News and Insight

'The Corridors of Conflict: Abkhazia 1989-1995' was an exhibition that took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, October 2019. Based on unique archival material, the exhibition triggered reflection and debate. Creating archives, and documenting lived experience of the violent past, is important for transforming conflict. It allows people’s voices to be heard, and helps people learn from what happened, so that the same mistakes can be avoided in future.

Recent survey results suggest that a significant majority (70.9%) of the Georgian public think their government could take further steps to improve relationships between Georgian and Abkhaz societies. Most of them believe direct dialogue with the de facto authorities in Abkhazia is the answer. These survey results indicate a willingness by the Georgian population to embrace change in relation to the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.

Gender inequality is a root cause of conflict. Evidence shows that high levels of unequal power relations and gender-based violence are associated with increased vulnerability to war and the use of more severe forms of violence in conflict.* Understanding these dynamics allows us to uncover, target and transform the root causes that fuel violence and conflict.

Bossangoa is often known as the heartland of the Anti-balaka. The town, and surrounding areas, in Ouham prefecture, were at the centre of the conflict that engulfed the Central African Republic from 2012, and gave rise to the armed civilian groups. Now, as the country examines its conflict history and how to build a more peaceful future, it’s vital to understand how and why young people became involved in the violence.

If collaboration, adaptation and innovation are the key to better peacebuilding in these changing times, what are the challenges we face in being collaborative, adaptive and innovative and how can we overcome these?

From 5-6 October, Conciliation Resources, in partnership with Transcend Oceania and the Toda Peace Institute, hosted a learning event exploring responses to climate displacement and its relationship to conflict.

The new war between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces at several points along the Line of Contact represents a major inflection point in the more than 30 year-long Nagorny Karabakh conflict.

Conciliation Resources has launched Accord 29 ‘Pioneering peace pathways – making connections to end violent conflict.’ It explores the early stages of peace processes, and the patient engagement in formative and pre-formal peacemaking that often takes years. The publication underscores the importance of persistent promotion of dialogue, and accompaniment of conflict parties and affected communities to reach negotiated solutions. Starting peace processes is neither quick nor easy.

Peacebuilding can look like any one of hundreds of different actions, and mean different things to different people. And its often hard to comprehend the impact that peacebuilding has on the lives of people living with conflict. So, to mark the International Day of Peace, we’ve asked our peacebuilding colleagues, partners and friends from around the world to share their most memorable peacebuilding moments.

A new round of Armenian-Azerbaijani violence has once again sent tremors through the fragile status quo constraining a major new war in the South Caucasus. While the escalation ended after a few days and the status quo held, new dynamics indicate that it cannot be taken for granted. In the face of totalising trends radicalising all aspects of their relations, Baku and Yerevan should return to the negotiating table in pursuit of pragmatic agreements on issues where their red lines are not involved.

The consequences of a coronavirus outbreak for a country already affected by conflict are likely to be disastrous. Weakened healthcare systems and strained relationships between communities and authorities have the potential to spark further tensions. In the Central African Republic, young people trained in peacebuilding are working to ensure that their communities are prepared for the challenges ahead.

Weak governance, an impoverished health service and a population with disproportionate health problems all increase the likelihood that the coronavirus pandemic could have a significant negative impact in Abkhazia. There is misinformation about Covid-19, limited access to protective equipment, and no infrastructure to enable deliveries of essential goods, other than by friends, family or volunteers. This is made worse by Abkhazia’s economic overdependence on tourism from Russia as months of travel restrictions between Russia and Abkhazia have caused economic stagnation and eaten up what little savings people may have had. The weak welfare system means many are suffering socio-economic hardship. There are multiple drivers for these problems, but the isolation resulting from decades of unresolved conflict is a root cause, hampering modernisation and development, and creating the potential for fault lines to emerge in a society strained by economic stagnation.