May 2012
Lebanon is still not a post-conflict society. Power sharing and liberal economic growth have failed to deliver stability – more than two decades on, the fragile peace is punctuated by repeated outbreaks of political violence. Civil war sectarian animosities and power struggles have become entrenched. The international community has a role to play in transforming ‘negative stability’ in Lebanon into ‘positive peace’ and we've recently been in Brussels presenting our recommendations to EU policymakers.
April 2012
It's seven years since India and Pakistan, after decades of conflict and separation, opened up a limited travel route between the divided sides of Jammu and Kashmir. Coinciding with the recent visit to India of Pakistan's President, our peacebuilding partners in the region launched the results of a new opinion poll. Looking at issues such as the future of cross-Line of Control trade and the situation faced by divided families, this first survey of its kind suggests that traders are optimistic despite the challenges they face.
April 2012
In this joint press release, Conciliation Resources, Oxfam, Cafod and Christian Aid, along with 10 local organisations, stress that renewed military action against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) risks triggering further devastation for local people in DR of Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan unless more is done to protect civilians and prevent retaliations by one of Africa’s most brutal rebel groups.
April 2012
Dix organisations locales et internationales affirment ce mardi 24 avril qu'une nouvelle action militaire contre l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA, Lord's Resistance Army) risque d'avoir une fois encore des conséquences dévastatrices pour les populations locales de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), de la République centrafricaine (RCA) et du Sud-Soudan si rien n'est fait pour protéger les civils et prévenir les représailles de la part de l'un des groupes rebelles les plus violents d'Afrique.
March 2012
Recent developments in Colombia suggest that the government and FARC each now recognise that violence is not solved by more violence. In a Spanish article for Razón Pública, Kristian Herbolzheimer, Director of our Colombia and Philippines programmes, suggests that Colombia can learn lessons from its own past – both its successes and mistakes – to identify a new approach that is far more inclusive than peace negotiations. Both sides have taken important steps but the challenge remains to define the roadmap to peace.
March 2012
Insight
We've been working with peacebuilding partner Saferworld on an 18-month project to bring the opinions of local people in conflict-affected communities to the attention of national and international policymakers. Now, together in Brussels, we're presenting the lessons learnt from all 18 national and regional conflict analyses. Find out more about the project and watch a short film that explains why the voices of people most affected by conflict must be heard when policy and programming decisions are being considered.
March 2012
Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recently visited Catalonia during a trip organised by Conciliation Resources and the School of Peace of Barcelona. The MILF and the Government of the Philippines are currently negotiating an end to more than four decades of armed conflict in Mindanao. As part of the International Contact Group for this dialogue we have been providing assistance to the ongoing negotiations. Find out more about what lessons the MILF group drew from the situation in Catalonia.
March 2012
In March staff from our Accord programme travelled to Beirut to meet with partners, project advisers and authors as momentum builds towards our upcoming edition on Lebanon. Provisionally titled 'Positive peace? Reconciliation, reform and national self-determination in Lebanon', this publication will review peacebuilding in the country to examine its effectiveness, as well as opportunities and priorities for progress. Find out more about the project so far and the final stages towards publication.
March 2012
We welcome the announcement by Fiji's Prime Minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, on 9 March of a process and timeline for the development of a new constitution. We believe Professor Yash Ghai is an excellent candidate as chair of the Constitutional Commission that will conduct national consultations. We support our partners the Citizens' Constitutional Forum in their call for a "conducive environment which encourages freedom of speech and welcomes dialogue".
March 2012
Insight
Le fait de porter les opinions des populations locales dans les communautés touchées par le conflit à l'attention des décideurs internationaux représente une étape essentielle pour garantir la mise en place de politiques et d’interventions adaptées. Les personnes les plus directement touchées par les conflits ou l'instabilité comprennent souvent le mieux les causes de ces conflits et ont les meilleures idées pour les résoudre. Conciliation Resources a travaillé avec son partenaire Saferworld, qui joue également un rôle de pacification, sur un projet de 18 mois, dans le but d’atteindre cet objectif. Aujourd’hui, nous présentons à Bruxelles les enseignements tirés de l'ensemble des 18 analyses de conflits nationaux et régionaux.
March 2012
At the turn of 2011, Fiji's Prime Minister Bainimarama announced the imminent commencement of consultations for a new constitution. Elections are to follow in 2014. Our partner the Citizens' Constitutional Forum (CCF) urges that processes for formulating Fiji's next constitution must be led by the citizens of Fiji. Find out about the baseline survey that CCF has recently carried out to measure and understand change in community attitudes to human rights, good governance and citizenship.