Interpeace

Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding that supports locally led peacebuilding initiatives around the world. Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that the work is locally owned and driven. Together with local partners and local teams, Interpeace jointly develops peacebuilding programmes and helps establish processes of change that connect local communities, civil society, government and the international community.

Interpeace supports more than 20 locally led peacebuilding initiatives in Central America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Interpeace was officially recognized as an international entity by the Government of Switzerland in January 2018. This acknowledgement reaffirms the important role played by the organization in peace processes.^[1]

Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that the work is locally driven. Together with local partners and local teams, Interpeace jointly develops peacebuilding programmes and helps establish processes of change that connect local communities, civil society, government and the international community through a Track 6 approach. Interpeace is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has offices in: Abidjan, Guatemala City, Nairobi, New York City , Brussels and Tunis.

History

Interpeace was initially established in 1994 by the United Nations to develop innovative solutions to build peace. At that time, the organization conducted a peacebuilding pilot project, called the 'War-torn Societies' project.^[2] The project began when a group of eighty individuals met in Cartigny, Switzerland, motivated by a desire to understand and support an improved form of management of the problems associated with the processes of reconstruction and reconciliation in post-conflict situations. During the meeting, it was agreed that improved mechanisms for interaction between parties involved were necessary to address those problems specific to post-conflict contexts, that is, of societies which are beginning to leave conflict and confrontation behind to start on the road to peace. To that effect, it became indispensable to think about methodologies that would strengthen the bonds of confidence among the various actors, provide legitimacy to the processes of dialogue, and establish open and honest channels of communication. Thus, the methodology of participatory action-research, PAR, as employed during the 1960s and 1970s in community contexts, was evaluated for its possible use, after the necessary adaptations, at a national level, that is, from a micro-social level to a macro-social one. Upon this foundation, the War-torn Societies Project (WSP)^[3] was set up within the United Nations, later to become an independent peacebuilding organization – WSP International – renamed the International Peacebuilding Alliance (Interpeace) in 2006.

The WSP supported wide-ranging and inclusive dialogues in four countries emerging from conflict scenarios, albeit within very different contexts: Mozambique, Eritrea, Somalia,^[4] and Guatemala.^[5] The results of the project made it clear that it was important to think of peace not only within immediate post-war contexts but that it was fundamental that the logic of a short term project should be replaced by that of the long term.

Ten years after the Cartigny meeting, the WSP changed its name to Interpeace as a means of unifying its mission statement: to strengthen the capacities of societies to manage conflict without the use of violence or coercion, by assisting national actors in their efforts to achieve social and political cohesion and to help the international community (and, especially, the United Nations) in its efforts to consolidate peace in the world, by means of a better understanding and response to the challenges of creating local capacities that will improve social and political cohesion. Interpeace still has a strategic partnership with the United Nations. It can operate as either an independent NGO or as a United Nations initiative.

Interpeace's Track 6 Approach

Violent conflict can arise from a wide variety of social problems, and to build sustainable peace it is essential that all levels of a society come together in resolving them. Unfortunately however, protracted conflicts, violence, marginalization and exclusion all erode bonds of trust and deepen social divisions, meaning that very often, local communities, civil society and political elites seek to address these challenges independently of each other. External actors too can only foster real change if their work is rooted in local realities and underpinned by trust within a given society. Because of this, strengthening the links between the different levels of society should be the foremost priority for peacebuilding.

Interpeace has learned this lesson first-hand, through more than 22 years of work in conflict-affected regions around the world. We seek to facilitate positive interactions between three levels, or “tracks”, of society, by strengthening lines of communication and providing spaces for dialogue where previously these may have been weak or completely absent.^[6]

The three “tracks” are broadly differentiated by levels of influence and formal organisation, and can be summarised as follows:

Track 1: Political elites and decision-makers

Track 2: Civil society and local government, influencers, think tanks and researchers

Track 3: Communities and individuals within the broader population

An enormous amount of work has been done at these different levels, but the focus is rarely on the links between them, and solutions designed in this way are rarely sustainable. Connecting these tracks can help societies move towards a situation in which high-level policies are informed by the knowledge and experience of local communities, and which therefore reflect local realities. This is the essence of the “Track 6” approach: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6.

Interpeace’s mandate consists of two core pillars. The first is strengthening the capacities of societies to manage conflict in non-violent, non-coercive ways by assisting national actors in their efforts to develop social and political cohesion. The second involves assisting policy-makers at the national and international levels to play a more effective role in supporting peacebuilding efforts around the world. The Track 6 approach helps us bring those pillars together, ensuring that lessons learned in the field are understood and applied, to continue the evolution and improvement of peacebuilding practice.^[7]

Structures and People

Governing Board

The Interpeace Governing Board is the highest decision-making body of the organization and plays a key role in defining Interpeace’s overall strategy. It is the legal authority that is responsible for the organization.

