Mediating self-determination conflicts

Conflicts arising from or resulting in self-determination claims have for decades accounted for half the conflicts in the world. This report brings together learning from the initial phase of a three-year partnership between Conciliation Resources and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) looking at how a transformative approach to peace mediation can help prevent, manage or resolve self-determination conflicts. The report examines what distinct mediation and peacebuilding challenges self-determination conflicts present; what options and approaches mediation and peace practitioners can use to help address them; and how mediation and peace support processes can better connect across different groups, levels and spaces in effectively addressing these conflicts.

Five years on: a region of stability in Ethiopia

Five years ago, on 21 October 2018, the Government of Ethiopia and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) signed the Asmara Peace Deal - an historic occasion marking the end of over 30 years of armed conflict in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (SRS). But a peace deal isn’t an endpoint. It’s a milestone in the long road to addressing the root causes of a conflict, and building a society where all people have a voice. So, what’s changed in the region and what challenges are still to overcome?

Gender, cultural identity, conflict and climate change

Gender and social inequality, the climate crisis and conflict are three of the biggest challenges of our time. But despite clear connections, there is a gap in evidence about how all three interact in practice. In many of the contexts where we work, our partners have increasingly highlighted that climate change is complicating and exacerbating conflict, often in relation to gender and cultural dynamics. Through insights from our partners in Uganda, Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Philippines, this report provides lessons for more gender and culturally responsive peacebuilding and climate programming and policy.

Andrii Kryshtal

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Andrii Kryshtal

Andrii is our Project Manager for the South Caucasus team. He has practical experience living and working in divided communities in Ukraine, Libya and the Western Balkans - specifically in Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina - implementing, developing and studying context-sensitive peacebuilding actions focusing on facilitated dialogue and mediation approaches. Andrii has over seven years' experience working in the international non-governmental sector, covering programme management, monitoring, research, organisational development and capacity building, and peacebuilding. 

Video: climate change and conflict in Kashmir and the Philippines

The climate crisis is putting increasing pressure on already complex conflicts and deepening the issues that drive conflict. But how we respond to a changing climate can also present opportunities to bridge divides. In this video, Irtaza Muhammad and Ms. Noraida Abu explain how the climate crisis interacts with conflict in Kashmir and the Philippines, and the opportunities for peacebuilding.

A changing climate for peace: navigating conflict in the climate crisis

The global climate crisis, and how humans respond to it, is changing and amplifying the dynamics of current violent conflicts and is contributing to new conflicts emerging. This practice paper presents our understanding of the interaction between climate change, conflict and peace and how peacebuilding can tackle the unique challenges that arise.

Infographic: Climate change, conflict and peace

Our climate and environment is changing at a rate never seen before in human history. The way we respond to these changes has the potential to accelerate conflict or, if done sensitively, offers opportunities for peacebuilding where few might have existed. Explore our infographic to understand more about how climate change, conflict and peace interact and the vital role peacebuilders can play in ensuring responses to climate change don’t cause more harm.

Infographic: Peace and the Sustainable Development Goals

2023 marks the mid-way point for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity. There are 17 SDGs in total, but they don’t sit in isolation and without peace, inclusion and equality it simply won’t be possible to achieve these global ambitions.

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