News and Insight

In the Central African Republic, many of today’s young people have grown up knowing only conflict. It shapes their day to day life, and their futures, but they are all too often left out of the processes which try to build peace.

"Enough, to hell with this film!" Tearing up the script, the producer stormed out of the room. 

Earlier this year, I met a group of young women in Colombia who had come together to discuss their experiences of working for peace. The group included former combatants, environmentalists, feminist activists, and a police officer who contributed to the disarmament and demobilisation process of the FARC.

The following is a statement from Saferworld, Conciliation Resources, International Alert and Peace Direct concerning a possible merger of the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

2019 may be coming to an end, but at Conciliation Resources we are marking an important beginning. 25 years ago, Andy Carl and David Lord began Conciliation Resources, with the staunch conviction that people living in areas of violent conflict should be involved in its resolution.

Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC) members met in London this week as part of the first all-member meeting since the inception of the network over a year ago. The women shared their mediation learning and discussed the future development of this international network of mediators, which is hosted by Conciliation Resources.

On Saturday 23 November the people of Bougainville (an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea) started voting in a referendum on Bougainville’s political future. There are two options on offer – independence or greater autonomy. This vote marks a key moment in the Bougainville peace process, but does not mark the end of the process.

Conciliation Resources works with two local partners in Mindanao, southern Philippines, to resolve clan conflicts, and strengthen relationships between communities and local authorities. Tenduray Lambangian Women’s Organisation (TLWOI) is a network representing indigenous people, and United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) is a predominantly Moro (Muslim) youth organisation working to promote peace in the region through dialogue and reconciliation.

The international peacebuilding NGO, Conciliation Resources, and Brussels-based mediation organisation mediatEUr, have decided to recognise the closeness of their missions and come together, combining their objectives and operations.

I and many others have been thinking about this question for some time, and I can tell you we have not found a definitive answer yet. But we are getting there.

The current situation in Kashmir puts the potential of peace in the region even further away. Can the Kashmiri people provide the way out?

31 October marks the 19th Anniversary of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security. This commitment reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and stresses the importance of their equal participation.