This Accord spotlight summarises discussions from a workshop to explore priorities for peace in Afghanistan. It looks at six key themes; peacemaking in perspective, terminology, inclusion, understanding divisions, re-centring the regional stage and processing peace.

Women’s civil society activism in Bougainville has not always been well reflected in decision-making processes; however the political transition following the Bougainville Peace Agreement in 2001 has provided opportunities for greater inclusion. This report explores how gender dynamics shape decision-making, power and influence in Bougainville, in particular how formal and customary structures impact inclusion. It also looks at the approaches and strategies Bougainvillean women have used to increase their agency and influence within formal, faith and customary institutions.

This new Accord spotlight report tracks some of the ways in which inclusion has progressed through post-war transition in Nepal: how power is administered, what 
inclusion means and how it has been applied politically,
 and how change has happened – through formal and informal channels, as well as the continuing role of violence.

This report explores the historic experience of indigenous women in Colombia – a group usually absent from political decision-making processes – and how formal and customary institutions impact their inclusion in Colombia’s political settlement. It charts the emergence of different pathways for change for indigenous women, including the evolution of women’s engagement in the Colombian peace process as well as the inclusion of gender and ethnic minority issues in negotiations. The report looks at how the peace process is an opportunity for indigenous women to play a key role in peacebuilding and the reconfiguration of the political settlement in Colombia.

This report reflects discussions from a gender workshop held in Nepal, which explored gender relations, equality and Nepal’s transition from war. Focus areas include: affirmative gender action in the transition, gender perspectives on security sector reform, access to justice and political participation; gendered perspectives of marginalised groups, and how different identities intersect. A short case study of the period of intense political change that followed the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal provides an illustrative, contemporary example of opportunities and challenges.

This publication examines the increasing incidence of violent conflict between pastoralists and farmers in Nigeria. It looks at how previous cooperative relationships have broken down in many communities resulting in unprecedented levels of killing and destruction. The report explores the challenges to developing conflict prevention mechanisms, including the layers of political unsettlement that exist at local, state and federal levels, and identifies potential entry points for local conflict resolution.

This report summarises discussions from a workshop to explore sub-state political settlements in conflict-affected borderlands and the possibilities for more effective and inclusive peacebuilding interventions. It looks at four key themes: concepts of borderlands, inclusion and political settlement; the particular types of violence, (in)security, governance and authority that emerge in borderlands; the challenges of working in borderlands, and innovative methods and tools to better engage with their dynamics; and peacebuilding responses and practice in borderland spaces.