Table of Contents
To strengthen the foundations of peace, we build bridges from communities to States to international actors – and intertwine them with relevant processes and structures. In so doing, we seek to ensure that decisions reflect the realities of those impacted by conflict.
| Number of formal agreements between Interpeace and State-level authorities (Ministries) for to support in policy and programming | 6 |
| Instances of policy or programming co-design at State level | 9 |
Influencing policy and practice by building the capacities of State authorities and ensuring evidence-based policy practices
Followed by the Ministry of Humanitarian Action and National Solidarity’s request, we designed a workshop on the country’s new national peacebuilding architecture. The request represented a decisive shift from project-level inputs and ad hoc advocacy towards integrated policy engagements. Furthermore, the Ministry of Youth requested our support resulting in the establishment of a strong partnership enabling technical assistance for the ministry and implementing partners.
Psychoeducation and advocacy efforts were implemented through media channels enabling large-scale reach across the country, drawing support from civil society and policy-making bodies. The work culminated in an official recommendation by the National Assembly for the establishment of a national trauma-healing programme, thus reflecting a historic step toward recognizing trauma recovery as a public policy priority in Burundi.
Interpeace's flagship group-based sociotherapy method was formally integrated into the Ministry of Health’s service protocols, and the Government committed to scaling the model across the country by 2028. At the same time, the Ministry of National Unity & Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) adopted a civic-education curriculum co-developed with us, embedding approaches on peace, civic education, tolerance, and positive masculinity into its programmes. In parallel, Resilience‑Oriented Therapy (ROT) was aligned with Rwanda’s National Mental Health Policy and the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2). Furthermore, the MINUBUMWE also embedded and institutionalised peacebuilding into its national reconciliation programming. A baseline report co-produced with us validated resilience measurements, identified psychosocial indicators, and provided a social cohesion analysis. This enabled the creation of a community-resilience and societal healing framework, and elements of the framework further informed national programming and the development of reconciliation and unity barometers. These tools are critical in ensuring legitimate, durable approaches in the short and long-term.
Peace advocacy across political levels
Harnessing our decades-long experience in addressing the drivers and dynamics of peace and conflict, we worked to strengthen coordination and enable complementary approaches through sustained engagements with relevant actors across political levels. This was clearly seen in our engagements in the Great Lakes Region.
Our peace advocacy efforts in the Great Lakes included:
Through these engagements, we contributed to an ecosystem approach to peace diplomacy. The work enabled a significant de-escalation in cross-border tensions and the renewed engagement by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) with local peace infrastructures.
