7 ways we have adapted to address conflict in 2020

This year alongside our partners we have:

1. Worked with young peacebuilders in the Central African Republic to prepare for potential conflicts sparked by COVID-19. We have been working with over 600 young people living in areas heavily affected by displacement and insecurity in Bossangoa and Paoua, training them in peacebuilding skills including how to identify and analyse conflicts. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have also been working with them to adapt their analysis and action plans to factor in new potential challenges arising from COVID-19 outbreaks in their communities. Find out more.

2. Used collaborative responses to COVID-19 as a tool for peacebuilding in Kashmir. As the pandemic spread rapidly through the highly militarised region of Jammu and Kashmir, the need for sustained communication and collaboration across the Line of Control became more important than ever. Members of the Kashmir Initiative Group, our partner in the region, along with tech developers and health experts have been working together to develop an online platform for sharing information about COVID-19. Read more about this initiative.

3. Created inclusive, informative TV shows on climate change, COVID-19 and conflict in Fiji. Our partners, Transcend Oceania, teamed up with Fiji Television Limited to broadcast a series of television shows focused on community engagement with peacebuilding initiatives. The thirteen, 30-minute episodes, provided an online space for discussions between a diverse range of people and organisations, including community leaders, women, youths, and people with disabilities in Fiji. Watch the TV shows here.

4. Supported women mediators to provide help to their communities at a time of real uncertainty and risk. Members of the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC) network have been stepping up and responding to additional challenges and tensions caused by COVID-19. The network has provided a platform for members to stay connected online, and allowed them to share the implications of COVID-19 on their work and learn from each other to find creative solutions. Discover more about WMC members' work.

5. Collaborated online with the Imperial War Museum to reimagine victory. This summer we launched ‘Reimagining Victory’, a digital series developed in partnership with the IWM Institute. The series sees leading journalists, peacebuilders, artists and academics discuss the concept of victory, and look at some of the most pressing issues surrounding conflict and peacebuilding in today’s world. Explore the series here.

6. Examined how digital tools can enable more people to get involved in data gathering and conflict analysis. In our latest Accord, ‘Pioneering peace pathways’, authors Andreas Hibrlinger, Maude Morrison and Helena Puig Larrauri explore how digital tools are increasingly being deployed for conflict analysis. They outline how these tools are providing significant opportunities for innovation, promising to transform traditional approaches that often require a physical presence in conflict-affected contexts. Read their article here.

7. Supported peacebuilders in Abkhazia to join emergency responses to COVID-19. Several of our long-term partners in Abkhazia saw the urgent need for support to vulnerable people affected by restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Together, they are undertaking a project to distribute food and medical supplies to the most vulnerable in all regions of Abkhazia and to inform the public, supporting a more coordinated and inclusive official response. Read more.