What is local peacebuilding?

For many, when they think of resolving conflict, they often think of a peace agreement being signed, the UN, or diplomats in meeting rooms. However, lasting peace, and the people who build it from the ground up, are so much more than that.

Peacebuilding is about dealing with the reasons people fight in the first place and supporting them to manage their differences without resorting to violence. In many locations that barely make it into our headlines, local communities are doing this - working tirelessly to stop violent conflict from destroying lives, and to heal the wounds of war.

Away from the spotlight, local people are already tackling crises where they live: grassroots organisations in conflict zones that are off limits to international aid groups; village leaders preparing for disasters in remote areas that the humanitarian sector can’t reach; doctors and nurses, teachers, community leaders, local aid workers, and everyday volunteers responding to emergencies in their own communities.

In every war zone there are local people addressing the triggers of violence, defusing deadly tensions, healing the divides of conflict and rebuilding lives after war has torn communities apart.

Why it matters

50% of wars restart within ten years of a peace treaty being signed. The world’s current approach to preventing and resolving conflicts from the top down is not working.

For peace to last, it must be created from the ground up. When crises hit, local aid work and community action is often overshadowed by UN agencies and big international aid groups – who receive the bulk of donor funding and largely control how it’s used.

Around the world, local people are sidelined in efforts to stop war and build peace. Yet, frontline peacebuilders are a critical missing link in the world’s efforts to prevent violence.

Local communities possess deep local knowledge of the places in which they work and live. They understand what causes conflict, and also what works to solve it. It is they, and not international agencies, who hold the most untapped potential for building peace.

Slowly but surely, the balance of power and resources is shifting towards peacebuilders working on the front lines of conflict.

Get to know ‘Peace Gold’, a local peacebuilding project in the DR Congo.

Why it works

It is sustainable

When local communities create and lead peacebuilding work that will be carried out where they live, it is more likely to last. For conflict resolution to last long-term, it needs to be owned by the communities themselves. Local peacebuilding ensures that those directly impacted by violence are at the forefront of resolving it, not just in the immediate after-effects of conflict, but for long-term reconciliation and healing.

It is practical

From community radio clubs in DR Congo, to ‘Peace Clubs’ in Pakistan, peacebuilding work carried out at the local level makes a real difference to thousands of lives. Lives such as those of Young women in Pakistan, who may not otherwise have an education are able to go to school. Kids in Nigeria learn about people different from themselves over a game of football. Through photography, communities in Sri Lanka can heal and discuss their differences. There are hundreds more examples like this happening worldwide, each day.

It is cost-effective

Working with efforts that already exist is a more scalable option than setting up new country offices or employing expatriate teams. Enhancing work already taking place on the ground is the most efficient way to ensure that peacebuilding continues; providing support to those who identify the early warning signs of violence and can respond swiftly and locally to stop violence before it escalates.

Who is doing it?

For those of you who may not know them yet, Peace Direct is a non-profit international non-governmental organisation working with local people to stop violent conflict and build lasting peace, in some of the most dangerous war zones around the world.

They support local people and organisations around the world, already doing impactful work, and provide them with the tools and resources they need to implement their work in communities.

For over 15 years, they have partnered with local peacebuilders in over 25 countries around the world, providing vital assistance to ensure grassroots action stopping conflict and violence can continue, and grow.

And grow they have! Now, Peace Direct supports the work of over 70 organisations working in Mali, DRC, Pakistan, the Philippines, and many more locations.

With their local partners, they save lives, provide paths out of violence and build better futures for thousands of people.

You can help support and strengthen their work.

Donate here →

Thanks to people like you, they can stop wars and build peace, one person at a time.