Grass-Roots Peacebuilding: Neighbourhood Facilitation in Bosnia

15 Pages Posted: 28 Jun 2014

See all articles by David M. Last

David M. Last

Royal Military College of Canada - Department of Political Science

Date Written: June 7, 1998

Abstract

This is a report on field research by the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in collaboration with Conflict Resolution Catalysts, an NGO working in northwest Bosnia. The inter-personal and inter-communal problems experienced in the wake of war call for a range of personal communication and conflict resolution skills which are often not found in heirarchical international organizations. Core skills include active listening, concensus-building, facilitation, mediation, and community organization. Ten local and four international facilitators with a small support team work in a community drop-in centre and a mobile team. They contribute to civil society and inter-communal reconciliation through discussion/action groups, advocacy, social organization, and mediation in individual cases. Support to population return has been a focus of their work. The project illustrates many dilemmas in peacebuilding: individual or collective targets; the unwanted mediator; advocacy or impartiality, a gap in skills; and the uneasy partnership of local and international actors.

Keywords: NGO, Militay, Ethics, Peacekeeping

JEL Classification: N4, I38, L30

Suggested Citation

Last, David M., Grass-Roots Peacebuilding: Neighbourhood Facilitation in Bosnia (June 7, 1998). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2459735 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2459735

David M. Last (Contact Author)

Royal Military College of Canada - Department of Political Science ( email )

P.O. Box 17,000, Station Forces
Kingston, ON K7K 7B4
Canada

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