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Welcome to The Life & Peace

The Life & Peace Institute (LPI) is an international and ecumenical centre that supports and promotes nonviolent approaches to conflict transformation through a combination of research and action that entails the strengthening of existing local capacities and enhancing the preconditions for building peace.

 

The Life & Peace Institute envisions a world where peace, justice and non-violent relations prevail through people’s active work and commitment. We have been active towards achieving this goal since 1985.

Our work

The Life & Peace Institute works by supporting local civil society organisations in Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

 

LPI regards the regional aspect as key both in the understanding and the solution to the conflicts in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions, and its work is therefore built on a thorough understanding of this regional dimension. Read more about our programmes.

News

Call for Application: Consultant support to “Evaluating Peacebuilding. A workshop for peacebuilding practitioners and M&E specialists new to peacebuilding”

Deadline: 27 May 2013 


Please see attached Terms of Reference

New issue HABWEB.jpg

The March-April issue of the Horn of Africa Bulletin is out. Read about the Mombasa Republican Council in Kenya, an assessment of the regional organisation IGAD and the conflict early warning and response CEWER in Kenya + news and resources. Read it here

 

Internship at LPI Uppsala, Sweden - apply now!

Introduction to LPI-Uppsala Internship Programme

 

Applications relating to the second semester 2013 i.e. from August/September should be submitted by April 30 the latest. Please send your application either by e-mail to applications@life-peace.org or to our postal address: Life & Peace Institute, Eddagatan 12
SE-753 16 Uppsala, Sweden

 

UN Passes Global Arms Trade Treaty 

Gripen jet fighters

The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday adopted its first ever treaty aimed at controlling the trade in conventional weapons, voting it through by a large majority. Member states represented in the UN General Assembly voted by 154 to three, with 23 abstentions, to control a trade worth an estimated SEK451bn a year. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) prohibits states from exporting conventional weapons in violation of arms embargoes – such as the current EU embargo in force against Syria – or weapons to be used for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or terrorism. It also requires states to prevent conventional weapons reaching the black market.

 

The Treaty is unique for many reasons: besides being the first arms treaty of its kind, it also imposes restrictions on buyers with a foul human rights record and acknowledges the link between gender-based violence and international arms trade.

 

The World Council of Churches, organizers of the Ecumenical Campaign for a Strong and Effective Arms Trade Treaty, also claim the treaty is a milestone.

 

Over the years, LPI has produced a number of publications on arms treaty, small arms, and light weapons. Below are links to some of them:

 

Akatsa-Bukachi, M. (2012 ). Gender and Violence: Small arms - a human security issue . NR


Brune, Peter. (1/2010). The Gothenburg Process: Arms that kill - also when not in use. NR


Life and Peace Institute. (2010 ). Arms for Sale, At what cost? NR


Ouko, M. O., & Ahere, J. (2012). Information Communication Technology (ICT) in combat of Small Arms and Light Weapons . HAB

Whitehead, D. (2005). Small arms pose big threats . NR

 

LPI conducts PME&L training in Addis Ababa

 

Planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning (PME&L) are critical ingredients for any peacebuilding project. Life & Peace Institute in collaboration with the Norwegian Church Aid organized a training session on Planning Peacebuilding Initiatives for the Inter-religious council of Ethiopia (IRCE)secretariat from March 11-14, 2013 in Addis Ababa....Read More

 

Here is the link for LPI’s PME&L tool.

Hot topic in New Routes - peacebuilding in small spaces

cover201301_small.jpgRead the latest issue of New Routes, focusing on civil society and the concept of ‘peacebuilding in small spaces’, a global hot topic of crucial interest.

