Community Engagement
Community engagement refers to the practice of engaging with different communities across a range of cultural, ethnic, religious and gender backgrounds in order to identify and support local solutions for peace and stability. Community engagement can be applied to a range of conflict and stabilisation activity; the approaches applied will differ depending on the activity, needs, culture, context, and the operating environment. See also sections on gender and peacebuilding.
Documents
Youth Armed Violence and Job Creation Programmes
| Date added: | 24/03/2011 |
Author:Oliver Walton
Institution:GSDRC / Norwegian Peace Building Centre
Publication Date:2010
Keywords:Community Engagement; Economic Recovery
Read Full Text Here: http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/EIRS11.pdf
Relevance:
This paper shows that job creation programmes alone do not necessarily reduce armed violence, even if they lead to an improvement in employment opportunities. Although a lack of job opportunities can “play a part in motivating violence, social and political grievances are normally more central.” The lesson highlighted in here is that any programming choices should be based on a clear understanding of the conflict, economy and needs of young people and their communities rather than assumptions that cash for work programmes are the approp... Read More
The long Conversation: Solving Conflict through Customary Approaches to Peace Management
| Date added: | 24/03/2011 |
Author: Sarah Wilson & Alastair Scott-Villiers
Institution: Pastoralist Communication Initiative
Publication Date:2011
Keywords: Community Engagement; Political Processes
Read Full Text Here: http://www.pastoralists.org/media/publication-pdf-files/Long%20Conversation%20Final%20Draft.pdf
Relevance:
This paper calls international actors to pay more attention to supporting customary approaches to peacemaking, where they have proven successful, rather than trying to run peace processes themselves. It demonstrates, through a case study in Northern Kenya, that local peacemaking can work when sufficie... Read More
Engaging with Communities: The Next Challenge for Peacekeeping
| Date added: | 18/02/2011 |
Author:Oxfam
Institution:Oxfam
Publication Date:2010
Keywords:Community Engagement, Peacekeeping, Protection of Civilians
Read Full Text Here: http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp141-engaging-with-communities-221110-en.pdf
Relevance:
This paper asserts that peacekeepers can save more lives by engaging with the communities they are mandated to protect, but that they need the language capability, understanding of the context and appropriate training to build relationships and trust with the local population. Without this important approach, preventable and tragic protection failures will continue to occur. The paper has relevance for those interested in improving relationships with local peop... Read More
Community – Focused Reintegration
| Date added: | 03/03/2011 |
Institution: USAID
Publication Date: 2005
Keywords: Community Engagement; Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR)
Read Full Text Here: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADF305.pdf
Relevance:
This Paper highlights that DDR (Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration) efforts which fail to support the reintegration of ex-combatants into the wider communities that remained peaceful will fail to contribute to lasting stability and can even undermine rather than contribute to peace. This Paper will interest those exploring reintegration, cash for work or social protection approaches as well as community based methods.
Key Issues:
DDR efforts, driven by short term security imperatives, have often focussed on the ... Read More
Community Based Approaches to Peace building in Conflict-affected and Fragile Contexts
| Date added: | 15/08/2011 |
Author: H.Haider
Institution: GSDRC
Publication Date: 2009
Keywords: Community Engagement, Peacebuilding, Conflict
Read Full Text Here: http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/EIRS8.pdf
Relevance:
Community based approaches can contribute successfully to building peace, where they address conflict across divided communities and where they allow time for relationships to develop. This is differentiated from adhoc quick impact initiatives within isolated communities that do not necessarily contribute to a lasting peace. The risks of endangering communities or enhancing tensions exist but can be mitigated by careful socio-cultural analysis into the relationships and dynamics that peacebuilding intends to support. The report has relevance for those applying community based approaches in c... Read More
A Community Based Approach in UNHCR Operations
| Date added: | 22/02/2011 |
Author:Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Institution:UNHCR
Publication Date: 2008
Keywords:Community Engagement, Planning, Protection of Civilians
Read Full Text Here: www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/47da54722.pdf
Relevance:
This paper is a key guide for those wishing to implement a community based approach in the field. While the paper focuses on protecting displaced or refugee communities, many of the approaches described have wider applicability. The paper particularly highlights the value of multi-disciplinary teams in implementing community based responses, including both subject matter experts, interpreters, programme managemen... Read More