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BURUNDI
International Alert has worked in Burundi since 1995 and our primary focus at the moment is working to ensure that the many changes underway in the country as it moves towards long-term peace and stability take place in a way that involves every part of society.
Our Burundi programme currently consists of three main interlinked strands, aiming respectively to enhance political participation, promote economic reform and address citizens’ concerns on security. Our work to encourage citizen participation in political processes will promote civic education amongst two constituencies currently largely excluded from the political process, namely women and coffee farmers. It will also support our partners in lobbying for changes in election practice that enhance participation, in monitoring the conduct of the elections in order to minimise the possibility of violence and in introducing opinion polling. On economic reform, we will work on issues around corruption and the reform of the coffee industry. Building on previous research, Alert and its partners will offer policy advice to relevant institutions, and undertake public dialogues and other communications activities (including radio broadcasts) with a view to both informing the public and enabling people to voice their opinions. Our strand entitled supporting women’s peacebuilding priorities aims to improve the effectiveness of peacebuilding processes through the incorporation of a gender dimension. As well as supporting Burundian women’s organisations to promote women’s participation in the upcoming elections as voters and candidates, this programme will also build on previous work on integrating gender in the projects funded through the UN Peacbuilding Commission trust fund (PBF projects), and through our research on women’s perceptions of security. In working with the Peacebuilding Fund, we have accompanied women’s organisations in providing specific gender indicators for the array of projects, many of which aim at security sector reform. A major finding of our research has been the massive burden of domestic violence endured by women, and the need to alert police forces – and society generally – to this phenomenon.
CONTEXT
Burundi’s first democratically elected regime took over in 2005. As this followed a short period of transition after a long civil war, the consolidation of democratic processes – a foundation for sustainable peace – remains at an early stage of development. Democratic institutions are not yet strong and the democratic culture among the citizens has not fully taken root: that is, citizens are not sufficiently able or willing to hold their elected leaders to account, and those leaders are not in turn accounting to their citizens for how they use the power and the resources they now hold. At present the security situation is Burundi is unstable and there are increasing levels of politically motivated violence. The police service has not yet been fully trained and operationalised, nor has the justice sector established its independence vis-à-vis the executive. These institutional weaknesses are an indicator of potential violence during the elections period – a phenomenon with which Burundians are all too familiar and of which almost all are fearful, limiting both their participation and their free will in the process of transforming the country to a peaceful, democratic and stable future. Recent years have seen a welcome but gradual process of change, as armed groups have decommissioned their weapons and committed themselves to entering a democratic and peaceful public life. However in the run up to June 2010, when Burundi’s second presidential elections are scheduled, there are likely to be significant challenges to society and stability in the country. Our overall aim between now and the elections is to promote transparency and participation in peaceful public life. We want to contribute to the development of a framework for widespread civic education and consciousness-raising for political participation ahead of the election. We hope this will form a basis for building the culture and practice of accountability over the long term – and possibly shape a process which will produce significant change in the short term. As our work in Burundi is based on a long-term involvement in understanding conflict and working to transform its underlying causes – the range of social, economic and political manifestations of exclusion – we will work throughout the election campaign season and beyond to continue to promote change in the different strategic sectors in which we work.   Click here to join our mailing list and receive our monthly e-bulletin PUBLICATIONS ON BURUNDI Integrating women’s priorities into peacebuilding processes: Experiences of monitoring and advocacy in Burundi and Sierra Leone
Author(s): International Alert Download pdf | More Information  Participation politique des femmes dans les pays sortant d’un conflit dans la région des Grands Lacs en Afrique
Author(s): International Alert Download pdf | More Information  Women’s political participation in countries emerging from conflict in the Great Lakes Region of Africa: Report of the Consultation Workshop
Author(s): International Alert Download pdf | More Information  Enhancing the EU response to women and armed conflict with particular reference to Development Policy: Study for the Slovenian Presidency of the EU
Author(s): Andrew Sherriff with Karen Barnes Download pdf | More Information  Reform of the Coffee Sector in Burundi: Prospects for Participation, Prosperity and Peace
Author(s): By Jean-Paul Kimonyo and Damase Ntiranyibagira Download pdf | More Information Click here to join our mailing list and receive our monthly e-bulletin |