The opening article reflects on the relations between governments and civil society, especially in peacbuilding. In another article, Roger W. Foster and Jayne S. Docherty, Eastern Mennonite University, point to situations when ‘smallness’ in itself is an advantage. James A. Paul, Global Policy Forum, and Henning Melber, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, in their respective articles, picture the UN’s and governments’ attitude towards civil society. Pauliina Parhiala, ACT Alliance, takes up a human rights perspective in her discussion
on the challenges of civil society.
  A number of examples of peacebuilding activities in small spaces are given from former Yugoslavia, Burma/Myanmar and Israel/Palestine. Download New Routes 1.2013

“Women will become a powerful force in peace building in Congo”

Katarina Carlberg has written this blog from Bukavu where LPI and Kvinna till Kvinna, along with their Congolese partner organisations, are holding a workshop on enhancing the role of women in conflict transformation. Read it here: http://vipa.kvinnatillkvinna.se/regioner/afrika/women-will-become-a-powerful-force-in-peace-building

Horn of Africa Bulletin is out !

Read about environment conflicts, Tana Delta in Kenya, Ethiopian Muslims and Somalia foreign intervention...

  • HABWEB.jpgEnvironmental conflicts, natural resources and diplomacy in the East and Horn of Africa by Ibrahim Farah, Caroline Kiarie and Peter Durito

  • Competeing narratives on the causes of Ethiopian Muslim protests by Zeleke Eresso

  • Somalia: Changing patterns of foreign intervention by Luca Puddu

  • Tana Delta Conflict: lessons for Kenya by Adam Hussein Adam

Download HAB 1.2013 here

 

Swedish aid to the Sudan: LPI leads call for a clear vision

Development and humanitarian needs in the Sudan are immense. Yet, the Swedish government seems to lack a clear vision at a time when support to the Sudanese people is most needed. The Life & Peace Institute, in collaboration with seven other Swedish organisations including the Church of Sweden, Diakonia, International Aid Services, Operation 1325, PMU, Save the Children and Swedish Fellowship for Reconciliation, now urge Sweden to present a strategy for continued long-term development support to the country.  Link to the article in Swedish:

 

LPI and Kvinna till Kvinna launch project in DR Congo

Politics and conflict resolution in DR Congo are areas reserved for men. But a new project, strengthening women at the local level, aims to break this pattern of discrimination.

  

LPI signs agreement with Inter-religious Council

and Norwegian Church Aid in EthiopiaHannah_ToR.png

 
Norwegian Church Aid Ethiopia, the Life & Peace Institute (LPI)  and the Inter-religious Council of Ethiopia (IRCE) have signed an agreement to advance its involvement in the area of faith communities and peacebuilding.
 
 
 

LPI invites practitioners and academics to conference in Bujumbura

Bridging tParicipants_at_Bujumbura_conference_Nov_2012.jpghe gap between theory and practice

There is a persistent gap between theory and practice in the field of peace-building, which was the primary reason that inspired the LPI programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo to arrange for an occasion for practitioners and academics to come together to share their perspectives on peacebuilding. Peacebuilding in Africa: Bridging Theory and Practice took place in Bujumbura, Burundi, at the end of November 2012. Read the full report in English 
 

New RoutesNR_4.12.bild.JPG

Peace without borders - Regional peacebuilding in focus
 
Read the latest issue of New Routes focusing on the regional Peacebuilding focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of regional organisations and the role of regions in peace making. Among the topics are the benefits of regional learning, gender violence and arms control and regional cooperation in conflict management. 
Among the contributors: Professor Peter Wallensteen, Uppsala University/Kroc Institute/Notre Dame University, Dr Mehari Taddele Maru, ISS Addis Ababa, Ms Grace Maina, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, Professor Reina Neufeldt, Ms Tigist Hailu, IGAD/CEWARN, Ms Lena Slachmuijlder, Search for Common Ground. 

Horn of Africa Bulletin  HABWEB.jpg

  • The search for peace in the Horn: An optimistic note
  • Security and foreign policy in post-transitional Somalia
  • One year down the line in Kenya: Al -Shabaab versus KDF and increased insecurity
  • Is state-building working in South Sudan?
download HAB November-December 2012 issue
 

New York Times highlights work of LPI in DRC, read the article:

 

Get LPI's periodicals free of charge!

Sign up for the full-length E-journals now.
Horn of Africa Bulletin (bimontly) -email HAB.subscriptions@life-peace.org
New Routes guarterly  - email newroutes@life-peace.org

New seminar series report:

Sudan - North in the shadow of the South

Report from four seminars on challenges and opportunities for peacebuilding in Sudan, arranged by LPI and the Nordic Africa Institute. Themes: Environment, The border, The role of civil society, The Nordic countries as peacebuilders. Click to read the report.

