Governance and peacebuilding

Can the London conference on Somalia get it right?

Camel traders
Can the London conference on Somalia succeed this time where others have failed? After a year in which large swathes of Somalia have been hit by famine and continued war, and international militarisation has markedly increased, the UK government’s initiative to host an international conference on Somalia on 23 February is welcome. But lessons must be learnt from past mistakes. Ahead of the conference, Mark Bradbury makes the case that support should be given to local Somali-led solutions that promote legitimacy and participation.

The New Deal for aid in conflict-affected contexts: Discovering real ownership

A child being vaccinated in DRC. No low-income conflict-affected country will have achieved a single MDG by 2015. We need to move beyond technical quick fixes. Without peace there is no development. © UN Photo/Marie Frechon
Thirty-eight countries have signed up to a ‘New Deal’ for engagement in fragile states, which includes a commitment to prioritise five peacebuilding and statebuilding goals. Sophie Haspeslagh, our Policy Analyst, has been closely involved in the process leading up to, and at, the Busan High-Level Forum where these commitments were made. Here, she reflects on some of the things she has learned from the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding and offers some thoughts as to where it might go next.

LRA conflict: Who is responsible for the consequences of military action?

There are significant challenges to peace prospects In East and Central Africa. With the African Union and United Nations’ recent joint declaration to launch a regional military strategy against the Lord’s Resistance Army, added to public attention focusing on calls for an escalation of force, we share our local partners' concerns that the response must centre on the protection of civilians. Lessons must be learnt from the past.

People’s perspectives on instability in West Africa: Case study report

Mar 2012
A case study report focusing on the peacebuilding perspectives of people living in the Mano River Union (Libera, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire), Nigeria (Plateau and Niger Delta States) and Casamance (Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia).

Beyond exclusion: rethinking approaches to status in the Nagorny Karabakh peace process

Mar 2012
Status – of territory, of parties to the conflict and of those mandated to resolve it – is central to the Nagorny Karabakh (NK) conflict. The question of what status NK should have lies at the heart of the dispute: independence, autonomy, self-government or some other formulation. While acknowledging the many conflicting perspectives on the issue, this discussion paper charts possible areas of convergence between Armenian and Azerbaijani interests, around which further dialogue might be conducted.

Navigating paths to peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Blomah Nelson, Liberia's Minister for Internal Affairs (centre), pictured with Jonathan Cohen and Janet Adama Mohammed of Conciliation Resources
Building peace takes time. What does ending conflict mean in practice? How do good governance, justice and human security strengthen each other? These are pressing issues for any society recovering from violent conflict and just some of the questions addressed in Accord 23: Consolidating Peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The findings from this review of peace initiatives have been presented recently to local and international policymakers in West Africa and the USA.

What will it take to end the LRA conflict?

Mar 2012

In this opinion piece Kennedy Tumutegyereize sets out the background to the LRA conflict and how regional and international action (and inaction) plays a part in perpetuating the conflict.

Ending the violence and insecurity caused by the Lord's Resistance Army conflict is more about empowering civil society and seeking and supporting local solutions across many countries than about keeping US military advisers in the region.

Consolidating peace: Liberia and Sierra Leone

Mar 2012

Almost ten years on from the official end of wars in Sierra Leone (2002) and Liberia (2003), attention is shifting from post-war peacebuilding to longer-term development. What headway has been made? What challenges lie ahead? And what lessons that can be learnt?

The UN Peacebuilding Commission and Liberia's transition

Consolidating peace: Liberia and Sierra Leone
Mar 2012
In an interview with Accord, Ambassador Prince Zeid of Jordan, Chair of the Liberia Configuration of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) highlights UN priorities for Liberia: security sector reform, rule of law and national reconciliation.

Introduction: peacebuilding in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Consolidating peace: Liberia and Sierra Leone
Mar 2012
Elizabeth Drew and Alexander Ramsbotham introduce the publication and outline some of the challenges facing present day Sierra Leone and Liberia.

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