Peacebuilding is at a crossroads. While it is one of the most important instruments for addressing crisis and fragility, it is also persistently criticised. Chiefly the critique focuses on a past record where peacebuilding efforts have been too superficial, and with a number of recurring conflicts taking place. International interventions often operate at the national level of the state and fail to include a wider range of local level actors. Thus, peacebuilding can become disconnected from local realities and suffer in terms of quality and legitimacy.
In this seminar, Joakim Öjendal, Hanna Leonardsson and Martin Lundqvist will present their EBA report Local peacebuilding – challenges and opportunities. They discuss what the “local turn of peacebuilding” means, drawing on experiences from Somaliland, Cambodia, Rwanda and Liberia, and put forward their recommendations on what donors should focus on in order to engage more at the local level.
The presentation of the new EBA-report will be a point of departure for comments and reflections, as well as a broader discussion, on what donors can and should do to support local peacebuilding, including reflections on challenges and constraints related to building peace at the local lev
PROGRAM
14.00 Welcome and introduction
Gun-Britt Andersson, Chair EBA (acting)
14.10 Understanding local peacebuilding
Joakim Öjendal, Professor, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
Hanna Leonardsson, Doctoral student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
Martin Lundqvist, Doctoral Student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
14.40 Comments and reflections
Aofie McCullough, Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute
15.00 Panel discussion – challenges and opportunities with local peacebuilding
Urban Sjöström, Deputy Director, Department for Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Chris Coulter, Dr, Head of Conflict Prevention Programme, Folke Bernadotte Academy
Aofie McCullough, Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute
Joakim Öjendal, Professor, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
15.50 Concluding remarks
Gun-Britt Andersson, Chair EBA (acting)
Moderator: Richard Sannerholm, EBA