News and Insight

Over the past few months, I have been listening to the ideas of Afghans involved in previous rounds of their country’s peace process. These Afghan ‘peacemakers’ include men and women who were members of Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation commissions, served on the negotiation team supposed to cut a deal with the Taliban, or worked as officials, government advisers or religious scholars.

Conciliation Resources is launching a new gender strategy which sets out the steps we will take over the next five years to become a gender responsive, and ultimately gender transformative, organisation. We spoke to our gender team, Amy Dwyer and Gabriel Nuckhir, about what this means, how this will benefit our peacebuilding work, and their hopes for the new strategy.

Gender responsive and transformative approaches can help us build a more inclusive, sustainable peace and are a key part of our new gender strategy. In northeast Nigeria, we’ve been using these approaches to build more inclusive community peacebuilding processes in a region living under constant insurgencies. 

Following research carried out last year by Conciliation Resources into futures thinking, mediation and reconciliation, in April, in partnership with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), we brought together partners and colleagues from around the world to explore how a futures thinking approach could support their peacebuilding work. Futures thinking methods are used in the corporate sector to help businesses identify long-term challenges and opportunities, and make strategic decisions. They can also be used to help people in conflict-affected contexts take a step back from current challenges, envisage what a more peaceful future could look like and think through potential pathways to get there.

The signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, in 1998 was the result of long and arduous negotiations to end 30 years of sectarian violence and political stalemate. But the impact of this peace process goes far beyond Northern Ireland. Over the twenty five years since the agreement was signed, Conciliation Resources has supported people living with conflict around the globe to travel to Northern Ireland and learn first-hand how a society can transition from violence to politics as a way to resolve conflict.  

In 2016, the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  (FARC) signed an historic peace deal to end over 52 years of conflict. However, since 2016 peace in Colombia has faced many challenges; a narrowly defeated referendum on the peace deal, distancing from the peace process under the government of Ivan Duque and a resurgence of violence. 

Join us for a talk and discussion with Dr Philip Gamaghelyan.

When: 30 March, 4.30-6pm

Where: Conciliation Resources, Burghley Yard, 106 Burghley Road, London NW5 1AL.

Join us in Brussels for a lunch discussion on peacebuilding and mental health and psychosocial support in the Central African Republic

The Women’s Dialogue Space (WDS) is a platform for current and emerging women leaders in politics, civil society and business in the Somali region of Ethiopia to jointly strategise and amplify women’s voices in the public sphere. The establishment of the platform was supported by Conciliation Resources and our partner KasmoDev based on recommendations made by women engaged in politics in the region.

Women’s meaningful participation in peace processes is fundamental to ensuring a sustainable and transformative peace. The peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is often held as a shining example of women’s participation - with women playing crucial roles as facilitators, mediators and peacebuilders.

Conciliation Resources is looking for contributions for a special collection of stories, which will document the experiences and ideas of Pacific Island peacebuilders working on dealing with the legacies of past conflict in the region. 

Everyone should have the chance to shape their future; to make peace possible. But to do this we need to ensure everyone has equitable access to peace. Peace that is inclusive, acknowledges the diversity of those affected by conflict and doesn’t discriminate. This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on the diversity of women bridging religious, ethnic and political divides to make peace possible. Because when we embrace equity, we can embrace peace.