News & events archive 2008
We recently published the first study into how decades of conflict by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other armed groups has affected Sudanese communities living along the Sudan-Uganda border. It gives an insight into local people’s views and some of the profound challenges for peacebuilding and statebuilding in Southern Sudan and its border areas. Download the pdf report...
In late October we took a group of Ugandans from the war-affected northern region to see how peace in Sierra Leone has fared since war ended there in 2002. They met and shared experiences with government officials, activists, lawyers, traditional leaders, former child soldiers, students, academics and ordinary citizens. They also visited the Bo Peace and Reconciliation Movement peace monitors. Read more about the trip, listen to a radio discussion or view a photo journal.
Conciliation Resources and two other NGOs are calling on the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, along with the three co-chairs of the Minsk Process tasked with mediating the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, to allow civil society a greater role in the peace process. This follows the Moscow Declaration signed by the presidents in early November, which has given new impetus to the talks. Read the joint press release in English [pdf] or Russian [pdf].
In October we began a five-year project to help conflict-affected communities voice their needs and engage effectively with politicians and policymakers in decision-making on issues that impact upon their lives. Working with our partners in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Uganda, Georgia-Abkhazia and Fiji we aim to improve government accountability and responsiveness to deal with the unmet needs and contested issues that cause conflict. more....
The seismic changes in the political landscape of the Caucasus following the war in August over South Ossetia pose huge challenges for peacebuilding. Despite efforts to deal with the immediate consequences, conflict resolution appears more elusive than ever. Much work is needed to support our regional partners in coming to terms with the new geopolitical reality and situation on the ground. New approaches are needed to resolve the old problems at the heart of the crisis and to find a long-term solution that enables everyone in the region to live together peacefully.
In September our partners in Gulu, northern Uganda organized a reflection workshop on the Juba peace process. Guest speakers included the Ugandan High Court’s principal judge, Justice James Ogoola, who outlined plans to consult with Acholi traditional and religious leaders as part of the process of setting up a new War Crimes Unit, and invited feedback on how best to ‘blend’ traditional justice methods with the formal system.
In September Conciliation Resources published its latest Accord publication about the peace process that ended 30 years of conflict between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). This analyses developments leading to the 2005 agreement and ongoing peacebuilding challenges for the region. It also includes interviews with the negotiators and Nobel Peace Prize-winning mediator Martti Ahtisaari, plus analysis by national and international experts.
The words 'youth' and 'security' are often mentioned in the same sentence in Sierra Leone. Our Peace, development and security update (July 2008) illustrates the post-war challenges that young people face, with examples of how our Strengthening Citizens' Security project has helped them better understand national security structures and become part of the decision-making process.
In June we hosted five community leaders involved in northern Uganda's peace talks to take part in NUAPP workshops and meet with UK parliamentarians, officials and the Acholi diaspora. The group has been at the forefront of dialogue between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and Ugandan government for 20 years. Amid uncertainty over the signing of a final peace agreement asked the UK and USA to support the peace process and avoid war. Read the Reuters interview with Rwot David Acana.
In June we held a policy seminar in London on the role of incentives, sanctions and conditionality in peace processes. Speakers included former UK Northern Ireland minister Michael Ancram MP and Sudan expert Alex de Waal. Another seminar was held in New York on 19 June with the United Nations Mediation Support Unit for key staff in the Department of Political Affairs and other UN mediation experts.
The Heinrich Boell Foundation, Conciliation Resources and the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding (University of California, Irvine) held a conference in Istanbul from 17 - 20 June on Conflict and migration: the Georgian-Abkhazian case in a European context. Georgian and Abkhaz participants were able to openly discuss some of the most delicate and pressing problems of the conflict and consulted international experts about possible progress toward solutions.
Making short films for a unique project on the conflict over Nagorny Karabakh has given young Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijanis a rare chance to talk directly. A selection of their films is available on DVD and will be shown in the South Caucasus in 2008. Charting the hopes, fears and humour of people living with the consequences of conflict, “these films show that we might have different aspirations but war is not the way to solve our conflict.”
Conciliation Resources' latest Accord publication and policy brief, published March 2008, explore how the use of incentives, sanctions and conditionality can underpin or undermine peace processes. Drawing upon cases such as Darfur, Sri Lanka, northern Uganda, South Africa and Georgia-Abkhazia, it concludes these tools are rarely effective unless they form part of a wider strategy making support for a durable peace process its priority.
Our recently published book about the extraordinary work of one of our partners, the Bo Peace and Reconciliation Movement (BPRM) is now available to read online. BPRM is recognized in Sierra Leone for its pioneering work to prevent and resolve more than 1000 cases of armed violence and community disputes. more...
CR and Radio Soma, Abkhazia’s first independent radio station, have produced a 2008 calendar featuring a collection of paintings of the Abkhaz capital, Sukhum/i by Abkhaz, Georgian, Russian and Tartar artists who lived there before the war, with some of their thoughts on what the town means for them. more...
With more than 10 years' experience of supporting local peacebuilding in Sierra Leone, we recently brought policy concerns gleaned from our work to the UN Peacebuilding Commission's attention. This resulted in some of our recommendations on youth and peacebuilding being included in the final 'Peacebuilding Cooperation Framework' with Sierra Leone's government. Read our submission
Conciliation Resources (CR) helped organize a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues in December 2007 to discuss the importance of peace processes in dealing with violent conflict and offer ways of addressing shortcomings in the UK's current approach. With Roelf Meyer, former chief negotiator for the National Party in South Africa, and Catherine Barnes, author of Bridging the gap: improving UK support for peace processes.