The Governing Board is made up of prominent individuals from the government, international, and business sectors. There is also a statutory seat for the host government, Switzerland, and a designated representative of the United Nations Secretary-General.

Current Interpeace Governing Board members are:

• Monica McWilliams (Chair since 2018)
• Matthias Stiefel (Vice-Chair since 2018)
• Martin Aked (Honorary Treasurer since 2013)
• Alan Doss (Member since 2014)
• Andrew Gilmour (Member since 2014)
• Cassam Uteem (Member since 2016)
• Heidi Grau (Member since 2014)
• Necla Tschirgi (Member since 2013)
• Youssef Mahmoud (Member since 2016)
• John A. Kufuor (Chair Emeritus and Special Advisor)
• Martti Ahtisaari (Chair Emeritus)

Advisory Council

The Interpeace Advisory Council is a high-level, statutory body of Interpeace, whose mandates is to provide the organization with strategic advice and guidance on peacebuilding policy and practice. It is also a testing ground for new ideas and methods.

Members include:

• Canada - Ambassador Rosemary McCarney - Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva
• Finland - Ambassador Terhi Hakala - Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations in Geneva
• Netherlands - Mr. Jelte Van Wieren - Director of the Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
• Singapore - Ambassador Foo Kok Jwee, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Singapore to the United Nations Office and other international organisations at Geneva since September 2014.
• Sweden - Ambassador Veronika Bard - Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in Geneva

Leadership

Interpeace’s Leadership works alongside colleagues and partners to achieve our strategic vision and objectives.

• Scott M. Weber- President

Global Management Team

• Almudena Bartayrés Arcas – Senior Director of Global Operations and Chief Financial Officer
• Daniel Hyslop - Head of Learning and Policy and incoming Director of Policy and IPAT
• Renée Larivière- Senior Director for Programme Management

• Jean Paul Mugiraneza - Regional Director for Eastern and Central Africa and incoming Director of Programme Development and Innovation
• Alexandre Munafò - Head of Strategic Partnerships and Communications

Where Interpeace works

• Interpeace Headquarters: Created in 1994, Interpeace is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Close to the seat of the United Nations Office in Geneva, as well as other international organizations, the Interpeace Headquarters are strategically located in the Maison de la Paix complex. The Maison de la Paix is a hub of expertise, located in the heart of International Geneva. The building hosts diverse organizations that work on international issues, providing a great opportunity to create networks and significant exchanges between partners. These synergies foster and enable solutions to promote peace, security and sustainable development.
• Offices Worldwide: Understanding the interaction between the local-national and regional realities, and translating them to the effective implementation of peacebuilding processes is one of the main added values of Interpeace’s presence at the regional level. Currently, Interpeace has offices playing key roles in Abidjan, Nairobi, and Guatemala City.
• Interpeace Representation Office in New York: Interpeace’s Representation Office liaises with the United Nations and other New-York and US based institutions. Interpeace USA is a non-profit organization that positions Interpeace in the United States and mobilizes support for Interpeace’s peacebuilding work.
• Interpeace Europe: With close ties to the European Union, Interpeace opened a representation office in Brussels, Belgium in 2004. Interpeace Europe is a non-profit association based in Brussels. It represents the organization to the European Union and other European-based institutions. It also assists in positioning Interpeace in European policy debates and in obtaining political and financial support for its programmes worldwide. Interpeace Europe conducts important policy and early warning activities on countries at risk, engaging with the European External Action Service and the European Commission.
• Interpeace Sweden: Building on its strong ties to Sweden, Interpeace Sweden was created in 2013 for the purposes of generating funds and raising awareness about peace, inclusion and Interpeace’s work around the world.

Active Programmes

• Latin America

1. Colombia

• West Africa

1. Côte d’Ivoire
2. Guinea-Bissau
3. Mali
4. West Africa and the Sahel Region

• East and Central Africa

1. Burundi
2. Great Lakes
3. Kenya
4. Rwanda
5. Somali Region

• Europe and the Middle East

1. Palestine
2. Cyprus
3. Sweden
4. Libya

• Asia

1. Timor Leste

• Global programmes

1. Constitution Making for Peace
2. Frameworks for Assessing Resilience
3. International Peacebuilding Advisory Team (IPAT)

References

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