Religious actors

Reconciliation, reform and resilience: Positive peace for Lebanon (Accord 24) - English version

Jul 2012

Lebanon’s model of post-war power sharing and liberal economic growth has been widely praised. But it has failed to deliver for most Lebanese. Repeated outbreaks of political violence since the 1989 Taif Peace Agreement, and today fear of spillover from insecurity in Syria, show that a fundamentally different approach is needed to transform negative and precarious stability in Lebanon into positive and resilient peace.

The Voice of Peace: Grassroots news and opinions on the LRA conflict (2013)

Apr 2013

News and views from areas affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Uganda.

Find out about our partners in the Regional Civil Society Network who produce this bi-monthly newsletter to share with their communities.

Civilian protection is crucial in responding to LRA conflict, urge community leaders

Representatives from South Sudan discuss effective responses to the LRA conflict during a workshop in Bangui, September 2012
In what ways can national and regional governments have a positive impact on the Lord’s Resistance Army conflict? At a recent two-day workshop in Bangui, the Regional Civil Society Task Force discussed what is effective, before sharing their recommendations at meetings with the Prime Minister of CAR and international diplomats.

The Bangui Resolution: Regional Civil Society Task Force

Sep 2012
In September 2012 the Regional Civil Society Task Force met in Bangui, Central African Republic, for a two-day workshop. This document sets out the priorities and action plan agreed by fifty community, religious and traditional leaders from the four countries affected by the Lord's Resistance Army conflict.

Lebanon: a fate beyond its control? (Open Security)

Sep 2012
With violence in Syria making the headlines, Zahbia Yousuf and Marie-Joelle Zahar examine to what extent Lebanon can be responsible for its own fate, plus who's working to build peace, and how.

Peace prize awarded to Uganda's Archbishop Odama

Conciliation Resources congratulates our long-term partner Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu as he receives the Peacemaker Prize 2012 from World Vision International. The award is in recognition of his dedicated efforts to work for peace in northern Uganda.

Conclusion: building peace and resilience for Lebanon

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
In their conclusion, Accord 24 co-editors Elizabeth Picard and Alexander Ramsbotham outline the progress needed to achieve durable peace in Lebanon. These include the need to tackle state-sponsored amnesia and sectarian narratives of the past; to meaningfully rebuild the social contract between state and society; to reinforce Lebanon's internal resilience in the face on external threats and intervention.

Box 6 - Palestinian Islamism and Lebanese militancy: a conversation with Suhail Natour

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Suhail Natour unpacks links between Palestinians in Lebanon and religious radicalism, discussing the realities of relationships between Islamism and Palestinian political mobilisation – in Lebanon and the region more broadly.

Militant Islam and jihad in Lebanon

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Shia and Sunni militancy are increasing sources of tension in Lebanon. Bernard Rougier reflects on their evolution, domestic constituencies, regional ties and international drivers and catalysts. Meanwhile developments in Syria also exacerbate friction. More accurate and deeper analysis of the intricacies of these relationships would help to clarify distinctions between social ties, identity values and interests of political entrepreneurs. Combined with the development of communication between the relevant leaders in Lebanon, this could facilitate better understanding as a basis for peacebuilding.

Displacement, return and reconciliation in Mount Lebanon

Positive peace for Lebanon: reconciliation, reform and resilience
Jul 2012
Mass displacement during the war resulted in ‘confessional cleansing’ in many areas. Aïda Kanafani-Zahar looks at state returnee policy in the Mount Lebanon region, which claimed to prioritise reconciliation between Christian and Druze to prevent cyclical violence, but in fact has left little room for victims’ testimony or memories. Broader goals of ‘pacification’ and a communal rather than individual rationale have fuelled sectarianism and fed into national-level power struggles.

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