Publications
This report reflects the findings of the preparatory phase of a three-year research project exploring the role of gender in peacebuilding. Whilst addressing key research questions, the report identifies three approaches to gender that are evident in peacebuilding: gender-blind, those based on UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and gender-relational. The third – and hitherto unexplored – approach, is based on a strategy of benefit-sharing and solidarity-building between men and women, and uses a context-specific gendered power analysis as its starting point. The report calls for further exploration of the validity of this approach as an effective strategy for both analysing conflict and designing peacebuilding interventions, and it is this that will be the focus of the remaining two years of the project.
In the last five years of International Alert's presence in Uganda, we have undertaken different interventions aimed at understanding conflict and building peace. In this report, we provide an overview of this work and highlights of our work in 2011 specifically.
This report summarises the findings of a series of case studies which explore the socio-economic aspects of reintegration programmes for ex-combatants in a number of conflict-affected countries where International Alert works: Nepal, Liberia and Uganda. The aim of the series is to stimulate discussions at the local, national and international level about the role that private sector actors can play in the effective reintegration of ex-combatants, and to strengthen practice by developing recommendations for future socio-economic reintegration programmes.
Oversubscription, financial constraints, unrealistic timelines and a format transposed from other countries with insufficient consideration for the local context were some of the pitfalls of the disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration process in Liberia. This case study critically explores the effectiveness of the component geared towards providing ex-combatants with long-term livelihood opportunities and psycho-social support. It illustrates the drawbacks associated with limited involvement of the local business community and women’s groups in the design and implementation of the reintegration programme. The study also discusses the importance of community-based initiatives and life-skills coaching, with a view to empowering ex-combatants to not only secure sustainable livelihoods but also contribute to the rebuilding of societies whose social and economic fabric has been disrupted by violent conflict.
This report is part of the case study series, Enhancing socio-economic opportunities for ex-combatants in post-conflict environments.
This case study discusses rehabilitation efforts in Nepal following the Comprehensive Peace Accord of 2006 and geared towards those ex-combatants who were either verified minors or late recruits (VMLRs). It examines the outcomes of the process and highlights the role that private sector actors can play in the socio-economic reintegration of ex-combatants. The study critically explores the challenges that VMLRs encountered when enrolling in the rehabilitation programme, the vocational training options they were presented with, as well as the inhibiting factors which impacted on their ability to find gainful employment and attain sustainable livelihoods upon graduation. It highlights the tensions between ex-combatants’ immediate versus long-term interests, the need to align training modules with local market realities, and the barriers that misinformation and suspicion within the business community can pose to reintegration processes.
This report is part of the case study series, Enhancing socio-economic opportunities for ex-combatants in post-conflict environments.
The case of northern Uganda illustrates the difficulties of socio-economic reintegration faced not only by ex-combatants, but also by IDPs and war-affected youth in the post-conflict environment. It discusses the marginalisation of former abductees in particular, with a focus on the specific challenges that the reintegration process posed for girls and women. The study underscores the importance of adopting a holistic approach, and of extending support to receiving communities so as to facilitate the return of former combatants and war-affected youth more generally. It furthermore highlights the potential of private sector actors to contribute to the design of socio-economic reintegration processes which are linked to realistic livelihood opportunities, and the need for donor interventions to provide long-term, sustainable support to beneficiaries.
This report is part of the case study series, Enhancing socio-economic opportunities for ex-combatants in post-conflict environments.
Ce rapport démontre la manière dont les conflits qui déchirent l’est de la République Démocratique du Congo sont enracinés dans l’histoire congolaise, et concernent principalement la répartition du pouvoir et des ressources économiques sous forte influence de l’identité ethnique des protagonistes. Les conflits mélangent des aspects locaux avec des dynamiques de guerre régionales, d’où un paysage conflictuel particulièrement complexe. Le rapport analyse les différents programmes qui ont visé à rétablir la paix à l’est du pays, concluant que ceux-ci n’ont pas véritablement abordé les causes profondes des conflits. Compte tenu de la disparité entre la nature politique et structurelle des conflits dans l’est de la RDC d’un côté, et de la réponse principalement technique de l’autre, le rapport argumente qu’une nouvelle génération d’initiatives de pacification et de stabilisation est requise.
