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:
13.30 Coffee and registration
14:00 Welcome and introduction Gun-Britt Andersson
14:10 Understanding local peacebuilding Joakim Öjendal, Hanna Leonardsson and Martin Lundqvist
14.40 Comments and reflections Aofie McCullough
15.00 Panel discussion – challenges and opportunities with local peacebuilding Urban Sjöström, Chris Coulter, Aofie McCullough, Joakim Öjendal
15:50 Concluding remarks Gun-Britt Andersson
16.00 Seminar ends
Moderator: Richard Sannerholm, EBA
Registration:
Please register by April 20 at the latest to: ud.eba.seminarium@gov.se or at www.eba.se The number of seats is limited.
Speakers and panelists:
Gun-Britt Andersson, Chair EBA (acting)
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
Chris Coulter, Dr, Head of Conflict Prevention Programme, Folke Bernadotte Academy
Urban Sjöström, Deputy Director, Department for Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Aofie McCullough, Research Fellow, Overseas Development Institute