Giving Compass' Take:

• Peace Direct shares lessons from 15 years of collaborating with local grassroots peacebuilding groups and organizations. 

• Why is it crucial to prioritize local community leaders in peacebuilding efforts?  

 • Learn more about funding peacebuilding. 

We’re hearing more and more from aid agencies and international NGOs about supporting ‘locals’ and ‘locally led’ approaches. It makes sense, because local people know the problems in their communities best. But what does it mean exactly, and how can we best provide that support?

Here’s what we at Peace Direct learned from working with local peacebuilding groups for 15 years:

  1. Shift the power. Local peacebuilders in various countries tell us all the time how power imbalances often arise with international partners and end up hampering their efforts.
  2. Confront prejudices. International partners must confront their own prejudices in order to develop meaningful partnerships.
  3. Locals must be in charge. Local organisations should set the strategic direction of peacebuilding programmes – with international partners playing a supportive, accompaniment role and acting as a critical friend.
  4. Accountability – on both sides. The onus of accountability should not be placed only on local organisations, reporting upwards solely on donor requirements.
  5. Go the distance. The most effective peacebuilding partnerships represent long-term relationships, which do not begin and end with a specific project.
  6. Unrestricted funds. Funding is increasingly short-term and project-based. But the sustainability of local partners depends on more than project costs.
  7. Promote flexibility. Local organisations’ ability to adapt financially and programmatically to rapidly changing contexts or risks is crucial for achieving impact and keeping local actors safe.
  8. Resources are about more than money. Non-financial resources such as office space or training opportunities allow partners to remain resilient against shocks, increase their skill set and gain autonomy over their work.
  9.  Make a graceful exit. How a programme, project or partnership ends is an important aspect of partnership transitions to locally led peacebuilding.

Read the full article about lessons in grassroots peacebuilding by Rosemary Forest at Alliance Magazine.