Conferences and Training Workshops
African Centre for Peacebuilding International Peace Conference (Accra, Ghana, 30 June-1 July) The conference aims to lay the ground for developing and implementing practical policies and programmes towards building a global culture of peace. Practitioners, scholars and representatives of governments and NGOs, among others, will share ideas, resources and information about sustainable programmes and projects to promote global peace and development; acknowledge leaders who are committed to promoting peace and development; and share lessons learned on youth development, poverty reduction, democracy and promotion of human rights. Conference sub-themes include youth and the Internet in peacebuilding, the role of women in ensuring a sustainable culture of peace and democracy, corporate and economic peace in the 21st century, and the role of civil society and local communities in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. For information on registration, fees and workshop schedules, visit http://africapeacefestival.org/ipc.
Participatory Development Centre Course: Peacebuilding Initiatives – Conflict Management and Resolution (Nairobi 2–6 July) The centre, based in the Kenyan capital, offers professional community development training, research and consultancy. The course targets church leaders and managers involved in fundraising, local government, civil society, and technical and academic team members, and aims to build their capacities in promoting conflict resolution and peace initiatives among diverse communities in their constituencies. It covers conflict analysis and mapping; strategies and methods of peacebuilding and conflict resolution; communication skills for peacebuilders; and monitoring and evaluating peacebuilding initiatives For information on the registration, fees and other courses in Kenya and South Sudan, visit www.pdcentre.org/index.php?option = com_content &view = article&id = 118.
Online Course: Natural Resources Management in Post-conflict Countries (9 July-3 August) The United Nations Institute for Training and Research has based this course on case studies of how natural resource management can help to mitigate conflict risks and support peacebuilding interventions, confidence-building measures and statebuilding. The course explores ways of using natural resources as entry points for building peace and strengthening governance, integrating them into community recovery programmes and implementing technologies and practices to ensure that peacekeeping missions have a minimal impact on the local environment. A limited number of fellowships are available for candidates from least developed countries. For information on registration and fees or to learn more about other courses, visit www.unitar.org/ptp/advanced-courses.
Peacebuilding and Development Institute in Sri Lanka Training Course: Economic Dimensions of Peacebuilding (Nepal, 27 July-1 August) Led by the institute and International Alert, this week-long training course is designed for South Asia-based development agencies and peacebuilding organisations with ongoing or planned economic recovery and development work in war- or conflict-affected areas. It will bring together experienced programme and project managers and implementers in an interactive setting to build skills and knowledge on integrating economic and peacebuilding interventions. The course will facilitate exchanges between practitioners working at different levels and reflect a spectrum of approaches, working methods and perspectives on economic recovery in the aftermath of conflict. For information on application requirements, registration and fees, or to learn more about the institute's other courses, visit http://pdisl.org/courses/specialised_courses/economic_dimensions_of_peacebuilding.
E-Communications
The Hive
The Hive is a knowledge platform on fragility, conflict and violence, which offers practitioners working on these issues an online and face-to-face communication platform to share knowledge across contexts and disciplines and explore innovative approaches that can inform best-fit solutions. It has over 25 partner institutions across the globe. Its social network platform will tap into existing online profiles (Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, etc.) to connect users with the community of practice. It is also developing a specialist directory where users can be connected with experts on different topics and an interactive idea map.
World Bank Jobs Knowledge Platform
Recent world events have put jobs at the centre of the policy debate. In advanced economies, there is concern about a jobless recovery; in developing countries, continued growth cannot shield workers who are vulnerable to shocks. Political upheavals in the Arab world have highlighted the discontent of educated youth whose employment opportunities fall short of their expectations. Research suggests that the lack of jobs directly affects life satisfaction and might also undermine social cohesion and peace. The World Bank and its partners have launched a global platform to convene a multi-disciplinary approach on the 2013 World Development Report on Jobs, which will look at how jobs contribute to living standards, productivity and social cohesion and will help explain and analyse the connection between jobs and important dimensions of economic and social development. The Job Knowledge Platform aims to share knowledge and foster debate and solutions to the jobs agenda worldwide through blogs, discussion forums, documents, seminars and videos.
South South Opportunity
This platform offers a space for professionals and practitioners dedicated to South-South cooperation to discuss emerging topics, share best practices and explore design and methodological considerations of learning.
Book Notices
Local and Global Dynamics of Peacebuilding: Post-conflict Reconstruction in Sierra Leone
Christine Cubitt
Routledge 2012
ISBN: 978-0415664912
Local and Global Dynamics of Peacebuilding examines the complex contributing factors that led to war and state collapse in Sierra Leone, and the international peacebuilding and statebuilding operations that followed. Its examination of the country's political and war histories and the outcomes of programmes of post-conflict reforms is nuanced and contextually specific. It analyses the complex challenges involved in aligning international norms and values to local expectations and local priorities, and examines the role of local and global actors and structures in attempts to build a strong state and lasting peace. Using a theoretical framework informed by ‘liberal peace’ philosophy and detailed empirical evidence from the field, the book constructs a critical analysis of the contemporary global paradigm for building longer-term peace in war-torn, fractured and fragile societies.
