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Providing spaces for successful peacebuilding

By July 21, 2019 December 3rd, 2020 No Comments

The situation in the Near and Middle East does not give ground for optimism either. The prevention of potential armed conflicts is therefore not only more important, but also more challenging than ever. If prevention fails, all our efforts must be invested in conflict resolution. There is a growing awareness that politics and civil society must intensify their efforts in this regard. This means that people who dedicate themselves to peacebuilding will in future be more urgently needed than ever.

Confusion is prevailing. Armed conflicts last for years or even decades and are increasingly messy and complex. Even if a solution is found, the struggle to implement it can be interminable.

In 2018, swisspeace was involved in peacebuilding efforts in three of the bloodiest armed conflicts: in Afghanistan, Syria and South Sudan.

Read in the pages that follow how, in these difficult contexts, the Swiss Peace Foundation is creating spaces for analysis, discussion, critical reflection and teaching. swisspeace offers platforms for different stakeholders to come together to develop constructive, pragmatic and innovative approaches to peacebuilding. For example, swisspeace promotes dialogue between individual technology companies and peace mediators (see page 6).

The intensive research activity of swisspeace contributes to a better understanding of conflict patterns and the prerequisites for successful peace work. A recent research project, for instance, looks at the structural links between the civil war and post-war state development in South Sudan (see page 10).

Last but not least, swisspeace uses its own position at the nexus between research and practice to offer continuing education courses, developing the skills and knowledge of practitioners involved in the prevention and peaceful transformation of conflicts.

The regional figures mask some important differences across countries. (For the full list of rankings, read the full article on the link below)

Read Full Article (PDF)

Author: Jakob Kellenberger
Image: Swisspeace
Publication date: June 21, 2019

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