SAUL ARBESS
17 MAY 2022
“For me the professionalization of peace workers is the missing link in all of the work related to peacebuilding. Especially, the way CPSC has done it. That is to say, looking at competencies but also at values and response of people in the field. You can’t predict that very easily. I think that is extremely valuable. Why should we not have a progression leading to peace professionals with the certification you offer, which is very much like the training of military officers in some ways. No handling of weapons. But there is a parallel in some terms. Often, they start in high school as cadets. They go through some kind of degree and field work, and they become officers. Now, we want something like that, not militarized people, but peace people, who can work in complex circumstances and can thrive and really move the field forward. I have worked with people at CPSC very much since the beginning and it has evolved, and I think that we need to find adequate funding to make it a reality because there are many people out there who would happily become certified. It has all kinds of implications far beyond status, because often it is a question of income and even of recognition. These are all very important things. So I want to encourage you to keep this work going. And I do feel very strongly, as I said at the beginning: This is the missing link in the whole field of peacebuilding and we need to continue to develop it.”
Here is our discussion with Saul: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tukm94xw97vzht5/Saul%20testimonial%20-%20CPSC-%20May%2017-2022-video1823779576.mp4?dl=0