Interpeace

Our EU Representative Leonard Fried participated in a panel called “Closing the Global Gateway’s Conflict Gap”, organized by CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies) and the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi).    The discussion was kicked off by Hannah Neumann (MEP, Greens/EFA), who outlined the challenges the current funding architecture of the EU presents in light of the growing number of crises and conflicts in the world.   The panel together with Hilde Deman, Melis Alguadis, Abi Watson, Leonard Fried, and moderated by Fanny Sauvignon, highlighted the following key takeaways:   1)       The EU is at a crossroad. Will the Global Gateway divert crucial funding from fragile or conflict affected countries? Or can it be a catalyst for peace-positive investment in key sectors for sustainable development and peace? The answer: It depends how the #investments are designed and carried out.   2)       The #GlobalGateway needs #peacebuilding & #PeaceFinance to mitigate risks & unlock investments in fragile and conflict affected countries. We have the highest number of conflicts since World War Two and historically low ODA on peace, so we need innovative solutions to support and finance #peace.   3)       37 countries with Global Gateway flagship projects are considered #fragile. Building in peacebuilding measures from the get-go can #derisk investments for both #communities and #investors. It can also help to crowd in the private sector by lowering the risk and borrowing costs. Peace Finance can be a win-win for communities and investors.   Find out how: https://lnkd.in/ebZiiDs6   Rewatch the panel here: https://lnkd.in/egAYguSA (Interpeace interventions at 2:39, 3:14, 3:34). Learn more about the Finance for Peace initiative: https://lnkd.in/es5zt75V

Mohamed Farah, Executive Director of the Academy for Peace and Development (APD), reflects on our extensive collaboration over the past three decades. He highlights key initiatives like Dialogue for Peace, Pillars of Peace and Talo Wadaag, which have focused on peacebuilding, conflict management, and strengthening state institutions in Somaliland. #Interpeace30yrs https://shorturl.at/ZOdeJ

"Let’s defend imagination and memory. Let’s keep telling stories. Let’s keep listening to them. Let’s help others tell theirs. Telling a story is already a form of resistance and resilience. In the act of telling a story, lies as it always has, our capacity for hope." Arnoldo Gálvez is an award-winning Guatemalan writer known for exploring the complex relationship between violence, memory, and trauma in his fiction. Born and raised in Guatemala, Arnoldo has lived amidst the country’s rich cultural diversity and deep-seated inequalities, experiences that have shaped his work. Since 2010, he has been a member of Interpeace, where he combines his passion for writing, communication, and peacebuilding, witnessing firsthand the power of storytelling to bring people together. Watch him at the #GVAPeaceTalks - https://bit.ly/3OdEPck

At the PeaceTalks Geneva Peace Week edition, Ali Abu Awwad, prominent Palestinian peace activist and proponent of nonviolence has a conversation with Hiba Qasas, Founding Executive Director of Principles for Peace Foundation, on choosing life, hope, the meaning of peace and how to break the cycles of violence and unite for a shared future. Watch their full conversation at the #PeaceTalksGPW - https://bit.ly/3OcAQww

Over 5 days, 20 professionals explored the art of advising on the Effective Advising Course, with the support of the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA. Advising is a skill which can be practiced with intention. The heart of advising lies in facilitating, convening, coaching and supporting rather than “doing it yourself”. Some of the key reflections that emerged during the course: ⏳Intentionally create space for ideas to emerge. 🧩 Complexity is not always complicated. 💃 Asking for help helps. 🏹 Values are an anchor for personal agency. More information about the course: https://lnkd.in/eaYTUaG We share our gratitude to Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation for hosting the course this year.

Early pregnancies have severe psychological effects on adolescent mothers and cause conflicts in families and communities. Research conducted in Rwanda recommends providing integrated social, legal, and psychological support to young mothers and their families.   Research findings revealed high rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety experienced by adolescent mothers due to social stigma, judgement, family rejection and inadequate psychosocial support, leading some of the teenage mothers to consider unsafe abortion or even suicide.   The research findings will help to design an evidence-based, coordinated and multisectoral approach to help adolescents & families in prevention & handling of teenage pregnancies. We deeply thank the Embassy of France in Rwanda for funding this research and the Government of Rwanda for their political will. Ministry of Health Rwanda Gender Monitoring Office Organization DIDE RWANDA(Dignity In Detention HAGURUKA Prison Fellowship International

Peace means different things to different people and is deeply contextual. What peace might look like or should look like, must be defined within each particular context. In this PeaceTalk, Agnieskza Fal-Dutra Santos, Research Coordinator at the Gender Center in Geneva Graduate Institute, shares her experiences and thoughts on what what peace might look like in Ukraine. Watch her at the #PeaceTalksGPW - https://bit.ly/3O8BlYI

Ana Glenda Tager, who previously served as the Regional Director for Latin America at Interpeace, explains our work with the Colombian National Police as a prime example of inclusive engagement. Through surveys, dialogues, and capacity-building, Interpeace supported the development of a peacebuilding model to bridge divides between communities and the National Police, especially in conflict-affected areas. #Interpeace30yrs https://shorturl.at/ZOdeJ

“The human connection, the human relationship is transformative. It is transformative because it is opposite to the dehumanization that the people went through and it gives back the dignity that creates a possibility to create perspectives”. Sidonia Gabriel is a critical observer of the geopolitical evolution & an innovative nexus thinker. She is currently senior Advisor for Fragility, Conflict and Human Rights at the Peace, Governance and Equality section of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In her PeaceTalk, she speaks in a personal capacity and shares 3 stories of her life as a peacebuilder. Watch her at the #GVAPeaceTalks - https://bit.ly/3Z1PbST

The landmark COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace is an important recognition of the need to boost financial support to strengthen the resilience of fragile and conflict-affected areas to climate risks. Today at COP29 Azerbaijan, Interpeace will join IOM - UN Migration, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), in a side event to explore concrete pathways to strengthen partnerships between development finance institutions, the UN, peacebuilding actors, and communities to unlock greater climate action and finance in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Daniel Hyslop, Head of Research and Senior Peacebuilding Advisor at Interpeace, will be moderating the panel, aimed at generating insights, learning and advocacy ahead of the #COP29 Day on Peace, Relief and Recovery, and provide recommendations to operationalise the pledges made to the COP28 Declaration. https://bit.ly/3AsU7qz