Libye : la valeur ajoutée des processus locaux de paix et de réconciliation

La Libye traverse des mois difficiles alors que le pays se dirige vers les élections du 24 décembre. Le 2 juillet 2021, le Forum de dialogue politique libyen (LPDF), soutenu par l'ONU, n'est pas parvenu à un consensus sur les bases constitutionnelles des prochaines élections. Plus tôt en juin, lors de la deuxième conférence de Berlin, il n'y avait pas eu de progrès significatif en termes de retrait de troupes ou de mercenaires étrangers du pays.

Dans ce contexte fortement divisé, les processus de réconciliation communautaires sont essentiels pour résoudre les conflits découlant des griefs locaux. Cependant, trop souvent, les populations et communautés locales ne sont pas suffisamment impliquées dans les processus de paix de haut niveau. Pour combler ce fossé, Interpeace a réuni un large éventail d'agents de changement impliqués dans l'établissement d'une vision commune des priorités pour la paix afin d'apporter des solutions au niveau local à travers le dialogue communautaire.

Les profondes divisions politiques qui caractérisent la Libye découlent et alimentent les griefs locaux – créant un cercle vicieux et rendant le travail au niveau communautaire d'autant plus important. Depuis 2011, l'engagement d'Interpeace en Libye s'est concentré sur le développement d'infrastructures locales pour la paix et la cohésion sociale. Au milieu de cet état de conflit prolongé, les Libyens sont frustrés par la stagnation politique continue, l'échec des processus de dialogue et les promesses non tenues. Dans le contexte de crise multiforme de longue date en Libye, les espoirs d'une transition démocratique dans les prochains mois sont grands, même avec les derniers revers, mais cette situation est compliquée par de nombreux défis sociaux et politiques en plus du conflit en cours et de la propagation du Covid-19.

Les années de conflit ont également affaibli la cohésion sociale déjà fragile et creusé les écarts dans le pays. Le rétablissement de celle-ci et de l'inclusion doit être une priorité tout en construisant une paix durable dans une situation de conflit aussi complexe que celle de la Libye. À travers son projet « Renforcer la cohésion locale en Libye : une voie vers une paix durable », Interpeace cherche à renforcer les capacités de résilience locale pour une paix durable et à contribuer au développement d'un environnement local pour la stabilité et la croissance future en Libye. Près de 30 communautés bénéficient du programme.

Au cours des dix dernières années en Libye, Interpeace a développé et accompagné un réseau de plus de 200 « agents de changement » ou « facilitateurs de dialogue », à travers le pays, travaillant directement avec la population. Ce groupe est composé d'individus influents de tous âges, sexes et statuts sociaux. Ses membres jouent un rôle important dans la construction d'une paix résiliente en Libye de bas en haut, en veillant à ce que les communautés engagées soient équipées pour être plus résilientes aux conflits, en particulier au niveau communautaire. Cette initiative vise à catalyser la collaboration entre les communautés libyennes et avec les autorités nationales, pour établir une vision commune des priorités pour la paix à travers le renforcement des plateformes de dialogue et celuides capacités des agents de changement dans les communautés locales. Cet effort est soutenu par le ministère fédéral allemand des Affaires étrangères et le Département fédéral suisse des Affaires étrangères.

« Sur le plan pratique, j'ai été grandement responsabilisé dans ma participation sociale. Il y avait certaines activités dont je me suis tenu à l'écart, pensant qu'elles appartenaient aux spécialistes, et je n'y ai jamais participé. J'ai senti que cela [l'engagement dans l'initiative] m'a donné le courage de participer. Je restais à l'écart de ceux qui avaient des idées et des positions opposées, mais j'ai commencé à intervenir de manière positive. Si une situation difficile survient, j'essaie de trouver des solutions constructives », explique une agente de changement de Tobrouk.

Dans le cadre du programme, Interpeace met en place diverses initiatives pour rassembler des agents de changement basés dans différentes parties de la Libye et soutenir leurs efforts pour construire un environnement social pacifique. Le rassemblement le plus récent a eu lieu à Tunis du 20 au 28 juin 2021. Il a été organisé pour aider ces dirigeants et influenceurs communautaires à identifier et à résoudre les problèmes prioritaires au sein des communautés.

