AC4 at Columbia University will hold the 2021 Sustaining Peace Forum on April 7, 2021 (1:00-2:30 PM EST) with the theme, “Peace is always local: Transformation at the center of conflict.”
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About the 2021 Sustaining Peace Forum
Local-led peace actors are gaining more attention in the international peacebuilding scene. Yet, the rhetoric of “inclusive peace” often falls away quickly in high-level peace efforts by states and international organizations. The endemic failures of peace processes can often be traced directly to a lack of authentic engagement with local-led peace leaders. In this event, we will highlight that peace, like politics, is always local. We will explore local-led peace efforts to show that they are at the center, not the periphery, of effective peace building. The panelists will also call for radical changes in how international actors understand and engage these key stakeholders. This dialogue aims to make the case that we can no longer operate under the paradigm in which local actors are “invited to the table.” In fact, local actors are already creating the most important “tables”, in meaningful and powerful ways. This event will include prominent scholar-practitioners who each focus their inquiry on different and complementary aspects of local-led peace efforts.
Introductory Remarks: Leymah Gbowee
Speakers: Séverine Autesserre, Zachary Metz, Riva Kantowitz
Discussant: Sami Awad
NERPS is proudly co-sponsoring this event with Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (NECR), School of Professional Studies, The Morton Deutsche International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR), Teachers College, and Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.
