This report highlights examples of innovative peacebuilding and statebuilding at the community and local level across Africa. Five case studies explore the work of local actors, their relationship to and interaction with national actors and policies, and their influence on international programs and planning.
The case studies include women’s statebuilding initiatives in Egypt; youth-centered peacebuilding programs in Burundi; efforts to build local governance in the face of transnational organized crime in Mali; violence transformation training in Zimbabwe; and the use of online and mobile technologies to counter election violence in Kenya.
Key findings
There are many meanings of participation and inclusion in peacebuilding and statebuilding. To influence long-term outcomes, participation must be understood as a process of social change, which cannot be achieved through a series of technocratic and often disconnected interventions. While affirming the importance of inclusivity and local ownership for peacebuilding, international and national actors acknowledge that they lack effective approaches to integrate local knowledge and broaden participation in practice. As a result, priorities for recovery, development, and the functioning of the state are often determined by national and international elites, without incorporating local knowledge and community expectations in the decision-making process.
Recommendations include:
- Define and redefine the “local”. The meaning of “local ownership” is often unclear and needs to be negotiated, defined, and redefined in each individual context and community. This continuous examination of local or community-level approaches and perspectives can lead to broader inclusion and participation.
- View local knowledge as an ongoing resource. International actors often use local knowledge as a passive source of inputs for project design or conflict assessment.
- Bridge the divide between local and national. Programs that prioritize state-society relations and the social contract can help ensure that national peacebuilding and statebuilding processes do not undermine local efforts. International actors can create links, channels, and opportunities for communication between local communities and national policymakers.
- Do not presume legitimate representation. In peacebuilding and statebuilding programs, participation and representation are complex and contested processes. According to many African participants, international actors are selective in choosing “local” partners, often focusing on elite groups in national capitals. International actors should be aware that gatekeepers among organized civil society and national elites may prevent them from reaching perspectives and policy preferences that are representative of the broader population.
- Measure the impact of local knowledge. More research is needed to show how incorporating local ideas and community priorities leads to success.