Inclusive approaches to preventing violent conflict discussed in Korea

October 23, 2018

 

On October 22-23, USPC co-organized the Korea dissemination event for the joint UN-World Bank report “Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict”, in collaboration with the Institute of Global Engagement & Empowerment, and with sponsorship by the ROK MOFA and MOSF. USPC moderated a series of closed thematic roundtables which brought together two dozen participants per session, and focused on i) women experts on peace and peacebuilding community, ii) civil society and UN agencies based in Korea, iii) private sector actors and youth groups.

Consultation I <Women & Peace> centred on the intersection of gender and peace, with the recognition that women play an important role in conflict prevention. Consultation II <Civil Society & Peacebuilding> reflected the importance of non-state actors in conflict prevention and resolution to counter the proliferation of non-state actors within conflict itself, which has complicated the peace process. Consultation III <Private Sector & Youth Engagement> was sponsored by WeWork and focused on the increasing role of the private sector and young people in peacebuilding and prevention of violent conflicts.

The report was published earlier this year to effectively address and prevent the resurgence of violent conflicts across the globe in recent years. A joint United Nations-World Bank team is conducting presentations and dissemination events of the report around the world, customized to the regional conditions and situations.

The main event of the dissemination, attended by the lead authors of the report, Alexandre Marc (Chief Specialist, Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group, World Bank) and Henk-Jan Brinkman (Chief, Policy, Planning and Application Branch, UN Peacebuilding Support Office), as well as working-level representatives, was composed of a presentation and discussion of the report’s key findings and recommendations, followed by an interactive Q&A session with the audience.

By gathering together Korean experts from various fields intersecting around the agenda of conflict prevention, the event was an effective form of multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration, and an important way to begin implementing the report’s recommendations.