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Building a more peace ‘able’ world

Crossing the Bridge From Mediator to Peacebuilder:

Transforming Local Capacities for Peace

Association for Conflict Resolution October 2013

Mission:  To  build  local  skills  for  peace  and  promote  media4on  worldwide

MBB Mission

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GOALS •  To  u'lize  cross  cultural  sensi'vity  and  elici've  approaches  to  shape  projects.  

•  To  build  cohesion,  rela'onship  and  trust  through  the  use  of  construc've  conversa'ons.  

•  To  integrate  the  use  of  trauma  informed  principles,  apprecia've  inquiry  and  media'on  techniques  in  transforming  local  capaci'es  for  peace.   3

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•  Sustainability  •  Invita'on  •  Local  partners  •  Contextual  research  

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MBB offers two types of projects: •  Capacity-building projects which build local conflict resolution

or peacebuilding skills, and

•  Advocacy projects which promote mediation worldwide and

advance the use of appropriate conflict resolution processes in public policy arenas.

What does MBB offer?

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Systemic and holistic by invitation

Volunteer professionals

Multi year commitments

Multi track interventions

WHAT MAKES MBB UNIQUE

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•  We work in underserved areas •  MBB does not act as a first-responder organization in any area, and does not work in areas where there is active war or other major violent conflict.

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MBB currently has seven active

projects:  

•  Climate  Change  (UNFCCC  Observer  Project)  •  Colombia    •  Ecuador    •  Israel    •  Kenya  •  Liberia  •  Nepal  •  Sierra  Leone  

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CLIMATE CHANGE-ADVOCATING FOR MEDIATION

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The ISRAEL Project EXPLORING PARTNERSHIPS

WITH COMMUNITY MEDIATION CENTERS

2009-­‐PRESENT  

 PARTICIPATION  IN  THE  LARGEST  CONFERENCE  ON  COMMUNITY  MEDIATION:  24  CENTERS  AND  OVER  400    PARTICIPANTS  

   DISCUSSING  COLLABORATIVE  PLANS  WITH  GISHURIM,  MOSAICA,  THE  JERUSALEM  INTERCULTURAL  CENTER  AND  THE  MINISTRY  OF  SOCIAL  WELFARE  

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Capacity  Development  Projects    

Projects  progress  through  3  phases:    

•   Project  explora-on;    •   Project  assessment;  and    •   Project  implementa-on.    

•  Dialogue  •  Trauma  support  and  resiliency  building  

•  Grant-­‐wri'ng  •  Fiscal  management,  and  other  aspects  of  organiza'onal  development  

Mutual learning in: •  Community  

sensi'zing  •  Peacebuilding  

techniques  •  Cultural  prac'ces  •  Transla'ng  methods  

into  prac'cal,  contextual  applica'ons  

CASE STUDIES

LIBERIA  INITIATIVE  and  the    

KENYA  INITIATIVE  

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MBB Capacity Development Projects

LIBERIAN INITIATIVE  

2007-­‐  PRESENT  

Dialogue and facilitation training in Monrovia

In July 2007, MBB launched its first international project: The Liberian Initiative. The Liberian Initiative is still ongoing, and remains the largest MBB international project to date.

•  Established  a  media'on  service  for  and  by  refugees  in  a  refugee  camp  

•  Enhanced  the  capacity  for  media'on  among  a  wide  range  of  Ghanaian  officials    

•  Facilitated  the  safe  re-­‐integra'on  of  75  ex-­‐combatants  in  community  following  voca'onal  training  and  psychosocial  support  

•  Brought  together  women  of  nine  ethnic  groups  to  reweave  the  social  fabric  in  their  fractured  society  

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•  ‘Psychosocial  Well-­‐being,’  defined  as  a  state  in  which  one  is  free  of  excessive  suffering  and  clinical  pathology  and  able  to  func'on  and  find  meaning  in  life,  preferred  over  a  PTSD  approach  

•  The  provision  of  “trauma  informed  care”  is  a  seminal  concept  in  emerging  efforts  to  address  trauma  in  the  lives  of  children,  as  well  as  adults.  Trauma  informed  care  has  many  facets.  

