Long Walk for Peace

The Environmentally Responsible Action Group (ERA) and the Balkan Institute for Research and Development (BIRD), under the patronage of Mr. Astrit Haraqija, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (Kosovo), are pleased to announce the “Long Walk for Peace”, which will take place in Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania between August 1 and August 12, 2005.

The Long Walk for Peace is a multi-ethnic and multi-national event which will bring together Balkan youth, decision-makers and local communities, as well as international observers, in a trek to promote free movement, cultural exchange and sustainable development in the cross-border region between the three countries. Forty participants will take part in the trek which will cross mountain, hill and meadow regions and meet with local communities, NGOs, cultural experts and government officials along the way.

The trek is a part of the Balkan Peace Park Project which aims to create a trans-national, cross-border park in the adjoining mountain areas of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania. The park will be both a symbol of peace and cooperation as well as a means of promoting environmental conservation, stimulating sustainable tourism and local employment, and building stronger networks for cross-border cooperation.

The trek will include a special focus on young people and youth mobility, and has been timed to coincide with both Kosovo Youth Month (August 1-31, 2005), and International Youth day (August 12, 2005).

A one-day conference on the Balkan Peace Park (BPP) will be held in Mkitrovica, Kosova on August 12th as the final event of the Long Walk for Peace. The main purpose of the conference will be to obtain the formal commitment of the governments of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania to the BPP and to lay the foundation for the creation of a peace park through discussions on issues of: peace park boundaries, promoting free movement within the peace park, protection of wildlife, natural and cultural resources within the peace park, improving infrastructure within the peace park and promoting sustainable development in communities located within the peace park area.


Aim
The Long Walk for Peace is a part of the Balkan Peace Park Project, which aims to create a trans-national, cross-border park which will be a symbol of peace and cooperation in the region, as well as a means of promoting environmental conservation and stimulating sustainable tourism and local employment

Practical information’s
There will be 40 participants that are going to take part in Long Walk for Peace 2005. Accommodation, food and transport during the BPP, according to participation, will be covered by organizers. Only travel expenses to Kosovo and back should be covered by participants.

Date and venue
From August 1st until August 12th (arrival on July 31st and departure on August 13th) and it will take place on Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania.

Itinerary
It will be four (4) days walk in Kosovo territory, four (4) days in Montenegro and four (4) days in Albania. The expedition will frequent all frontiersman, cross-border inhabitant, local people, non government organizations, government organizations, institutions, local police, borders police and common culture-historical heritage of three regions (Kosovo/a, Montenegro, Albania), culminating in a one-day conference on the Balkan Peace Park in Mitrovica, Kosovo on August 12, 2005. The BPP expedition will heave also conscience character of BPP Inhabitant. The expedition will organize short workshops between participant pf expeditions and local people, depending on expedite conditions.
During the day it will be approximately 6-8 hours walk.


INFO:
ERA - Environmentally Responsible Action Group
Email: eragroup@hotmail.com