Kenya: Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation Course

This five day professional training course on peacebuilding & conflict transformation has been designed to benefit peace actors interested in deepening their understanding of peacebuilding and wishing to work or are already working in post conflicts settings and/or wanting to include conflict sensitivity in programming

The course aims to provide participants with a clear understanding of the dynamics of conflict, violence and peace and to enable them to acquire a range of practical skills related to handling post violent conflict situations. Participants to the course are expected from within the NGOs sector, civil society, government agencies and other institutions supporting or learning peace issues.

The 5 day curriculum will combine class work and “open spaces” for creativity and joint action in peacebuilding theory and conflict transformation to be drawn from a variety of sources and traditions, to complement and build on indigenous African knowledge systems. Learning will be based on participatory adult learning models including inquiry, analysis and reflection from participants’ knowledge. Participants will engage in individual and group tasks, concept presentation, mini-lectures, case study analysis and videos.

In the past, participants to this training have been drawn from international and national organizations operating in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, Zambia, Cameroon, Liberia, Ghana, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast.
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Areas of focus**

1. Understanding Conflict

This section is designed to help the participants gain a deeper understanding of the factors that cause conflict and violence with the aim of being able to identify appropriate strategies for intervening in conflict. Different analytical models will be applied to:

· Explore the nature and dynamics of conflict

· Understand different levels and types of conflict

· Analyze conflicts and causes

2. Peacebuilding theories and practice

This section will give an overview of peacebuilding theories, concepts and practice. During the sessions, participants will be given the opportunity to:

· Identify context specific peacebuilding interventions

· Work in teams to practice new theories and concepts

· Apply these ideas and skills to cases that relate to their experiences and contexts

3. Conflict Sensitivity in Peacebuilding

This section looks at the strategies and methods that help peacebuilding and multi-mandated interveners to examine and take into account the unintended impacts of their interventions on the context of conflict and crisis. The participants will explore:

· Understanding conflict sensitivity

· Application of conflict sensitivity in peacebuilding programs

· Conflict analysis

· Conflict sensitive approaches

4. Skills for conflict transformation and peacebuilding

In this section participants will discuss the essential skills and knowledge needed for conflict transformation in interpersonal and group settings. Some of the skills will include:

· Negotiation and mediation

· Working with stories to create change

· Forgiveness and reconciliation

5. Exploration of indigenous mechanisms in peacebuilding

This section will focus on the practices of indigenous mechanism in peacebuilding and discern its role in contemporary peacebuilding practice. Discussions will be on:

· Community mechanisms and peace processes

· Indigenous dispute resolution mechanisms

· Influence of indigenous mechanisms on external conflict interventions

Expected Training results

· Increased understanding of different conflict analysis tools and the inter-relations between a conflict context and intervention strategies

· A better understanding of peacebuilding theories including the ones applicable to participants projects interventions

· An improved awareness of the ‘Do No Harm Approach’ and how the operating context interacts with proposed interventions

· Improved knowledge and skills of different conflict management strategies including negotiation and mediation

· Appreciation of indigenous conflict resolution strategies

Main Facilitator: Dr. George Kut

Dr. Kut has extensive experience in strengthening government and civil societies’ collaboration and dialogue through participatory training. He has designed and facilitated processes for conflict early warning and response systems, peacebuilding policy analysis and advocacy with governments including designing and conducting several researches and documentation for civil society organizations and UN agencies. He drafted the national peacebuilding policies for Kenya and Uganda. He also offers technical support on conflict and gender sensitive programming.

Dr. Kut’s experience in training in multicultural contexts for over 15 years spans across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He has developed a number of courses and training materials on peacebuilding for civil society organizations, local community groups and UN agencies. He recently designed an internationally popular course module on the application of CEDAW and UNSCRs 1325 in peacebuilding, gender based violence prevention, conflict transformation and human security work. He has a PhD in International Studies and Social Sciences from Coventry University, U.K and is also a holder of MA degree in Peace and Reconciliation Studies from the same university. He also holds a Post Graduate diploma in Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University.

Filled in applications should be sent to copa@copafrica.org with a copy to martha@copafrica.org

More information on the training is available at www.copafrica.org