News and Insight

Mohammed was the leader of a violent armed gang in northeast Nigeria - a Youth Peace Platform helped him turn his life around.

The destruction caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria is visible everywhere. Suspicion and mistrust within society is rife and relationships between young people and their elders are broken. Young people are frequently targeted and groomed by Boko Haram. All have witnessed atrocities or had loved ones killed. This is Badawiya’s story.

This week, British Minister of State Alistair Burt, announced that Conciliation Resources will lead a specialist global consortium to deliver an innovative programme of conflict resolution.

In the years following 9/11, counter-terrorism laws, regulations, sanctions and policies have proliferated, many with the aim of curtailing non-state armed groups’ access to financial support. Several studies have shown how these measures impact the work of NGOs and civil society organisations providing humanitarian assistance or supporting peace efforts in these volatile contexts. One such impact is bank ‘de-risking’.

This year, the UN’s International Youth Day is championing safe spaces for youth - places where young people can come together, express themselves, and participate in decision making. In peacebuilding, creating these safe spaces is a vital first step in allowing young people to share their experiences of conflict, and work towards achieving a more peaceful future.

We are delighted to have signed a four-year framework contract on conflict prevention and mediation support for the EU, for which we were chosen together with our partners from swisspeace, ESSEC IRENE, CITpax, ECDPM, and Search for Common Ground.

There is the opportunity now for progress towards peace in Afghanistan. But to become reality, it needs a new step-by-step approach.

Evidence shows that peace processes that are more inclusive have a better chance of success. But what does it mean to be inclusive and how can this be achieved?

Last week, Conciliation Resources’ launched an innovative new network, which will be a platform for the peer-to-peer learning of women mediators.

Despite the fact that landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is soon going to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, the number of women who lead or participate in high-level peace mediation processes remains disappointing.