The success of peacebuilding agendas can stagnate when there is a lack of inclusion of relevant stakeholders. Sufiya Bray, CSVR, explains why the role of local communities is so important and highlights other challenges that must be addressed to build sustainable peace.

Local ownership remains one of the most pressing challenges for sustaining peace. If the local communities are not provided with a platform to voice their concerns and demands, the conflict context cannot be sufficiently understood to achieve lasting progress. Sufiya Bray, Center for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), emphasizes that the lack of legitimacy of the most important stakeholders stagnates the peace process as they do not only have to be part of the peacebuilding agenda, but at the center of it.

Investing resources

Reaching sustainable outcomes is however also faced with the lack of financial resources as well as insufficient time investment and management. Peace donors must consequently comprehend the conflict context to shape their initiatives accordingly. Bray believes that FriEnt is in a unique position to interact with partners from around the globe by facilitating exchange, a space for innovation, and new collective peacebuilding stratetgies.