This report demonstrates how the conflicts in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo are embedded in Congolese history and how they relate mainly to the distribution of power and economic resources, influenced by the ethnic identity of the various parties. The conflicts combine local aspects along with the dynamics of regional war, which explains their particular complexity. This report analyses the various programmes aimed at restoring peace in the country, concluding that they have not addressed the root causes of conflict. Given on one hand the mismatch between the political and structural conflict in eastern DRC and on the other the predominantly technical response, this report argues that a new generation of peacebuilding initiatives and stabilisation is required.
This report looks at the reconciliation and reintegration of genocide survivors, former combatants, ex-prisoners and youth in Rwanda, and what lessons can be learned from the experience.
This research report analyses the dynamics of small cross-border trade at three border points in eastern DRC, and between Burundi and Rwanda, and proposes actions to improve this trade in order to advance the economic power of women and, in so doing, contribute to peace and security in the region. The report is part of an International Alert project aiming to strengthen the business environment of (mostly) female small traders and create opportunities for dialogue and rapprochement between traders and the authorities of the countries concerned. The research is used as an instrument for female traders in campaigns to raise awareness at the four border locations concerned.
Ce rapport de recherche analyse les dynamiques du petit commerce transfrontalier au niveau des 3 frontières à l’Est de la RDC et entre le Burundi et le Rwanda, et propose des actions pour l’amélioration de ce commerce afin de faire avancer le pouvoir économique des femmes et, par là même, contribuer à la paix et à la sécurité dans la région. Ce rapport fait partie d’un projet d’International Alert qui vise le renforcement de l’environnement des affaires pour les femmes (majoritairement) petites commerçantes et la création d’opportunités de dialogue et rapprochement entre les commerçant(e)s et les autorités des pays concernés. La recherche est utilisée comme instrument pour les femmes commerçantes aux campagnes de sensibilisation à ces quatre frontières.
From the series "Dialogue through Research", International Alert presents the latest analysis from its Georgian-Abkhaz dialogue process on the North Caucasus factor in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict context. Since the 2008 war, the Georgian Government has stepped up efforts to establish links with the peoples of the North Caucasus, to draw them into mutually beneficial partner relations. The case for promoting regional stability in the context of unresolved conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and ongoing instability in the North Caucasus is strong. However, to understand the complexity of the issues, it is necessary to examine the North Caucasus factor from a number of perspectives. This collection of articles examines political and social trends in the North Caucasus, as well as historical and contemporary relations, including the North Caucasus factor in the 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhaz and August 2008 Russian-Georgian wars.
С помощью серии «Диалог через исследования» International Alert представляет результаты последнего анализа процесса грузино-абхазского диалога [Фактор Северного Кавказа в контексте грузино-абхазского конфликта]. После войны 2008 г. правительство Грузии предпринимает целый ряд усилий для установления связей с народами Северного Кавказа и для привлечения их к взаимовыгодным партнерским отношениям. Имеются веские доводы в пользу укрепления региональной стабильности в контексте неразрешенных конфликтов с Абхазией и Южной Осетией и при отсутствии стабильности на Северном Кавказе. Однако для понимания сложности этих вопросов необходимо проанализировать северокавказский фактор с нескольких точек зрения. В данном сборнике статей проанализированы политические и социальные тенденции на Северном Кавказе, а также исторические и современные отношения, в том числе северокавказский фактор в грузино-абхазской войне 1992-1993 гг. и российско-грузинской войне августа 2008 г.
South Sudan emerged as an independent nation in 2011 after decades of war. One year later, Alert presents the findings of a wide-ranging Peace and Conflict Assessment. Commissioned by Pact and funded by the Department for International Development, the assessment looks beyond the immediate problems faced by South Sudanese, and proposes a long-term approach to building peace. This means for example working on conflict prevention instead of just conflict resolution, designing economic development strategies which promote peace, giving greater priority to reconciliation, tackling impunity, and promoting a positive and peaceful national identity for the new country born out of war. Engaging women and young people is critical.
Since the mid-1990s, international and local civil society actors have been engaged in a wide range of initiatives aimed at transforming the conflicts in the South Caucasus. This book brings together the perspectives and reflections of both Western facilitators and local participants from opposing sides of the conflicts. While not claiming to be fully comprehensive, the initiatives described in this book demonstrate the diversity of peacebuilding, including work with politicians, economic actors, women, media, academia and cultural figures, to name a few. It offers an insider’s view of the vision and drive behind different processes, how they evolved over time, the participants’ motivations, and the authors’ own subjective assessment of success and failure.
