How to Choose a Local Partner.

One of the common reasons given by ‘outsiders’ for not forming equal partnerships with local people is the difficulty of knowing who to work with.

It is a collection of interviews with people who’ve gone through the process, or observed others doing so and is intended to show how people have found the right partners and the way that working with these partners enables a wholly different kind of peacebuilding to develop.

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Alla Skvortova on Moldova

Alla Skvortova, Head of Moldova Country Office, DfID on building links between conflicting parties

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Ben Hoffman on Guinea-Bissau

Ben Hoffman from the Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation on the work of the International Peace and Prosperity Project in Guinea-Bissau

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Carolyn Hayman on Sudan

Carolyn Hayman OBE, Chief Executive of Peace Direct speaks of her experience working with the Collaborative for Peace in Sudan

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Foreword – Joan Link

“Seek to work with your local partners as collaborators, on an equal footing, and with humility.” Joan Link, Former Head of Confict Issues Group, FCO, UK.

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Lidja Skaro on Bosnia-Herzegovina

Lidja Skaro of the International Commission on Missing Persons talks of the importance of involving local family associations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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Lt Col Stuart Gordon On Afghanistan

Lt Col Stuart Gordon on the logic of channelling development funds through local structures.

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Maud Roure On Burundi

Maud Roure on the lessons Interpeace learnt finding a partner in Burundi

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Roxanne Myers on Guyana

Roxanne Myers describes how using local civil society proved more effective than a top down approach in Guyana

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Serena Rix on Nepal

Serena Rix of Search for Common Ground explains the importance of finding partners with a similar mission and goals

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Squadron Leader Gordon Summers On Afghanistan

Squadron Leader Gordon Summers describes the challenges of engaging local civil society in the midst of hot conflict

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These interviews originally appeared in a Peace Direct publication called ‘How to Choose a Dance Partner’, released in June 2009 and focuses on the experiences of ‘outsiders’ in forming partnerships with local peacebuilding organisations. Future publications will look at other aspects of peacebuilding.