General News

The people of Rwanda have come a long way since the 1994 genocide that took nearly a million lives. Yet the stories we hear from the survivors, but also from the ex-combatant and ex-prisoners, show that the people are still struggling to rebuild their lives. We cannot ignore their need for help.  

The Great Lakes region has in the last ten to fifteen years seen an increase in women’s representation and involvement in politics and the public sphere, a positive outcome of the region’s peace processes and political transitions.

Small-scale cross-border trade plays an important role in supporting communities in the Great Lakes region of Africa. This trade provides essential foodstuffs for communities and an income for some 45,000 traders and their families. Yet it faces considerable barriers.

South Sudan’s independence in 2011 marked the end of a prolonged period of conflict with its northerly neighbour Sudan. In our new report, we assess the opportunities for building a more positive peace in the new country.

Marking the International Day of Peace, International Alert today released ‘Fractured Lives’, a photographic essay and film on the incredible stories of Rwandan people who are still working hard to rebuild their lives and their divided society 18 years after the 1994 genocide.

Through the photos of Carol Allen Storey, we explore the long-term effects of war and the complexity of reconciling a nation.

Marking the International Day of Peace, on 21st September International Alert released ‘Fractured Lives’, a photographic essay (below) and film (watch here) on the remarkable stories of Rwandan people who are still working hard to rebuild their lives and their divided society, 18 years after the 1994 genocide.

The photos by award-winning photojournalist Carol Allen Storey highlight the long-term effects of war and the complexity of reconciling a nation.

The debate over what happens after 2015 is beginning to heat up. The Rio+20 conference on sustainable development saw an attempt to develop an alternative set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while the formation of a High Level Panel of World Leaders has focussed minds on what might replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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International Alert has successfully concluded two EU-funded projects in Tajikistan, one on secular-religious dialogue and the other on the promotion of peaceful behaviour among young people. We held conferences with local stakeholders in the country to review the successes, recommendations and lessons learnt from both projects.

International Alert and Transition International recently held an advanced course on reintegration of ex-combatants for a distinguished group of 25 professionals in Landgraaf, the Netherlands.

International Alert recently oversaw the training of community mediators in Jalal-Abad province in Kyrgyzstan.

In the Lancashire mill towns of Brierfield and Nelson, International Alert is training young people in a diaspora community affected by conflict at home and abroad, to be peace advocates.

Here our Climate Change and Conflict Adviser Janani Vivekananda shares her thoughts on a recent trip to Rio, Brazil.

Hot on the heels of the Olympic flag, I found myself making the journey from London to Rio for a conference last week.

International Alert recently took part in a public seminar in Islamabad, Pakistan on peacebuilding through corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The seminar looked at whether businesses are seen by the public as agents of peace or drivers of conflict in Pakistan, and built on our worldwide experiences of engaging with the private sector on peacebuilding.

International Alert and the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia have announced a two-year initiative aimed at strengthening the voice of Liberia’s civil society organisations (CSOs) in the national reconciliation process.

The project, entitled “Strengthening Civil Society’s Voice in National Reconciliation and Dealing with the Past”, aims to improve communication and understanding between communities and policymakers on the conflict risks and opportunities for long-term peace and reconciliation in Liberia.