Building Sustainable Peace through Local Leadership
Our goal is to empower individuals and organizations courageously and persistently strive for change in their communities, bringing together diverse perspectives in the process.
Key Takeaways
• The Robert Bosch Stiftung is committed to locally led peacebuilding to help create lasting peace.
• We work in long-term partnerships with local organizations and leaders in West Africa and West Asia.
• We connect local practice with international policy debates to build networks and amplify impact.
Insights & Understanding
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What We Want to Change
Wars and violent conflicts currently affect the lives of around two billion people worldwide. Their daily lives are blighted by political uncertainty, scarce resources, and health risks. Even after a conflict ends, societies often struggle with its consequences for decades, which frequently leads to renewed escalation and violence. A better and more secure future can only be achieved when peacebuilding initiatives start at the local level and establish sustainable structures for peaceful coexistence.
Through our global projects, with a particular focus on the regions of West Africa and West Asia (the Middle East), we support individuals, organizations and processes that help to build sustainable peace by promoting peaceful coexistence and ensuring a future for all.
How We Create Impact
1. Building long-term partnerships: We support programs and organizations over many years to foster trust, stability and local impact.
2. Strengthening local capacity for action: Our partners develop their own solutions – we simply provide structural, organizational, and financial support.
3. Connecting knowledge: We bring together practice and research, encourage the exchange of knowledge and contribute insights to international debates.
FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about peace.
What Fosters Lasting Peace?
Lasting peace is more than just the absence of war and violence. It is based, among other things, on justice, respect for human rights, stable structures in society, economic development, and dialogue between as well as the participation of various social groups. Local peacebuilders play a crucial role in building peace.
How Do Peacebuilding Initiatives Work?
Peacebuilding initiatives consist of a wide range of activities that, taken together, lay the groundwork for preventing the resurgence or outbreak of violence and conflict at various levels and among different groups in society. These include stabilization, reconstruction, and reconciliation, as well as addressing the root causes of conflict. A key aspect of this approach is to focus on the local population.
What Is the Role of Local Stakeholders in Building Peace?
Local actors play a crucial role in building peace. Working directly with local communities to develop practical solutions, they bring political peace agreements to life in the daily lives of the affected communities. It is therefore important to integrate them into comprehensive peace efforts from the outset and to strengthen them in their work.
How Can We Help Strengthen Local Peacebuilders in Their Work?
The work of local peacebuilders can be strengthened by involving them directly and imminently in peace processes and peacebuilding. This also means providing them with direct and, as far as possible, flexible financial support, and strengthening the organizations and individuals involved, for example through capacity building and networking.
Publications
Your Contact Persons
Patrick Steiner-Hirth
Director
Kira Alber
Assistant to Team Peace