When peace-building, conflict resolution or justice issues are the objectives of an intervention, “Do No Harm” is not enough. In such cases, organisations want to address the underlying causes of conflict and contribute to “positive peace”. First, this requires a deep understanding of causes and effects, of the historical dimensions of a conflict, of the various forces for or against peace and of key actors, their attitudes and behaviour. Based on such analysis, peace-project need to be planned in a strategic way, so that a sequence of activities will eventually lead from the current conflict situation to the desired outcome. The “Reflecting on Peace Practice” tool explains how such a strategic planning could look like, how a robust Theory of Change is developed and what criteria of effectiveness can be used to measure success.

Member organisations of the Civil Peace Service in Cameroon, Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone have all been exposed to “Reflecting on Peace Practice” and have tried to incorporate the respective ideas into their project proposals.

A full description of the “Reflecting on Peace Practice” tool can be downloaded here.

For more information, go to the website