ACCORD, in partnership with the Council of Swaziland Churches (CSC) organised a three-day workshop from 18-20 December 2023, in Manzini, Eswatini, to operationalise the Eswatini Peace Committees.
The goal of this workshop was to contribute towards the development of the CSC’s early warning and intervention system. This system will comprise local peace committees drawn from the various parishes of churches within the Council. The Peace Committees will draw on their standing in their communities to act as conflict managers in cases where conflicts occur and will also play a role in conflict prevention and mitigation in their communities. They will assist in fostering peace and social cohesion at the community level in Eswatini.
The workshop brought together the council’s regional focal points from two of Eswatini’s four regions. They discussed processes to strengthen the operationalisation of the local Peace Committees. Knowledge was shared with the participants on Infrastructures for Peace that exist on the continent and analysed how best to implement the same concepts within the Eswatini context. The participants also conducted a contextual analysis of conflicts within their communities, and the country as a whole; conflict intervention entry points for the Peace Committees; and how best to go about intervening. In addition, the workshop discussed the structures of the Peace Committees, the development of an action plan, and the next steps that need to be taken to fully operationalise the Peace Committees.
This workshop helped the CSC develop their early warning and intervention system at the local level. ACCORD will continue to engage with the CSC to guide in the development of its processes on peacebuilding and conflict prevention in the country.