Annual Review of United Nations Affairs: 1996 to Present
Joachim Mueller and Karl P. Sauvant, editors
OUP 2012
ISBN 13: 978-0195328561
For more than 25 years The Annual Review has been the only source for researchers and policy makers needing a comprehensive print and bound document collection that highlights the work of the UN's six principal organs each year. An authoritative reference, it covers the transition to a new millennium, one with unforeseen successes and challenges, and captures the UN's changing role in a post-9/11 society as it re-evaluates its priorities to reflect on and reaffirm its mission of peace.
Reports
Advancing Conflict Transformation: Berghof Handbook II
Berghof Conflict Research, July 2011
B. Austin, M. Fischer & H.J. Giessmann, editors
www.berghof-handbook.net/news/
This collection of insights into non-violent ways of managing inter-group conflict and requirements for consolidating positive peace presents 20 new or revised articles not previously available in print. It continues the Berghof tradition of gathering scholars and practitioners in a single conversation. Topics include global trends in organised violence; the role of gender relations and asymmetries in conflict; third-party intervention and insider approaches; human rights; and transitional justice and reconciliation in post-war societies. The website offers PDF downloads of the introduction and table of contents.
World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development
World Bank, 2012
http://econ.worldbank.org/wbsite/external/extdec/extresearch/extwdrs/extwdr2012/0,
contentMDK:22999750∼menuPK:8154981∼pagePK:64167689∼piPK:64167673∼theSitePK:7778063,00.html
The lives of girls and women have changed dramatically over the past 25 years. The pace of change has been astonishing in some areas, but in others progress toward gender equality has been limited, even in developed countries. This year's World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation and make institutions more representative. The report focuses on four priority areas for future policy: reducing female mortality and closing education gaps where they remain; improving access to economic opportunities for women; increasing women's voice and agency in the household and in society; and limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.
Perspectives on Global Development 2012 Social Cohesion in a Shifting World
OECD Development Centre, November 2011
www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?CID = &LANG = EN&SF1 = DI&ST1 = 5KGF1PCTJLS2
‘Shifting wealth’ – a process that started in the 1990s and took off in the 2000s – has led to a completely new geography of growth driven by the economic rise of large developing countries, particularly China and India. The resulting reconfiguration of the global economy will shape the political, economic and social agendas of international development for years to come. The report analyses the impact of shifting wealth on social cohesion, largely focusing on high-growth converging countries. A ‘cohesive’ society works towards the wellbeing of all its members, creates a sense of belonging and fights against the marginalisation within and between different groups. The report asks: how does the structural transformation in converging economies affect their ‘social fabric’ and their ability to manage collective action problems peacefully? Recent events in well-performing countries in the Arab world and Thailand, China and India seem to suggest that economic growth, rising fiscal resources and improvements in education are not sufficient to create cohesion; governments need to address social deficits and actively promote social cohesion if long-term development is to be sustainable.
A Peacebuilding Tool for a Conflict-sensitive Approach to Development: A Pilot Initiative in Nepal
Asian Development Bank, March 2012
http://beta.adb.org/sites/default/files/pub/2012/nepal-pbt.pdf
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) works with a number of developing member countries facing fragile and conflict-affected situations that complicate economic development and might include domestic or international conflict, ethnic tensions, vulnerability to natural disasters or a confluence of these factors. The ADB piloted this peacebuilding initiative in Nepal as an analytical tool for helping project team leaders and social experts to better understand the local context, identify potential risks in implementing development projects that are linked to social conflicts and formulate measures to mitigate these risks. The report offers lessons learned from the initiative, discussing the importance of gaining local support for development aid, security and development, and the benefits and challenges of using such an analytical approach.
Caribbean Human Development Report 2012: Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security
UNDP February 2012
www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/hdr/caribbean-human-development-report-2012-l.html
The report reviews the current state of crime and national and regional policies and programmes to address the problem in seven English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. It recommends that Caribbean governments address youth crime prevention through education and provide job opportunities that target the marginalised urban poor. It argues for a shift in focus from a state protection approach to one that focuses on citizen security and participation, promoting law enforcement that is fair, accountable and more respectful of human rights.
International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness
www.cso-effectiveness.org/-toolkits,082-.html?lang = en
In September 2010 representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs) in 82 countries unanimously adopted the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness, which take into account the diversity of CSO visions, approaches, relationships and impacts in their development actions and which are the foundation for the Open Forum International Framework adopted in June 2011 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. To support the application and implementation of the International Framework, CSOs have developed an ‘implementation toolkit’, which contains a process for contextualising the Istanbul Principles and their application in different country contexts (with resources from CSOs around the globe); and an ‘advocacy toolkit’, which proposes strategies, case studies and tools for advocating for a more enabling environment for CSOs in national, regional and international contexts.
Governance for Peace: Securing the Social Contract
UNDP January 2012
The report reviews the history of the UN Development Programme in supporting governance in fragile and conflict-affected contexts and proposes a framework for governance promotion in such situations to serve as a platform for future development programming. The framework identifies four priorities that place the social contract between states and societies at the centre of recovery: responsive institutions, inclusive political processes, fostering societies resilient to crisis, and working through partnerships. One critique suggests that while the report offers many interesting real-world examples, the challenge for the UNDP will be in ensuring that the whole of its governance activities in fragile states is greater than the sum of its parts.