On 10-12 September 2024, the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted the 12th Annual PeaceCon in Washington D.C. The theme of this year’s meeting was ‘Status Quo no More: Building Peace in a Time of Rising Violent Conflict’. The conference brought together senior officials, academics, policymakers and practitioners from around the world to unpack the challenges and opportunities facing the peacebuilding community in the context of several protracted conflicts and humanitarian disasters around the world.
The conference discussions focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and climate change-induced disasters on peacebuilding, as well as the decline in social cohesion and its impact on the sustainability of peace within states not in active war. The discussions also highlighted the increased number of both state and non-state actors in conflict landscapes, giving parties to a conflict — various options for managing a conflict, which has the potential to complicate the work of the peacebuilding community. The keynote speaker of Day 1, Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, emphasized that peace must be the future for humans to have a future.
ACCORD participated in the panel discussion titled ‘Emerging Powers in Mediation: The New Landscape of International Conflict Resolution’. This panel focused on the mediation roles and styles of countries like South Africa, Turkey and the Gulf countries in an era of changing global and regional dynamics. The discussion highlighted a shift away from traditional or ‘Western’ centric mediation and support. In this context, ACCORD was invited to share insights on how South Africa’s experience with negotiations in the early 1990s influenced its approach to mediation on the continent. The crucial themes of local ownership and compromise were emphasized during this important discussion.
