Course: Economic Dimensions of Peacebuilding (Deadline: 11 June)
Jun 24, 2014
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Peacebuilding and Development Institute in Sri Lanka
Jaffna, Sri Lanka
The course is designed for organisations and individuals involved in peacebuilding and development efforts in post-conflict contexts in order to help participants combine ‘economic’ dimensions in their programming to particularly look at post-conflict recovery and development The course looks at both theoretical and practical frameworks in exploring key issues around economic constraints and opportunities in peacebuilding so that it helps participants to minimise possible negative impact and maximize positive impacts of their work.
TRAINING COURSE ON ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF PEACEBUILDING:
Focusing on Post-conflict Recovery and Development
24 – 30 June 2014, Sri Lanka
Course Concept and Programme
This highly practical course is strongly set in a field base in Jaffna, the North of Sri Lanka and gives practical meaning to how the word peacebuilding links with development issues and contexts in post conflict settings.
The course Economic Dimensions of Peacebuilding is, therefore, designed for organisations and individuals involved in peacebuilding and development efforts in post-conflict contexts in order to help participants combine ‘economic’ dimensions in their programming to particularly look at post-conflict recovery and development.
The course looks at both theoretical and practical frameworks in exploring key issues around economic constraints and opportunities in peacebuilding so that it helps participants to minimise possible negative impact and maximize positive impacts of their work.
PDISL will collaborate with the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development in Sri Lanka for the field visit component of the training focusing on the Divi Naguma National Program on the Cottage Industry.
OVERALL OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, participants will:
Identify and analyse economic root causes and legacies of conflict in their own contexts.
Understand how economic interventions and peacebuilding initiatives can be integrated to support each other.
Understand how religious and cultural issues create as well as impact on peace and conflict dynamics.
Understand realities in the field against concepts, approaches and good practice in conflict-sensitive economic recovery and be able to apply these to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes in different conflict and post-conflict contexts.
COURSE PROGRAMME AND APPROACH
This week-long training course is designed particularly for South and South East Asia-based development agencies, peacebuilding organisations, corporate organisations and policy making institutions with ongoing or planned economic recovery and development work particularly in post conflict contexts. However, applicants from conflict-affected countries all over the world are welcome to apply.
The course will bring together experienced programme and project managers, implementers and policy makers in an interactive setting to build skills and knowledge on integrating economic dimensions of peace and conflict and peacebuilding. The course will facilitate exchange between practitioners working at different levels, and reflect a spectrum of approaches, working methods and perspectives on economic recovery in the aftermath of conflict. This training will also be very useful for practitioners who have been working on economic development issues intended to address structural inequalities and societal grievances so as to prevent outbreak of violent conflict.
BACKGROUND TO THE COURSE
It is now widely recognised that certain economic factors can contribute to the onset and duration of violent conflict. There is a considerable body of research on different aspects of this ‘economy and conflict’ nexus, including the way natural resources are managed; economic inequalities between groups that can fuel tensions; and the financing of armed groups through illicit economic activity and trading.
Meanwhile, it is also well understood that economic recovery is a key ingredient for building and sustaining peace in the aftermath of war. Violent conflicts can have devastating economic impacts, and economic recovery back to pre-war levels can take up to a decade after the end of major hostilities. Yet supporting economic recovery from war in a way that is conflict-sensitive, addresses economic root-causes of conflict, and shows speedy results, has proved to be a continuous challenge, both for countries emerging from war, and for the international community aiming to assist them.
While the links between peace and the economy may be obvious, it is less clear how a peacebuilding approach to such economic interventions can be achieved in practice, and how they can be made conflict-sensitive. This is a crucial question for peacebuilding practitioners that seek innovative avenues for promoting peace. It is also a key concern for development practitioners that find themselves operating in the midst or aftermath of conflict.
This course is designed to familiarise peacebuilding and development practitioners with current international debates as well as practice in combining peacebuilding, post-conflict recovery and economic interventions, and to give them a chance to work through some of the emerging issues and dilemmas. In particular, participants will learn to assess the conflict risks and peacebuilding opportunities present in different economic and recovery interventions, through conflict and political economy analysis; to identify different types of economic actors and their capacities for contributing to peace and conflict; and to develop practical ideas and strategies for working with them.
Field base exposure in Jaffna (conflict-affected region in the north) of Sri Lanka will be part of the training, providing participants with ample of opportunities to learn from on-going post-conflict recovery and development work in the fields.
The training will be organised parallel to a reflective retreat on “religion and peacebuilding” so that it will offer opportunities for participants from both trainings to interact and learn from each other.
COURSE METHODOLOGY
Given the novelty of this field, the course is designed to be highly participatory and facilitative, offering a ‘laboratory environment’ where participants can bring and work through real-life case studies of economic recovery efforts and the challenges they face.
The field visit component offers a unique opportunity for participants to learn from interactions with the community.
Using a mix of teaching and participatory methods, discussions will be facilitated by a group of trainers with expertise in conflict-sensitivity and economic dimensions of peacebuilding from different countries.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
• Members in the Corporate / Private Sector willing to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in their works
• Public and private institutions carrying out works in the micro finance sector and micro-enterprises development sector in conflict and post-conflict situations
• Social entrepreuners from conflict and post-conflict contexts
• Policy makers in the public sector
• District-based organisations engaged in rural development and post-war community development works
• Staff members in donor agencies who need in-depth analysis into practical realities for supporting peace through development
• Members of academic institutions
• Members of government and non-government organisations and UN agencies working in the areas of conflict transformation, peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery.
Applicants should have:
• A minimum of 2 years relevant experience in economic development, conflict transformation, post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding programming and implementation
• Experience of working in a conflict or post-conflict context
• A basic understanding of ‘peace and conflict concepts’ and ‘conflict-sensitivity’
• Strong English language skills
The training will be facilitated by a team of experienced international and Sri Lankan facilitators.
APPLICATIONS AND FEES
You can apply online here. or for more information, E-mail: programmes@pdisl.org
International organisations and institutions: $650
National organisations and institutions: $550
The fees cover course materials, transport to training venue and field visit
Discounted and subsidised rate for food and accommodation: 35 USD a day for 8 days totaling to 280 USD
Deadline for application: 11th June 2014
Attractive discounts for organisations sending more than 3 participants