“« Cette expérience peut être caractérisée de deux manières : nous avons établi des relations dans toutes les villes libyennes en maintenant une communication directe. Je veux dire, maintenant j'ai des amis dans chaque ville libyenne et je peux dire que 60% de l'avantage que j'ai gagné est le fait que je connais personnellement des jeunes de toutes les villes et de différents domaines. […] Personnellement, j'ai rencontré des personnes influentes dans différentes communautés, des personnes sages et des personnes influentes dans la société civile. […] Nous savons que la méfiance peut exister entre les individus envers les organisations internationales travaillant en Libye, mais Interpeace a une approche différente – c'est une expérience particulière », explique un agent de changement de Tobrouk.” explains a male change agent from Tobruk.

Quarante personnes divisées en deux groupes ont participé à des sessions de quatre jours pour chacun d’entre eux. L’atelier a été organisé pour donner aux facilitateurs de l’Est de la Libye les compétences et les outils requis pour des dialogues communautaires adaptés à leur contexte local.

« Je suis timide – même quand j'ai quelque chose à dire, je préfère rester en retrait, me taire. Je ne suis pas sociable par nature, je préfère rester à la maison. Ma participation aux ateliers […] m'a donné envie d'exprimer mon point de vue qu'il soit accepté ou non par l'autre partie. Maintenant, sur le plan social, j'ai le pouvoir de participer aux projets en cours en Libye, tels que le renforcement du rôle des femmes dans les processus électoraux, en tant qu'électrices ou en tant que candidates, ainsi qu'au niveau de la réconciliation nationale », explique une femme agente de changement d'Al-Baida.

Ce travail est essentiel avec les changements actuels qui ont lieu dans le contexte politique sensible de la Libye et à l'approche des élections dans lesquelles les communautés joueront un rôle clé.

“The role of the change agents will be critical in the eventual implementation of a political agreement in bringing public support, particularly among civil society, who are likely to be key champions of any peace outcomes negotiated. The sustainability of a political solution will be dependent on a shared societal agreement about what peace means and what it entails, but also community engagement –going beyond simple outreach - as an actual process of inclusion in the implementation to ensure sustainable peace,” concluded Renée Larivière, Senior Director for Programme Management at Interpeace.

Strengthening the role of young women as advocates of peace and security in Palestine through creativity and art

The political sphere in Palestine is male dominated, with young women in particular excluded from political and security decision-making. Significantly, existing social norms, growing conservative attitudes, prevailing gender stereotypes and socio-economic hardship hinder women’s participation at positions of influence. As a result, young women are often not engaged or involved in traditional power structures, and ultimately, have limited knowledge of their civic and political rights, including the capacity to express their political and social views.

To help shift this reality, Interpeace’s Palestine programme (Mustakbalna) has since its creation engaged diverse actors across the political spectrum and key sectoral groups within the Palestinian society, including women and youth, as change agents to promote constructive dialogue, enhance civil peace and greater stability within the Palestinian community.

In 2018, Mustakbalna partnered with The Freedom Theatre to strengthen the role of young women as advocates of peace and security in Palestine through creativity and art. Combining technical capacity building on UNSCR 1325, human rights, and gender with training on the use of innovative advocacy tools such as participatory photography, videography and theatre, young women from six different areas in the West Bank were empowered to act with influence, stand up for their rights and lead positive change in their communities.

Empowering women through art   

In 2000, the Security Council passed UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. This resolution was a milestone because it acknowledged the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women and girls, as well as the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, humanitarian response and peacebuilding. More than just victims of conflict, the resolution recognized women as actors of change and as peacebuilders, as well as acknowledged the importance of including women in all stages of conflict prevention and peace negotiations. However, in conflict-affected countries, women – and young women in particular – often do not possess technical knowledge of UNSCR 1325 and generally lack the space, confidence and advocacy skills to voice their concerns and aspirations to decision-makers.

Thinking of ways to address the particular challenge faced by young women, the Mustakbalna programme in partnership with The Freedom Theatre delivered a series of capacity building workshops, theatre and drama workshops, and participatory photography/videography sessions, to enable young women in target areas to improve their confidence, advocacy skills and technical knowledge of UNSCR 1325. These comprehensive training efforts helped 120 young women between the ages of 15-25 to find their “own voice” using creativity and art. Throughout the sessions, young women improved their ability to have oftentimes difficult conversations about security concerns, covering issues such as domestic violence, sexual harassment and abuse with their peers, project staff, and key stakeholders, while at the same time linking these concerns to broader reflections about UNSCR 1325 and to what extent it can be used as an advocacy tool. These improvements were confirmed by participants’ parents, and other project stakeholders, including women leaders, who were impressed by the level of knowledge and expertise demonstrated by young women such as displaying greater confidence and courage, greater awareness of their rights as women and as Palestinians, and greater clarity in their communication and self-expression. As a result, young women were able to bring forth their concerns and aspirations through various means and with various audiences.

