The price of peace
Building trust between negotiating parties is not enough for a sustainable peace process. Guaranteeing personal safety and security to those involved is crucial, otherwise the most vulnerable may pay a high price for peace. How can peace facilitators put measures in place to protect all parties during peace processes? Véronique Dudouet of Berghof Foundation co-facilitated […]
Creating transformation through art
Inspired by a recent artist residency, Berghof colleagues discuss with painter Lynne Cameron how art creates space for conflict transformation. Art can help to express what can hardly be put into words. It helps to change perspectives and practice empathy. Lynne Cameron, a contemporary painter interested in empathy and conflict transformation, spent several weeks at […]
Environmental breakdowns in areas of conflict
Across the world, climate change and environmental degradation have sweeping impact on local communities. In many areas of the world they cause food insecurity, the displacement of millions and undermine human security. The risk of escalation increases. At the same time, conflicts diminish people’s ability to adapt to environmental challenges. The online event on Friday, […]
Pushed to the city
Many regions in Iraq are facing acute water shortages and force people to leave their farms as their livelihood is in danger. Little opportuntities in urban centres push these displaced people towards illicit economies. Inclusive dialogue settings and climate-focused mediation can help to face the challenges of the social dimension of climate adaption. For many […]
Women faith-based mediators: Innovation through tradition
Only recently have secular international peacebuilding and mediation support structures discorvered the potential of women’s oftentimes traditional roles in dialogue processes. Thus, tailor-made support for female faith-based mediators has been limited to far. The online discussion on Thursday, 18 October provides space to explore the potential for innovation through tradition. Peacebuilding and mediation resources targeting […]
Collecting testimony and transitional justice in Ukraine
Ukraine is probably the first where evidence of war crimes is being gathered even while the war still rages. A number of highly professional, independent, civil society-led initiatives have been launched to collect legally admissible testimony. The Berghof Foundation hosted a one-day hybrid symposium on 14 September: Ukraine testifies to exchange best practices and discuss […]
“Peace education is not a trouble shooter”
Schools, as the central institutions for education, can anchor peace education as a cross-cutting task in all subjects through the development of a peace-oriented mission statement. It is important also to integrate peace education into official framework documents within the education system. The study “State of the Art Peace Education” shows that interaction on different […]
Why the West Should Talk with the Taliban
A year after the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan finds itself in a devastating state. While Western governments are keen on not taking actions that could be regarded as the recognition of the Taliban rule finding a way to break the current deadlock is essential for the Afghan people and the West alike. Limited dialogue does […]
The need to withstand the aggression
The war in Ukraine is a watershed moment for the field of conflict transformation and mediation. There are no easy answers for peacebuilding organisations on how best to contribute to a peaceful, sustainable and just solution to this conflict. In order to find an approach that is locally owned and led, it is crucial to […]
Die Zukunft von Transitional Justice
Russlands Invasion der Ukraine hat uns einmal mehr ins Bewusstsein gerufen, dass viele autoritäre Regime im großen Maßstab Menschenrechte brechen. Gleichzeitig haben weltweit Länder unterschiedlich erfolgreich begonnen, ihre gewaltsame Vergangenheit aufzuarbeiten. Dies macht Transitional Justice Prozesse so relevant wie eh und je. Der “Global Learning Hub for Transistional Justice and Reconcilation” hatte zum Debattieren dieser […]