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Food – our most basic need?

Read the latest issue of New Routes - Click here to read it in full.
Our focus is on food security, governance and justice. Read about: the nexus between scarcity of food and the risk of outbreaks of violence, the volatile link between rising food prices and social unrest, as well as the consequences of climate change on food security + LPI News, Reviews and Resources

 

How can we help Congo?

Article in the New York Times highlights LPI and partners' work in South and North Kivu.    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/the-only-way-to-help-congo.html?pagewanted=all

 
Peace in Sudan? A window of opportunity

In topics like Environment, climate and conflict, Border issues between Sudan and South Sudan, and Abyei – the Kashmir of Sudan, this issue of the New Routes journal reflects on Sudan's resources, possibilities, challenges and difficulties + LPI News, Reviews and Resources
Download New Routes special issue on Sudan
 

Sudan Seminars

Life & Peace Institute and The Nordic Africa Institute recently hosted a series of four seminars about Sudan: North in the Shadow of the South.
For more information and video of the first three seminars, please visit The Nordic Africa Institute on the following link.

Participatory Action Plan - research report from DR Congo

This report is the product of a Participatory Action Plan (PAR) conducted since June 2009 by Action pour la Paix et la Concorde, with the support of LPI.
 Kalehe_-_Front_cover.jpg

Conflits fonciers et dynamiques de cohabitation en territoire de Kalehe Sud-Kivu, Est de la RDC

Ce rapport est le fruit d’une Recherche Action Participative menée depuis juin 2009 par Action pour la Paix et la Concorde avec l’appui de LPI. Il aborde le rôle que jouent les mutations administratives dans l’imaginaire et les explications collectives des conflits locaux.
 
Read more here or click on the photo to download the publication. 
  

 Research report from DRC

Au-delà des Groupes Armés: Conflits locaux et connexions sous-regionales L’exemple de Fizi et Uvira. Find it here.

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Or please click on the picture above to download the publication!

LPI and Kroc Institute launch publication on Somalia

Creating space for fresh approaches to peacebuildingSomalia_pic_small.jpg

Policy options discussed by decision makers inside and outside Somalia are based
primarily on global and regional security potential concerns. They tend to overlook the local complexities and the potential for nonviolent conflict transformation that exist in the context.
In particular, the black listing of al-Shaabab prevents one of the main stakeholders to participate in the mainstream political process and discourages interest in dialogue from all sides. This means that state and non-state actors are self-censoring themselves, in fear of the consequences that engagement with a proscribed organisation might generate.
 
There is a scarcity of alternative perspectives among policy makers that could encourage the design of an inclusive peace process in Somalia. These challenges are presented and analysed in a series of articles that has come out of collaboration between the Life & Peace Institute and the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, USA.
 
Read an article about the publication here.

International student summit in Ethiopia

The Addis Ababa University Peace Club and the Life & Peace Institute organised a 3-day international Sustained Dialogue Summit in December 2011. Hundreds of students came together to brainstorm ways of sustaining the clulb's student-run activities.  Summit organizer, LPI Ethiopia programme manager Hannah Tsadik said "the initiative is proof that something very small can grow and bloom and reach people all over the world... that things can change for the better". Professor Tarekegn Adebo, working for LPI and the Addis Ababa University, noted the peer-reviewed academic research being conducted on the Sustaine Dialogue initiative: "This exercise is going to contribute to something serious on the theoretical level on that part of peacebuilding called impact assessment".
 
Read more about the event at Sustained Dialogue Campus Network here.

"... it’s worth supporting the work of the Life and Peace Institute and its Congolese partners. After extensive field investigations in South Kivu, including interviews with some 800 local actors, LPI and its partner Action pour la Paix et la Concorde set up intercommunity forums to discuss the specifics of local conflicts over land and manage the violence."
  
 LPI's response to article in the New York Times - download op-ed in French
  

Read the article in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/the-only-way-to-help-congo.html?pagewanted=all