Laying the groundwork for peace in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
By Valeria Izzi, Programme Specialist, Conflict Prevention, BCPR

Recently, I spent three months in North Kivu in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) helping support the newly established local government body, the Provincial Peacebuilding Unit. There, in conjunction with facilitators from the Unit staff and local experts (including several women), I helped facilitate a conflict analysis and planning exercise with the aim of developing a peace and development strategy for the region.

Through a series of three-day workshops (one in each of the territories of North Kivu), we brought together a wide array of people encompassing representatives of the territorial administration, traditional and religious groups, grassroots communities, civil society (including women’s and youth’s organizations) and the media. For many people, this was the first time that they had a chance to talk directly with representatives of the government about their problems and vision for the future. During the workshops, participants identified key challenges to peace in their territory, reflected on how past attempts at peace have addressed these challenges, and prioritized recommendations for future peacebuilding and development programmes.

From the outset, we were aware of the fact that women’s participation was going to be particularly difficult given strong cultural and practical obstacles. Therefore, we paid particular attention to ensure women were fully included in the consultations. In addition to having women facilitators on the team and inviting women to the consultations, it became clear that we needed a separate space for women to be able to fully express their views. Women met one day before each consultation to discuss their views freely, and this proved to be a very powerful way to ensure that their perspective was reflected in the consultations.

This work shed light on the complexity of the conflict in North Kivu and some of the limitations in current peacebuilding interventions. Next up, the Provincial Peacebuilding Unit will validate the findings of the workshops through a province-wide consultation in late August, with the eventual aim of UNDP and donors supporting implementation of an action plan for peace in North Kivu.CPR

Listen to Valeria Izzi, Programme Specialist, Conflict Prevention, discuss her experience consulting with local stakeholders in Eastern DRC (streaming audio or download mp3)

Photo source: UNDP DRC

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