The photography and videography workshops trained young women in the use of cameras and mobile phones to document issues around them and examine how these tools can be used as an advocacy instrument. Young women produced photographs and short films portraying their everyday realities, concerns and challenges regarding security, sexual harassment, societal pressure, abuse, and discrimination (gender and age) but also their aspirations and role in society. Meanwhile, the theatre and drama workshops covered not only theory and practice, but also interactive exercises such as use of body language and confidence-building. As a conclusion to the workshops, the works produced by young women, such as theatre sketches, photographs and short films, were presented in local communities to foster discussion around the role and concerns of young women.

Additionally, as part of the objective to raise broader awareness about issues concerning women in the Palestinian society, Interpeace’s partner, The Freedom Theater led the production of a play “Us Too – Women of Palestine”. The play highlighted powerful personal stories of harassment, struggle for equality, and women’s dreams of determining their own future, which toured in different locations in the West Bank.

In October 2018, a National Gathering was organized to conclude the training elements of the project. For the first time, the young women working groups were brought together from across the West Bank: Jenin City, Ya’bad, Nablus, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Hebron to help build stronger relationships, networks and communication channels with each other and with local organizations.

Connecting young women with decision-makers

As an integral part of the project, communication channels were created between young women and local decision-makers through introductory meetings to provide women with concrete opportunities to practice advocacy and accountability. These meetings were organized in all target areas, where participants discussed the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and the role and particular security concerns of young women. Over 120 participants attended these meetings including young women, representatives of local municipalities, Governorate Offices, political parties, women’s and human rights organizations, legal institutions, and informal community leaders.

Furthermore, through the advocacy engagements facilitated by the programme, a meeting between young women and representatives of the National Coalition for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Palestine was organized. The discussion covered issues such as gender-based violence and discrimination against women including honor killings, violence against women by the Israeli occupation, raising awareness among men of women’s rights, gender, and UNSCR 1325, as well as the challenge of forming a unified front among women on the issue of women’s rights in Palestine.

Both decision-makers and women leaders acknowledged the importance and necessity of listening to these strong – but often marginalized – voices and recognized the place and potential of young women as “future leaders” of the Palestinian society.

Ensuring young women’s access to community structures at a local level is key to enabling them to later participate in peace and security processes at the national level. Fostering greater awareness of young women’s rights and opportunities can enable them to use such frameworks, and UNSCR 1325 specifically, as tools to advocate for a greater role for themselves.

The implementation of the Interpeace and Freedom Theatre project “Advocates for peace and security” was made possible with the generous support of the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA).

Photo credit: The Freedom Theatre

Kenya: Raising Local Voices for Peace in Mandera

Hassan Ismail likes to joke that the trajectory of his life has been defined by conflict. Born and raised in Kenya’s Mandera County, Hassan has experienced violent clan conflict several times in his life. On two occasions when he was a child, his family was ransacked in violent episodes of conflict, losing their entire herd of camels and with it their livelihood. The second attack that took place when Hassan was a teenager proved the most devastating. Hassan’s father, known in his prime as a hardworking family man, was unable to set the family back on its feet due to the frailties of age. Life became a difficult struggle. But through sheer determination, Hassan was able to struggle his way through school and to embark on a life of service to the community. He has worked as a school teacher, a humanitarian aid worker and now coordinates Interpeace’s new peacebuilding programme in Mandera.

03_Hassan (right) makes a point during the induction of the Mandera programme team. Photo credit - Interpeace

Hassan (right) makes a point during the induction of the Mandera programme team. Photo credit: Interpeace

Hassan is quick to clarify that his experience is not unique. His story rings true for many people from Mandera County, which has had a long history of clan conflict and marginalization. While many of the conflicts were traditionally rooted in territorial disputes, they have in recent decades been compounded by competition over political and economic opportunities. A new national constitution adopted in 2010 ushered in Kenya’s Second Republic, and with it a new era of devolved governance. The advent of devolution was welcomed by many residents of Mandera, who were optimistic that their historical marginalization might finally come to an end. But while devolution brought national resources, social services and governance closer to the local population, also provided a new frontier for contention between the County’s various clans for political and economic power.