С середины 1990-х годов представители международного и местного гражданского обществ занимались большим количеством различных инициатив, направленных на трансформацию конфликтов на Южном Кавказе. В данной книге отображены точки зрения и оценки как западных фасилитаторов этих инициатив, так и местных участников с противоположных сторон конфликта. Не претендуя на всеобъемлющий охват, инициативы, описанные в данной книге, выбраны для демонстрации разнообразия миротворческих работ, выполняемых гражданским обществом, в числе которых работа с политиками, в экономических кругах, с женщинами, детьми, учеными, деятелями культуры и др. Она предлагает взгляд изнутри на восприятие и движущие силы различных процессов, на их развитие с течением времени, на мотивацию участников, а также содержит субъективную оценку успехов и поражений самими авторами статей.
International Alert is proud to present its new annual report, “Peace Talks”, which looks back at Alert’s work and impact in 2011 – when Alert celebrated its 25th year – using dialogue as a theme.
Dialogue is a vital tool we use in our peacebuilding work, and we hope that by showing you in this annual report some of the practical ways in which we use dialogue to bring people together or to improve face-to-face communication in situations where communication has broken down, you will get a good sense of how we work as well as our objectives. The regions we focus on in this report to illustrate our theme are Uganda, South Caucasus, Lebanon and Sri Lanka.
One of the positive outcomes of recent peace processes in Africa’s Great Lakes region has been the increased involvement of women in the public sphere, primarily thanks to the adoption of quota systems for female representation. Women have had some success in influencing official peace processes in the region, ensuring provisions for women’s rights were made. They have been actively engaged as both voters and candidates in elections, but few are elected. Masculine political systems, lack of gender expertise and gender norms and stereotypes remain obstacles to equal representation of women in political and public life. Post-conflict reconstruction has provided economic opportunities for women, but these advances have not necessarily led to more prominent roles in political decision making. This report makes recommendations for civil society, governments and the international community to strengthen women’s political participation and economic empowerment in these post-conflict countries. (Français)
Ce rapport fait le bilan de la participation des femmes dans le Dialogue Inter-Congolais (DIC) et dans les élections générales de 2006. Le rapport montre que malgré leur faible représentation au Dialogue Inter-Congolais (DIC) à Sun City en Afrique du Sud, les femmes Congolaises sont quand même parvenues à faire inclure des dispositions favorables aux droits des femmes et au principe de l’égalité des sexes dans l’Accord global et inclusif pour la RDC signé à Pretoria en 2002. Cependant aucune de ces dispositions n’ont été mises en œuvre. De même les mécanismes pour la mise en application de la parité inscrite dans la constitution adoptée en 2006, n’ont jamais adoptés. Ceci explique la faible représentation des femmes dans les institutions politiques, malgré leur participation active dans les élections générales de 2006. Le rapport montre comment la nature anti-démocratique et conservatrice des systèmes politiques et des institutions sociales et religieuses ainsi que les normes et stéréotypes sexospécifiques qui structurent les rapports sociaux de sexe, continuent de constituer les principaux obstacles à une représentation équitable des femmes dans la vie politique et publique.
Ce rapport analyse l’intégration d’une perspective genre dans le processus de décentralisation au Rwanda et son impact sur la participation des femmes au niveau de la gouvernance locale et sur le plan national. Le rapport montre que le principe de l’égalité des sexes n’est pas encore effectivement intégré dans le processus de décentralisation malgré le fait que l’adoption d’un système de quotas ait permis une plus large représentation des femmes dans les instances décentralisées. Les femmes continuent d’être sous représentées dans les positions clé en charge de la conception et de l’élaboration des politiques et des programmes. En outre, les entités décentralisées manquent de moyens techniques et financiers, ainsi que d’expertise en analyse de genre et en budgétisation sexospécifique pour mettre en œuvre une politique d’égalité des sexes authentique. Les femmes sont également marginalisées dans les espaces de participation citoyenne, conçus pour permettre aux populations de participer aux discussions sur les priorités de développement et la mise en œuvre des programmes. La recherche conclut que le processus de décentralisation au Rwanda offre néanmoins des possibilités pour réduire l’écart entre les sexes afin d’arriver à une plus grande égalité. Cependant, ceci est subordonné à un renforcement du pouvoir de prise de décision des entités locales et des communautés de base, afin qu’elles puissent s’approprier le processus de décentralisation.
