This report identifies the major government and donor programmes that aim to contribute to peacebuilding in four West African nations – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. It begins by providing an overview of major partnerships and programmes, particularly those that are present in two or more of the countries. The main types of partnerships for peacebuilding in ...» more
Peacebuilding
Natural resource exploitation and peacebuilding
Natural resource exploitation has been extensively analysed as a potential source of conflict and a constraint on peace and stability. Studies have continued to demonstrate how ineffective or inequitable arrangements for resource extraction can reignite or exacerbate conflict, perpetuating social and economic grievances and horizontal inequalities. There appears to be ...» more
Youth statebuilding and peacebuilding interventions
Significant numbers of youth are directly affected by conflict and fragility. The various challenges they face in such environments can exacerbate the risks of violence and conditions of fragility. These challenges include: economic and political exclusion, loss of education and divisive education, trauma and the loss of family and social networks. This helpdesk research ...» more
Impact and VFM of Capacity Building Support for Conflict Parties in Negotiations
This report assesses the impact and value for money (VFM) of international support to government and rebel capacity building for negotiations. It finds that there has been little sustained analysis of the impact of this kind of support. Few donor evaluations focus specifically on these activities and those that do are often not made public (expert comments). No studies were ...» more
Conflict dynamics in West Africa
Of the 16 countries that make up the West African sub-region , four have had large scale civil conflict and at least seven have experienced significant low-scale conflicts within the last 25 years, a consequence of multiple interrelated factors. These include: political system failures social exclusion persistent poverty and low levels of economic development poor ...» more
Cash payments in DDR programmes
Cash payments to ex-combatants are a common feature of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes, yet there is considerable debate in academic and donor circles about the benefits and risks of using them. Evidence on the impact of cash payments in DDR programmes is mixed, and experience has not been universally positive. Cash payments may take various ...» more
Factors Contributing to Transitional Justice Effectiveness
Many claims have been made about the positive impact that transitional justice can have on societies recovering from violent conflict. Sceptics argue, however, that many transitional justice measures can undermine negotiated settlements and exacerbate divisions. There is growing recognition of the need to engage in more systematic research on the effects and impact of ...» more
DDR and Transitional Justice
This report looks at the links between DDR and transitional justice. DDR programming has become a regular component of international peace support and peacebuilding architecture. DDR programmes can play an important role in limiting violence by disarming large numbers of actors and disbanding illegal, dysfunctional or bloated military structures. While there is a growing body ...» more
Lessons From The Northern Ireland Peace Process
Key Findings One of the key lessons is that successful conflict resolution requires long-term and unwavering commitment from external actors. Peace processes should be inclusive, comprehensive and involve long- and short-term measures to bolster the commitment of all sides. In NI, various mechanisms (including a degree of textual ambiguity in the GFA) allowed difficult issues ...» more
Community Peacebuilding
Key findings: Community peacebuilding initiatives have been developed in several conflict-affected countries. In fragile and (post)conflict-affected settings, community-led processes to peacebuilding can complement state structures and institutions that are often weak in capacity or political will.Most community peacebuilding initiatives in South Asia are relatively new. As ...» more
Development Assistance and Social Capital
Most studies on social capital examine the impact of social capital variables on particular development outcomes. There are few studies that provide evidence of the impact of development assistance on social capital, and even less that focus specifically on Sudan and more widely on Central and East Africa. A common theme among the available studies from the regions is the ...» more
Truth Commissions
Political backing is integral to the success of a truth commission. It is often presumed that national governments that have themselves established truth commissions (either by presidential decree or through legislation) will be supportive of them. This, however, has not always been the case. Where political will is absent, the work and impact of the commission is frequently ...» more
Transitional Justice and Reconciliation – Zimbabwe
On the 15th of September 2008, ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations signed the Global Political Agreement (GPA), intended to break the deadlock following the March 2008 elections. The agreement is silent on transitional justice, although it does include the provision to “give consideration to the setting up of a mechanism to properly advise on what measures might be necessary ...» more
Reintegration Best Practice
The following ‘lessons learned’ in relation to reintegration are repeated across the literature:Reintegration is a long process and programmes must be part of a wider security sector reform strategyReintegration should be nationally led and take a participatory approach, including various stakeholders.Planning for reintegration should begin early.Clear selection criteria should ...» more
Mainstreaming Peace and Conflict Prevention in Zimbabwe
There are few resources detailing how peacebuilding, conflict prevention and conflict resolution have practically been integrated into developing and humanitarian programming in Zimbabwe. However the Zimbabwe literature is in-keeping with the general literature in that it talks about: a) governance; b) education; and c) developing the capacities of staff within these sectors. ...» more
Peacebuilding Commission
The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is an intergovernmental advisory body, which formally came into existence in June 2006. The PBC, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) comprise the UN’s new peacebuilding architecture. ‘The PBC (and by extension, the PBF and PBSO) were designed to:bring sustained attention to the pressing needs of countries ...» more
The World Bank in Fragile States
Some of the recurring findings from the literature on the World Bank’s performance in fragile and conflict-affected states include the following:Despite efforts to become more conflict-sensitive, the Bank’s approach to conflict-affected and post-conflict states focuses more on ‘doing things differently’ than ‘doing different things’. This is partly due to a continued reluctance ...» more
Fragile states
This Topic Guide introduces some of the best literature on state fragility and the challenge of aid effectiveness and lessons learned from international engagement in these contexts. It highlights the major debates in the international development and academic community on understanding and responding to fragile situations. It is intended primarily as a reference guide for ...» more
Peacebuilding and Access to Justice in Sri Lanka
Since the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 2002, many donors have sought to facilitate the peace process through peace conditionalities, i.e. the provision of aid tied to commitment to conflict resolution and peace. Much of the literature stresses, however, that political and diplomatic actors and processes and efforts to address structural causes of conflict are also ...» more
Aid Interventions on Gender and Conflict
Many experts point out that the impact of aid interventions on gender, especially in post-conflict settings, is rarely measured. Most of the literature on aid programmes that is available often takes a more critical perspective, with a view to suggesting what could have been done better. As a result, there is relatively more information on the strategies which are considered ...» more
