South Sudan may be the world’s youngest country, but the region has a long and turbulent history of conflict – and of peace. In the absence of formal governance, traditional processes to resolve conflict have held society together.
Statebuilding and peacebuilding discussions increasingly emphasise inclusion as a key ingredient for peaceful states and societies, and marginalisation as a key cause of conflict. However, the persistence of conflict and violence in many borderland regions can defy and challenge these peacebuilding blueprints.
A shared statement by peacebuilders working in the South Caucasus
Visaka Dharmadasa is a member of the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (WMC) network, and Chair of the Association of War Affected Women and Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action. Through her involvement in WMC she is connecting with, and learning from, women mediators across the world and taking part in joint promotion and advocacy initiatives with other members.
Globally, one in four young people live in places affected by armed conflict or organised violence. But youth aren’t just the victims of violence – they have the power to act for peace and the vision and ideas to achieve a better future for themselves and their communities.
It’s now almost two decades since the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement – an agreement that ended nearly a decade of violent conflict and saw the creation of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville within Papua New Guinea. Significant progress towards peace has been made in the region, but legacies of the conflict still present challenges – including for former combatants and the communities they live in.
