Washington DC, 28 January 2025
Binalakshmi “Bina” Nepram named as Insider Reconciler Fellow at Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliations (MHCR) at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University.
Photo of Binalakshmi Nepram meeting with President Carter in 2016 at the Oslo Forum in Norway. Here, President Carter is wearing a special woven cloth called “Leiroom” that women of Manipur made.
“80% of the world’s conflicts happen where Indigenous Peoples live and in areas, which are also biodiversity hotspots. That is why we need to involve indigenous peacebuilders, mediators and healers better in conflict resolution and other peace processes. Indigenous methods are therefore very also closely linked to resolving ongoing armed conflicts and environmental violence, resource and land conflicts and help in healing Peoples, Peace and Planet ”, says Binalakshmi “Bina” Nepram, who has named as the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliations (MHCR) newest Insider Reconciler Fellow.
Nepram, originally from Manipur, Northeast India bordering Myanmar is an Indigenous Scholar who has been named as one of the “100 most influential people in the world working on armed violence reduction” by London based, Action on Armed Violence. Nepram has been most recently leading Indigenous Peoples work at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) as Senior Adviser on Indigenous Issues where she worked with 120 Indigenous Peacebuilders from seven socio-cultural Indigenous regions of the world in April 2024 for the historic First Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding in Washington D.C. The historic summit was opened by former Secretary of Interiors, Debra Haaland and it led to an International Declaration on Indigenous Peacebuilding adopted and signed by several Indigenous Leaders, Elders, women and Youth from over 30 countries.
“Nepram’s role in creating the magnificent event was central. It was her idea, and Indigenous Peoples came from all over the world, because they knew and trusted her. We want to recognize her role and invite also other institutions to support this very critical, and previously missing part of peace mediation efforts”, says Antti Pentikäinen, who leads MHCR and is also Professor of Practice at Carter School, George Mason University (GMU), where MHCR is based.
“Our aim is also to connect Indigenous students from GMU with Nepram’s efforts and support convening the Indigenous peacebuilders and Indigenous peacebuilding work as well as the research she is planning to do on Indigenous Conflict Resolution practices,” shares Pentikainen.