Peacebuilders

7. Massively Parallel Roles & Tasks

Peacebuilders take consensus building processes one step further by helping design and implement programs that go beyond the negotiation of agreements to broader efforts to bridge societal divides and transform hyper-polarized societies into more peaceful and, ideally, reconciled societies. In essence, they are trying to implement the agreements that mediators and consensus builders help develop. But they also work before violence breaks out to try to prevent it from happening, and while violence is occurring, to try to stop it from becoming worse and to set the stage for peacemaking (i.e., the negotiation of ceasefires or permanent peace agreements. Common strategies peacebuilders use include conflict assessment and early warning programs, dialogue, visioning, and problem-solving workshops, in post-violence situations, the demobilization and re-integration of combatants, trauma healing and reconciliation efforts, and many other strategies to calm down tensions, stop them from becoming violent, and helping disputing parties live and thrive successfully side by side. The Alliance for Peacebuilding (and all of its member organizations) offer one window into the diverse array of organizations doing this work. For another quite comprehensive list, look at the 100 organizations involved in efforts to promote and execute the Global Fragility Act.

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