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What we do What is peacebuilding? International Alert is an international peacebuilding organisation. But what does that mean? The term itself has only been in use since 1992, when UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali used it in his report to the Security Council, Agenda for Peace. Violent conflict today There have been 126 armed conflicts since the end of the Cold War in 1989. Over 7 million people have died as a result – and 75% of them were civilians. The vast majority of these armed conflicts are not between states but within them. Most of them take place in developing countries causing massive human suffering and disrupting social and economic development efforts for many years. Although there was an upsurge in armed conflicts in the 1990s, there has also been a heightened global effort for peace. In the fifteen years since the end of the Cold War the world has achieved more peace agreements than in the previous two centuries. However, successful peace negotiations don’t ensure lasting peace. Around half of all peace agreements fail within five years. Some break down because of bad faith and hidden agendas, some because of breakaway factions continuing the fight and others because war has destroyed lives, livelihoods, communities, social cohesion, human values, hope and belief in the future. If the long-term causes of the armed conflict are not addressed in the peace process, it is likely that violence will recur. The aftermath of one war may well be the prelude to the next. What peacebuilding involves Peace does not come ready-made at the moment when a peace agreement is signed. Attempting to rush it is likely to be counter-productive. Instead, it has to be built in a continuing process that encourages the attitudes, the behaviour and the structural conditions in society that lay the foundations for peaceful, stable and ultimately prosperous social and economic development. Peacebuilding is the art of encouraging and facilitating this process, either during violent conflict, once the fighting is over, or in order to prevent it from erupting. Peace cannot be made on behalf of people in war-torn and war-threatened territories but work can be done to equip them with knowledge and skills that will radically improve their chances of avoiding violence. This requires the assistance of organisations with a professional knowledge of what is needed and an ethical commitment to providing it – organisations such as International Alert. Awareness of sustainable peace processes at government and international levels has grown over the past decade but there remain widespread deficiencies in knowledge and understanding. The policy world needs more insight into the practical consequences of its decisions and priorities, as do international companies and development and humanitarian NGOs. Providing advice and practical recommendations on this is another important priority for Alert. Peacebuilding takes time – usually more than a decade – because it has to address the root causes of conflict. It involves a wide-ranging and strategic approach – that addresses issues of security, the socio-economic foundations of peace, governance and the need for justice and reconciliation to recover from the wounds of war. Click here to find out more. International Alert and peacebuilding International Alert seeks to understand the root causes of
violent conflict – and then to act to make a difference. We are committed
to: 2. Improving both the substance and implementation of international policies that affect peacebuilding and the prospects for peace: find out how 3. Strengthening the peacebuilding sector through increasing its effectiveness and profile. Our approach We don’t have one methodology – peacebuilding requires a tailored approach rather than an off-the-shelf technique or standard template. We work in a number of ways, using one or more of these methods, depending on what is most appropriate for the situation. Dialogue – creating safe spaces in which to bring together groups and people who are divided by conflict and who would not otherwise be in dialogue with each other Accompaniment – working with diverse groups to strengthen their involvement in peace processes. Capacity building – building organisations’ awareness of peacebuilding issues and their capacities to strengthen prospects for peace. Research and analysis – a mutual process with local partners that is the basis of both our work in conflict zones and our policy development. Public education – raising awareness both in conflict countries and in the UK of peacebuilding, how it works, and why it matters Partnerships are important to us - we work closely with civil society and NGOs in conflict areas, with international NGOs and with other actors including inter-governmental organisations and companies to encourage and assist them in contributing positively to the prospects for peace. Click here for links
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| Contact Person |
| Email: Communications Dept. |
| Examples of our work |
| Developing a regional network
of West African civil society groups engaged in dialogue with governments
on peace issues Monitoring the implementation of international controls on the
illegal trafficking of small arms and light weapons Promoting Rwandan women’s involvement in the post-genocide
justice tribunals Facilitating business contacts across the ethnic divide in Sri
Lanka in an effort to prod the politicians towards peace talks –
and to prevent the shadow of war from hampering the post-tsunami
aid effort. Encouraging oil, gas and mining corporations to assess the impact of their operations in conflict-prone regions (find out more) Lobbying to bring an end to sexual violence in the Democratic
Republic of Congo Advising European Union Presidencies and senior officials on more
effective conflict prevention policy Providing informal support to formal peace negotiations in the
Philippines Promoting dialogue and debate in Georgia – to rebuild trust
and ease tensions across ethnic and political divides |