Trauma Informed Principles

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•  Survivor  of  repeated  trauma  challenges  fundamental  assump'ons  about  the  world.  Survivors  make  sense  of  the  world  based  on  their  trauma'c  experiences.  Their  reac'on  to  trauma  may  not  be  directly  related  in  obvious  ways  to  the  trauma'c  event.  

•  Emphasis  is  on  looking  at  the  whole  person  and  apprecia'ng  the  context  in  which  that  person  is  living  their  life.  

•  Goal  is  to  return  sense  of  control  and  autonomy  to  survivor.  Builds  skills.  Strength  based.    

•  Open  and  genuine  collabora'on.  Par'cipants  have  choices  about  what  they  need  and  when,  and  who  provides  the  service.  Par'cipants  set  priori'es  for  services.  

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•  Trauma  work  may  be  considered  part  of  development  in  the  sense  that  it  enhances  locals’  capaci'es  to  manage  post-­‐conflict  psychosocial  problems  in  ways  that  are  less  of  a  func'onal  burden.  

•  Restora've  prac'ces  that  harmonize  the  tensions  between  forgiveness  with  impunity,  and  individual  and  societal  jus'ce.  

•  Empowerment  of  local  narra'ves,  the  role  of  dialogue,  collec've  narra'ves,  iden'fica'on  of  resilience!    

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Palaver:  integra'ng  conflict  resolu'on  prac'ces  in  tradi'onal  dispute  resolu'on  

RE-INTEGRATION OF FEMALE EX COMBATANTS IN GBA

COMMUNITY  MEETINGS  

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CASE  STUDY  THE  KENYA  INITIATVE  

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HOW DID THE KENYA INITIATIVE BEGIN?

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 Project  IniLaLon  

• Contact  from  Kenya    

Project  ExploraLon  • Ini'al  trips  

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EliciLve,  Systemic,  Conflict  sensiLve    Conflict  Sensi-ve  •  Assessing  the  conflict  dynamics,  both  local  and  regional  Elici-ve  •  The  assessment  developed  in  conversa'on  with  the  

poten'al  partner,  exploring  needs  and  opportuni'es  Systemic  •  Looking  at  the  whole  system  –  people,  poli'cs,  culture,  

social  systems,  networks,  economic  and  physical  infrastructure,  human  and  social  capital,  and  how  it  all  interrelates  

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We  need  to  do  a  project  assessment.    

Where  do  we  start?  What  do  we  need  to  know?  

What  are  the  first  ques'ons  that  come  to  mind?    

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ConducLng  a  Project  Assessment  –  What  we  can  learn  from  the  peacebuilding  field  •  The  Basics:  

–  Background  research  prior  to  traveling:  •  Analysis  of  culture/social/poliLcal  context  of  area/country  •  Analysis  of  conflict  in  area  •  Info  on  other  organizaLons  working  in  area  •  Info  from  partners  •  PotenLal  partners  to  contact  •  IniLal  schedule  of  meeLngs  •  Does  your  potenLal  partner  have  the  necessary  experience  or  special  experLse  in  the  region?  

 

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Assessment Team with Local Partner, Kenya Pastoralist Network Trust

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Learn from the Bush

Samburu Manyatta meeting in Rumuruti

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What  did  we  learn?  

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•  Pastoralists  are  nomadic  herders,  represen'ng  less  than  20%  of  the  Kenyan  popula'on  and  mostly  living  in  the  most  remote  and  harsh,  arid  and  semi-­‐arid  areas  of  Kenya.  

•  Post-­‐colonialism,  ethnic  tradi'ons,  small  arms  and  light  weapons  from  neighbors  such  as  Somalia,  climate  change,  marginaliza'on  by  Nairobi  and  poli'cal  manipula'on  bring  conflict  and  violence.  

