Australia: the Stolen Generation and a 'national day of healing'

Former Governor-General of Australia Sir Zelman Cowen presents the Sorry Book he has just signed to Melissa Brickell, a representative of the Stolen Generations

Reconciliation between communities in Lebanon

Every year, going back to the time shortly after the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon, groups representing Lebanon’s diverse and divided factions have taken part in the Initiative of Change conferences in Caux, Switzerland. They have come from Maronite, Orthodox, Melkite, Sunni, Shiite and Druze communities. On their return to Lebanon they have worked on the ground for a genuine national reconciliation, without which the reconstruction of the country may be in vain.

Cambodian renaissance

Helping defuse tensions between Alto Adige’s Italian-speaking and German-speaking communities

Alto Adige, South Tyrol, is a former Austrian province ceded to Italy in 1919. In the 1950s, tensions grew between the province’s German-speaking minority and the Italian administration, leading Austria to bring the matter before the United Nations. However before the issue could be resolved there was a wave of violence. Around 300 terrorist attacks were perpetrated by extremist elements – mostly on property, but also leading to some deaths.