Our Programmes  

Peace processes and dialogue 

We work with the different sides involved in a conflict to help them develop an understanding of what can be done differently and we create opportunities for the people involved in the conflict to come together for discussion. The foundations for a just and sustainable peace are laid when those in conflict agree on how to resolve what has divided them and how they will live together peacefully in the future.
In addition to formal negotiations peace processes include efforts to help parties to conflict and conflict affected communities to change the way they think about the conflict, increase understanding and improve inter-communal relationships. 

Creating space for dialogue 

Much of our work centres around peace processes. We work with the different sides involved in a conflict to help them develop an understanding of what can be done differently and we create opportunities for the people involved in the conflict to come together to discuss the issues. All this is done with a view to bringing those involved closer to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. 

Public participation.

Those living in the midst of conflict often have the greatest insight into its causes and also its resolution. However, most peace negotiations aim to broker agreements between the main belligerent groups, who don’t necessarily represent the interests of wider society. We work collaboratively with civil society to ensure that peacebuilding activities are inclusive and reflect the views of all sections of society. 

Many wars have officially ended through such processes. Yet this approach often limits the voice of those who didn’t take up arms. All too often such processes send the powerful, if unintended, message that violence pays. 

Other political groupings, organised civil society and marginalised populations such as women, youth, minorities and displaced people may all be excluded from a final settlement. This is of particular concern in situations where the government and armed groups lack a strong social support base or are not seen as legitimate representatives of public interests. 

More inclusive peace negotiations are possible, however, and these are likely to be more effective in the long term. Comparative experience shows that peace negotiations with structured opportunities for broader public participation can: 

• widen the range of issues addressed, including the underlying causes of conflict 
• help produce broad, legitimate peace agreements 
• strengthen inclusive political participation in future governance 
• facilitate a degree of political reconciliation. 

Engaging armed groups .

Without the engagement of armed groups in a peace process, a sustainable resolution to conflict is unlikely to be reached. At Conciliation Resources we provide policymakers with essential guidance on the available options, challenges and tactics for engaging with armed groups at different stages of a peace process. 

"With whom are you going to discuss a conflict if you don’t discuss it with the people who are involved in the conflict, who have caused the conflict from the beginning and who are still engaged in trying to kill each other?" 

President Jimmy Carter 

Cross-border peacebuilding .

War does not respect political or territorial boundaries. It forms part of wider, regional conflict systems through dynamics that cross borders: refugee flows, mobile armed groups, narcotic or criminal networks, blood diamonds, or psychosocial ties. We recognise the need to analyse, understand and respond to conflicts regionally rather than through the traditional country-by-country basis of many interventions. 

Through our programme work with partners in various regions Conciliation Resources identified the need to analyse, understand and respond regionally rather than through the traditional country-by-country basis of many interventions. 

In East and Central Africa, the South Caucasus, the Mano River Union borders, Jammu and Kashmir and Central America the challenges of cross-border peacebuilding have become increasingly pressing