How Peacebuilders can Respond to State-Led Conflict (S10 E05)

In a time where states are involved in almost 3/4 of all violent events, how and where can civil society peacebuilders make an impact?

In this episode, Liz Hume, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, discusses the rise in state-led violence, including the US–Iran conflict, and its indirect impacts for fragile contexts across the world. She recommends for countries in the Global North to ‘practise what they preach’ on peacebuilding and conflict prevention and to implement these principles, not only in their development cooperation funding, but in their own domestic and foreign policies.

Liz talks about how civil society can build peace from the ground up, starting with the community level, citing key lessons from contexts such as the US, Senegal, Hungary, Zimbabwe and Kosovo. She stresses the importance of resilience, optimism, and engaging with tools such as the private sector and the rule of law. In particular, Liz highlights the key role of the public in demanding more from their political leaders. She also speaks of the need for the United Nations and other international institutions to play a more active role in preventing and reducing conflict.

The Peace Corner Podcast is a collaboration between UNOY Peacebuilders and CSPPS.