Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation Course; 13th to 17th March 2023, in Nairobi & online on Zoom

Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation course 

This 5 day professional training course on peacebuilding & conflict transformation will be held in the period 13^th to 17^th March 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya and online on Zoom. The course has been designed to benefit peace actors interested in deepening their understanding of peacebuilding and wishing to work or are already working in post conflicts settings and/or wanting to include conflict sensitivity in programming

The course aims to provide participants with a clear understanding of the dynamics of conflict, violence and peace and to enable them to acquire a range of practical skills related to handling post violent conflict situations. Participants to the course are expected from within the UN system, the NGOs sector, civil society, government agencies and other institutions supporting or learning peace issues.

This module combines basic concepts in peacebuilding and conflict transformation with practical opportunities to apply the concepts. The basic concepts include identifying the link between peacebuilding and development, when and where peacebuilding occurs, various roles of peacebuilders, the relationship-centered nature of peacebuilding, some basic operating principles, an integrated framework for identifying peacebuilding activities, and a visioning component.

The 5 day curriculum will combine class work and “open spaces” for creativity and joint action in peacebuilding theory and conflict transformation to be drawn from a variety of sources and traditions, to complement and build on indigenous African knowledge systems.  Learning will be based on participatory adult learning models including inquiry, analysis and reflection from participants’ knowledge. Participants will engage in individual and group tasks, concept presentation, mini-lectures, case study analysis and videos

The Course Content

1. Understanding Conflict

This section is designed to help the participants gain a deeper understanding of the factors that cause conflict and violence with the aim of being able to identify appropriate strategies for intervening in conflict. Different analytical models will be applied to:

• Explore the nature and dynamics of conflict
• Explore the nature of violence and peace
• Explore the concept of conflict transformation and peacebuilding
• Analyze conflicts in various contexts

2. Peacebuilding theories and practice

This section will give an overview of peacebuilding theories, concepts and practice.  During the sessions, participants will be given the opportunity to:

• Identify context specific peacebuilding interventions
• Work in teams to practice new theories and concepts
• Apply these ideas and skills to cases that relate to their experiences and contexts

3. Conflict Sensitivity in Peacebuilding

This section looks at the strategies and methods that help peacebuilding and multi-mandated interveners to examine and take into account the unintended impacts of their interventions on the context of conflict and crisis. The participants will explore:

• Understanding conflict sensitivity
• Application of conflict sensitivity in peacebuilding programs
• Conflict sensitive approaches

4. Skills for conflict transformation and peacebuilding

In this section participants will discuss the essential skills and knowledge needed for conflict transformation in interpersonal and group settings. Some of the skills will include:

• Negotiation and mediation
• Working with stories to create change
• Forgiveness and reconciliation

5. Exploration of indigenous mechanisms in peacebuilding

This section will focus on the practices of indigenous mechanism in peacebuilding and discern its role in contemporary peacebuilding practice. Discussions will be on:

• Community mechanisms and peace processes
• Indigenous dispute resolution mechanisms
• Influence of indigenous mechanisms on external conflict interventions

For more information about the course, download the training prospectus here

To apply for the course, download the training application form here

For more information, write to copa@copafrica.org/trainings@copafrica.org/copafricatrainings@gmail.com