meeting on “Music as A Natural Resource”. This working group discussed the power of music in bringing together divided communities, and gave many concrete examples of how this has been done in many projects operating in conflicted countries. The use of music is especially effective in projects dealing with youth, one of the main focus areas of the Foundation.

July 18th marked the International Nelson Mandela Day. In honour of this great leader, the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations held a student conference. This event brought together students from different institutions and featured a lively question and answer session regarding the challenges faced by South Africa during the period of apartheid, as well as a discussion regarding the continued efforts of this country toward achieving equality.

Focus on youth is very important to the Foundation for Post Conflict Development. To this end, the Foundation was an active participant at the Youth as Strategic Partners for Development event on July 26. This United Nations event, hosted by the Permanent Mission of Brazil, emphasized the importance of including youth in a strong civil society. At the program, the Government of Brazil and the United Nations Population Fund signed a memorandum of agreement on South-South Cooperation on Youth Issues. The FPCD continues to maintain a strong commitment to the empowerment of youth in post conflict countries.

Through attendance at these events, the Foundation has strengthened its connections with other institutions and groups, and has been kept up to date with best practices within the field. The Foundation remains committed to reaching out and partnering with others, as well as continuing the learning process.

* * * * *

Christie Campbell is currently an honors student at Queen’s University in Canada, with a concentration in Global Development Studies. During her time at Queen's, she has worked with the Queen's Project on International Development, a student-run NGO, as well as the University Alumni Association and the Queen's Varsity Rowing team. In September 2011, she will be starting a law degree at the University of Toronto. In the future, she hopes to pursue work in international humanitarian law, with a focus on the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons.






Copyright© 2011 The Foundation For Post Conflict Development. All Rights Reserved. The Foundation for Post Conflict Development is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501 (c) (3). Public inspection of legal documents, copies of FPCD’s annual federal tax return (Form 990’s), 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt application, IRS tax exemption determination letter or annual reports of the FPCD are available without additional charge, other than reasonable fees for copying and postage by writing to the FPCD Office. A copy of the official registration and annual report may be obtained from the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities bureau by calling (212) 416-8000 within the State, or by visiting their website at www.oag.ny.us. Our New York Registration number is: 21-33-70.