Do postwar peacebuilding interventions work to keep peace? How do we measure the effectiveness of such international interventions? Join former USIP Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow Pamina Firchow as she discusses her findings on how to measure the impact of local-level interventions on communities affected by war. 

Firchow shows in her book "Reclaiming Everyday Peace: Local Voices in Measurement and Evaluation after War" that efforts by international organizations to implement peacebuilding interventions are often ineffective, overly focused on reconstruction, governance, and development assistance while paying significantly less attention to rebuilding local community relations.

Firchow presents empirical evidence from villages in Uganda and Colombia on local level peacebuilding effectiveness using community generated indicators that reflect how people measure their own everyday peacefulness. Firchow develops a new way of establishing accountability of international and domestic actors to local populations and opening more effective channels of communication among these groups.

Join USIP for a discussion on how the international community can build sustainable peace from the bottom up. Take part in the conversation on Twitter with #LocalPeacebuilding.

Speakers

Kevin Avruch, Opening Remarks
Dean, The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University

Kathleen Kuehnast, Introduction
Director, Gender Policy and Strategy, U.S. Institute of Peace

Pamina Firchow
Assistant Professor, The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University

David Connolly
Director, Learning, Evaluation & Research, U.S. Institute of Peace

Roger MacGinty
Professor, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, United Kingdom

Anthony Wanis-St. John
Associate Professor, School of International Service, American University

Related Publications

How Congress Can Help Improve Relations with North Korea

How Congress Can Help Improve Relations with North Korea

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Although the Constitution authorizes the president and the executive branch to lead foreign affairs, it also vests the legislative branch with responsibilities that impact the conduct of diplomacy and statecraft. These include the ability to “declare war,” “raise and support armies,” “regulate commerce with foreign nations” and approve treaties and diplomat appointments, as well as general oversight functions and power to appropriate money from the Treasury.

Type: Analysis

Global PolicyPeace Processes

It’s Not Too Late for Solomon Islands’ Truth and Reconciliation Commission

It’s Not Too Late for Solomon Islands’ Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Monday, May 6, 2024

Established in 2008, the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was tasked with investigating the country’s civil conflict that killed 200 people and displaced more than 20,000 others between 1998 and 2003. The commission was the first of its kind in the Pacific Islands region, and its proponents hoped it could heal people’s lasting trauma by addressing human rights violations, promoting national unity and fostering reconciliation.

Type: Analysis

Peace ProcessesReconciliation

How Indigenous Practices Can Address Today’s Peacebuilding Challenges

How Indigenous Practices Can Address Today’s Peacebuilding Challenges

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Too often, conventional peacebuilding not only overlooks Indigenous peoples — especially women — it dismisses Indigenous methods of building peace as well. But these methods are rooted in deep traditional practices that have a proven history of success. So, while they may differ from current approaches, Indigenous peacebuilding practices offer a chance to expand the peacebuilding field’s understanding and ability to resolve conflict. USIP spoke with several Indigenous leaders at the first Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding about how Indigenous practices can contribute to current peace processes around the world.

Type: Blog

Peace Processes

View All Publications