“QUICK LOOK” (Preview of the Lessons)
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A. Human security is composed of three key principles: freedom from fear, freedom from want, and freedom
from indignity. Civil society peacebuilding efforts, using a ‘people first’ human security approach, provide
a framework that ensures the most vulnerable will be active stakeholders in creating sustainable peace.
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B. Community rights must be observed and respected for conservation of nature to be successful.
Understanding and recognizing these rights are critical steps to understand the diverse perspectives of local
stakeholders and to identify options for addressing conflicts over natural resources. [Read More ...]
C. Bottom-up community-led reconciliation initiatives can fill in the gap for ordinary people affected by war
whose justice needs are not met by national-level Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. After Sierra
Leone’s brutal civil war, the Fambul Tok transitional justice initiative brought communities together to start
a long path towards community rebuilding. [Read More ...]
D. Preventive regional diplomacy and political leadership contributed to averting a constitutional crisis and
potential armed violence in The Gambia. After West African leaders and regional/international
organizations presented a united front, long-term dictator Yahya Jammeh conceded power to Adama
Barrow who won the December 2016 election in this small West African nation. [Read More ...]
E. In the last decade, Africa has grown significantly – demographically and economically. Sadly, its youth bulge
cannot be sustained with the economic progress made, as the number of young people graduating from
institutions of higher learning is significantly higher than those absorbed by employment agencies. This
situation has been made worse with increasing corruption in regional hegemons such as Kenya.
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F. The Zimbabwe Republic Police Women Network has been able to shift police preoccupation from “what
is routinely important” to “what works” in an effort to tackle Sexual and Gender Based Violence enforced
by patriarchal customs. The key insight is that change in gender justice can best be achieved by practical
measures and not by theoretical exhortation. [Read More ...]
G. Supporting conflict management mechanisms during a complex crisis can avert immediate retaliatory
violence and address underlying conflict drivers. In 2013, Mercy Corps implemented a program to
strengthen local conflict management capacities in the Central African Republic. As a result, perceptions
of peace dramatically increased in the capital city as disputes were solved nonviolently. [Read More ...]
H. People aged 18-29 in conflict-affected regions are often feared as posing a security threat or are excluded
from formal peace processes. However, when included, youth can transform violent conflict, as shown
through the Life & Peace Institute’s work with Sustained Dialogue in the Horn of Africa. Such dialogue-
to-action tools build trust, improving relationships across divides. [Read More ...]
I. Inter