From the field Observing the polls in DR Congo

November 28, 2011 was historic in the DR Congo; the first ever democratic national election organized by the Congolese themselves. Indeed it was only the second time since independence in 1960 that a multi-party electoral vote would be set to determine the presidential seat. However, this relatively undeveloped voting system left the electoral process wide open to systemic and local corruption that could erode its very legitimacy. Two years ago I visited communities affected by violence in the eastern DR Congo. So when Christian Aid offered me the opportunity to help monitor and evaluate the election, I felt compelled to return in the hope that a fair election would improve the livelihoods of the Congolese people. Read more >>>

From the field Colombia: A new chance for peace?

At the beginning of November FARC leader Alfonso Cano was killed by Colombian military forces and his death is certainly a victory for the Colombian military. Peace organisations in the country, such as Colombianas y colombianos por la paz, stress that in spite of military victory, political negotiation and social justice need to be used to establish peace and stability in Colombia. Read more >>>

Commentary How much is peace worth?

There is a neglected garden overgrown and in disarray. The flowers— vibrant, multi-colored, beautiful— are smothered by refuse and weeds. The detritus must be cleared away to allow new growth. This metaphor came up in a debate a couple years back on whether Chicago should further invest in CeaseFire’s violence prevention approach or an economic revitalization schema. Read more >>>

Commentary India-Pakistan relations and SAARC

It is an ‘unusual’ occasion in the history of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that a summit is following by some positive developments in India-Pakistan relations. SAARC has long suffered from bilateral rivalry between India and Pakistan slowing its progress on a range of issues, particularly free trade in South Asia. Read more >>>

Commentary Improving peacebuilding evaluation – bringing some ideas ‘to the field’

They are rare, but every once in awhile there is a moment where the thought-practice cycle becomes real. I was recently in a room, ‘in the field’, with representatives from ten peacebuilding organizations. These were organizations doing the hard work of peacebuilding, at the grassroots level, under very difficult circumstances. On their invitation, I was sharing my thoughts on improving peacebuilding evaluation as crystallized in the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Special Report, Improving Peacebuilding Evaluation: A Whole-of-Field Approach. Read more >>>

From the field A multi-ethnic play represents Sri Lanka internationally

Selvaraj Leelawathi met Ronika Chamalee in 2004, through Janakaraliya – a Sri Lankan theatre group. Both were recruited as team members of the mobile theatre group. At that time, neither of them was able to speak the other’s language, speaking only Tamil and Sinhala respectively. They have come a long way from where they were when they joined and today, they are co-directing the first Tamil play to represent Sri Lanka at an international theatre festival, together with their multi-ethnic crew. Read more >>>

Insight on Conflict Newsletter January 2012

A monthly selection of the best new research and resources on local peacebuilding worldwide, as chosen by Insight on Conflict. This month’s edition features a case study of locally-led DDR in DR Congo, community security in Bangladesh and more. To receive the email newsletter each month, please sign-up here or email joel@insightonconflict.org. Read more >>>

Commentary What is Social Entrepreneurship in Peacebuilding?

At Ashoka we’ve been exploring how we can best contribute to the peacebuilding field, we’ve spoken with a broad spectrum of Ashoka Fellows, other innovators and practitioners, academic institutions, and donors. One of the key questions that arise from these conversations is: What does innovation in peacebuilding look like? Or, how can social entrepreneurship help reduce violence? Read more >>>

Commentary 7 tips for fundraising in peace and conflict resolution

One of the biggest challenges in the field of peacebuilding and conflict resolution is finding financial support from donors. Every year, billions of dollars are invested in organizations and institutions that support conflict, whether directly or indirectly. But getting funders to think about peace, not war, is hard since the results are often delayed and connecting projects to their long-term effects can be difficult. There has never been a greater need for investments in development, conflict prevention, and post-conflict reconstruction—all areas that contribute to the promotion and maintenance of peace. Read more >>>

From the field Practical advice on peacebuilding research in Uganda

We travelled to Uganda from the beginning of May to early August 2011. We had spent months conducting research at the University of Toronto into issues surrounding youth affected by the recent war in Northern Uganda between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda. In Uganda we hoped to collect quantitative and qualitative data in the field to test the assumptions of existing research and provide answers as well. Read more >>>