Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation

Peacebuilding Programme

People-centred approaches to conflict and development
 
 

Introduction

The Peacebuilding Programme at CSVR emerged out of the Africa programme that was established in January 2002. A partnership programme that works with implementing organisations in countries across the region was initiated. This is in recognition of our responsibility within the region and on the continent to support initiatives rooted in communities that are committed to understanding the roots of violence and injustice and forging actions that transform social relations and the systems and structures that inform them.

The Peacebuilding Programme is born out of the CSVR's protracted commitment to understanding the shifting patterns of violence in societies emerging from political conflict. Over the past fifteen years it has carried out innovative comparative research to support policy development aspects of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Justice for Women Campaign, the National Crime Prevention Strategy, and school-based violence prevention strategies. This action research, along with CSVR's recognised expertise in community-led strategies for dealing with residual trauma, truth- and justice seeking processes, and reconciliation, has laid the foundation for CSVR's work beyond South Africa's borders.

Emanating from this, CSVR has sculpted a unique, multi-disciplinary, systemic approach to peace building that integrates trauma healing, conflict transformation, early warning and violent conflict prevention, restorative justice and reconciliation. It locates reconciliation and peace building firmly within transitional agendas, recognising that lasting peace can best be achieved if it is embraced, driven and implemented by local stakeholders, civil society formations and local peace practitioners.

Goal of the Peacebuilding Programme

The goal of the Peacebuilding Programme is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations in targeted African countries to develop and advance sustainable peace, healing and reconciliation based on justice, accountability and respect for human rights.

It sets out to do this through the establishment of strategic partnerships, based on the principles of reciprocal learning, mutual capacity development, information exchange and the sharing of skills and experiences.

Although still at inception stage the programme intends to go further in exploring the links between conflict and development. This will include workshops in conflict sensitive approaches to development.

Existing Projects

The Peacebuilding Programme consists of a number of complementary projects aimed at enhancing institutional capacity for trauma healing, conflict transformation, peace building and the development of sustainable reconciliation initiatives at community levels.

1. Strengthening Community-based Reconciliation and Peace Building in Southern Africa

The overall purpose of this project is to establish strategic partnerships between CSVR and targeted civil society organisations in the Southern Africa Region through a process of mutual capacity development and information-exchange to develop and promote community based responses to violence prevention; trauma healing; early warning and conflict transformation; and restorative justice processes in order to build sustainable reconciliation and peace in societies emerging from political conflict.

Countries targeted for the implementation of this project were identified as Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique.

The specific project objectives are to:

2. Lobbying and Advocacy

The Peacebuilding programme is involved in two key initiatives aimed at influencing policy makers. These include an attempt to bridge the gap between communities and decision takers within the African Union and NEPAD through its involvement in the Peace and Development platform. This programme is run out of the offices of the ACTION Support Centre and is aimed at forging partnerships between civil society actors, particularly community based organisations, and identifying and using opportunities for engagement within the Peace and Security Council of the AU and the NEPAD Secretariat.

The second initiative involves CSVR in an advocacy group exploring the formation of the African Court on Human and People Rights. It goes further to explore the relationship between this court and the African Court of Justice as well as the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. This collaborative advocacy effort involves CSVR with a number of organisations that collectively produce short papers used to lobby member states of the African Union as well as the AU itself.

3. Support to local partners, networking and coordination

The Peacebuilding Programme has formed strategic partnerships with various national, regional and international non-governmental organisations to strengthen its work on the African continent. Key partnerships include:

Team Members Include:
 
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