•  Exis'ng  grassroots  peacebuilding  efforts  limited  in  scope;  “peacebuilding  industry”  thrives  in  Kenya.  

•  Promised  peace  dividends  such  as  water  and  schools  never  provided,  but  new  devolu'on  of  government  provides  hope.  

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•  Laikipia  Model  of  large  Peace  Caravans  with  ‘sons  and  daughters’  mobilized  out  of  Nairobi  

•  Establish  local  peace  comminees  –  ongoing  local  structures  for  peace  

•  Provide  training  and  collabora'on  with  government  and  NGOs  

•  Mobilize  caravans  quickly  at  the  behest  of  GOK  

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KPN Approach

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Developing  a  Project  

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Adaptability  and  Planning  for  Emergence  •  Important  to  maintain  ability  to  adapt  to  changing  

circumstances,  funding  variability  and  culture  •  Revisit,  re-­‐envision  project  with  partners  •  Incorporate  peacebuilding  best  prac'ces  into  projects  

–  Conflict  assessment  –  Reflec'ng  on  peace  prac'ce  model  –  For  grassroots  capacity  building,  evalua'on  that  is  reflec've,  emergent  and  learning  based  

–  But  beware  of  mission  creep!  

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Emerging  Project  Ideas    

•   Warriors  project  •   "Peace  dividends"    •   Systemic  and  emergent  capacity  development  •   Sharing  wisdom  from  "down  under  the  radar"    

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Case  Study  The  Warriors  Project  

 

The  goal  of  The  Warriors  Project  is  to  promote  locally  sustainable  peace  and  human  security  in  remote  pastoralist  regions  of  Kenya  

through  youth-­‐led  neotradi4onal  peacebuilding  and  civic  par4cipa4on  

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Theory  of  Change  •  The  assump'on  of  how  change  is  expected  to  occur  as  a  result  of  the  proposed  interven'on.  

•  Open  ar'culated  as  “IF  we  do  ‘X’,  THEN  ‘Y’  will  occur,  BECAUSE  of  ‘Z’.  

•  Used  in  support  of  logic  models  for  monitoring  and  evalua'on,  and  as  an  inquiry  tool  to  explore  project  logic  throughout  the  process.  

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ReflecLng  on  Peace  PracLce  Model  •  RPP  matrix  used  either  in  full  or  broken  out  by  component  (e.g.  key  people/more  people,  individual-­‐personal  change/socio-­‐poli'cal  change)  

•  Key  driving  factors  •  Linkages  between  components  •  Criteria  of  effec'veness  (COE)  •  Theories  of  change    •  Systems  approach  to  conflict  analysis  

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Tools  for  AffecLng  “Peace  Writ  Large”  RPP  Matrix  

  More People Approaches Key People Approaches

Individual/Personal Change

Socio-political Change

Criteria  of  EffecLveness  •  The  effort  results  in  the  crea4on  or  reform  of  poli4cal  ins4tu4ons  to  

handle  grievances  in  situa4ons  where  such  grievances  do,  genuinely,  drive  the  conflict.  

•  The  effort  contributes  to  a  momentum  for  peace  by  causing  par4cipants  and  communi4es  to  develop  their  own  peace  ini4a4ves  in  rela4on  to  cri4cal  elements  of  context  analysis.  

•  The  effort  prompts  people  increasingly  to  resist  violence  and  provoca4ons  to  violence.  

•  The  effort  results  in  an  increase  in  people’s  security  and  in  their  sense  of  security.  

•  The  effort  results  in  meaningful  improvement  in  inter-­‐group  rela4ons.  

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How to Contact MBB www.MediatorsBeyondBorders.org

Administrative Office:

Mediators Beyond Borders International 1901 North Fort Myer Drive,

Suite 405 Arlington, VA 22209, USA Phone: +1 (703) 528 6552 Fax: +1 (703) 528 5776

info@mediatorsbeyondborders.org

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