Collaborative for Peace in Sudan (CfPS).
The Collaborative for Peace in Sudan was formed at an event organised by Peace Direct and PACT in Khartoum in September 2006, at which 17 Sudanese peacebuilding organisations met to learn about each others’ work. Participants quickly realised how much they had in common, drew up a nine-point action plan and founded the Collaborative for Peace in Sudan as a loose network for organisations committed to securing a just and lasting peace.
The Collaborative met again in December 2006 to share their experiences of disseminating information about Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to different groups, with 26 organisations attending. Findings were shared with donors and the UN, including representatives of UN Radio and UN Political Affairs.
A third meeting in Juba included a session on working with the media and an opportunity to discuss a draft strategic plan for the Collaborative for 2007-11. This focuses on empowering citizens to assert and realise their rights and will allow time for monitoring and evaluating the effects of peacebuiling activities.
The Collaborative aims to promote the sharing of information, experience and materials to contribute to a well informed and peaceful citizenry in Sudan. It seeks to build strong partnerships to secure resources and protect the work of its members. The ultimate goal is a robust civil society that is able to mobilise citizens to influence policies, programmes, regulations and institutions that affect their lives. Core values are trust, cooperation, generosity, transparency, accountability, open-mindedness, inclusivity, a non-partisan stance, participation and innovation.
Workshop on the role of the community in peacebuilding – Kurmuk
Post-conflict, the return of IDPs and demobilised soldiers can put a lot of strain on communities. CfPS wanted to encourage people both to find individual ways to contribute towards the peace process and to work together on shared projects.
They invited around 30 community representatives from a range of backgrounds to attend, including women, community leaders and government officials. An independent consultant of the Blue Nile University, who is experienced in working with IDPs, spoke about the challenges facing returnees, how they can be slowly gradually reintegrated and how to avoid conflict. The second day of the workshop comprised of a group discussion and a football match between the Kurmuk national team and the development society team. The match was used as an opportunity to discuss peace and sustainability with large numbers of audience members in the local language.
The workshop led to the creation of a voluntary ‘Sustainable Peace’ committee to hold meetings and events. This group has now met for a year without any funding and is currently planning a major project on preventing election-related violence.
Workshop on the role of young people in peacebuilding
CfPS invited people from different groups, including women, community leaders, members of the native administration and those who supported various political parties to one in a series of four workshops in the Blue Nile state. The aims of the workshop were to emphasise the crucial role of young people in peacebuilding, invite them to express their hopes and ideas for the peace process and create links between young people and peacebuilding organisations. The workshop ended with the election of a ‘Youth For Peace’ committee to continue the work in the area.