It is in the midst of these challenges that Interpeace’s Mandera peacebuilding programme seeks to provide a glimmer of hope. Implemented in partnership with Kenya’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), the programme’s goal is to integrate grassroots aspirations for peace, building on local capacities and providing a strategic link with decision and policy makers at the national level. The programme marks a departure from past peace initiatives, which were largely top-down interventions mobilized to contain situations that had already escalated into violence.

“Many peace efforts were unstainable because local voices were missing from the equation,” Hassan explains.

01_Members of the new Mandera Programme team during their induction. Photo credit - Interpeace

Members of the new Mandera Programme team during their induction. Photo credit: Interpeace

Taking a bottom-up approach, the Mandera programme seeks to progressively build peace by placing local populations in the driving seat, particularly in the identification of both the impediments to peace and possible solutions.  The NCIC completes the picture by providing the crucial channel through which the government will better understand the underlying causes of these clan conflicts.

One of the ways in which local voices will be captured is through the Mobile Audio Visual Unit (MAVU). Interpeace has decades of experience using audio-visual means, mainly mobile cinema, to build trust and understanding among communities divided by either conflict or geographical distance. The MAVU approach involves facilitated dialogues catalyzed through documentary films, which are additionally used to bring the voices of local populations to the attention of policy and decision makers.

“The opportunity for the government to perceive the conflicts from the perspective of grassroots people will make a great difference,” Hassan says. “It will pave the way for the development of long-term structures for peace, built and endorsed by people at the grassroots level.”

Read more about Interpeace’s work in Afrique de l'est et centrale.

02_Some members of the new Mandera programme team during their induction. Photo credit - Interpeace

Some members of the new Mandera Programme team during their induction. Photo credit: Interpeace

Engaging people in peacebuilding and statebuilding - Why and how?

Interpeace’s International Peacebuilding Advisory Team (IPAT) will host a one-day training and learning event on citizen engagement in peacebuilding on 26 November. The event will be an opportunity to learn about practical ways to operationalize important aspects of Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promoting Just, Peaceful and Inclusive Societies.

The mechanisms for citizen participation in established democracies do not always exist – or are not as robust – in countries attempting to emerge from conflict. State institutions are often significantly weakened and lacking in the public’s trust, while society itself may have a yet-to-be developed sense of “citizenship”.

In such contexts efforts to create meaningful public participation can have multiple benefits. They can:

Yet the prevailing practices are not necessarily conducive to enabling greater public participation and citizen engagement. Mediation efforts tend to concentrate on the powerful elite players while other international actors work with national civil society groups that are not necessarily representative of the wider population.

From more than 20 years of experience in peacebuilding, we know that peace cannot be imported from the outside and that it must be built from within a society. This is why Interpeace tailors its approach to each society and ensures that the work is locally driven. Interpeace believes that every society has what it needs to build peace. Our role is to support societies to harness their strengths. Together with local partners, we jointly develop peacebuilding programmes. We help to establish inclusive processes of change that connect local communities, civil society, government and the international community through our approche Track 6.

The course

This one day training course draws on Interpeace’s experience with inclusive peacebuilding but will also create space for participants to share their experiences and engage in peer learning.

Throughout the day we will make use of inputs, group work, case examples and video clips that illustrate public participation on issues that matter, in various peacebuilding and statebuilding contexts.

Key questions that we will explore during the day will be:

Event details

When and Where:  Thursday 26 November at the Interpeace Office, Maison de la Paix, Geneva.
Sessions will run from 9.30-12.45 and 14.00-17.45.

Main course facilitator: Koenraad Van Brabant, Senior Peacebuilding Adviser
Main working language: English

Cost: CHF 85 per person, for the one-day training. This includes the course fee and coffee and tea but snacks or lunch are not provided. Though there is time out over lunch, this is a full day event and participants are expected to be present during both morning and afternoon sessions.

Applications to: ipat@interpeace.org with mention ‘citizen engagement course’.  Acceptance to the course is on a first come, first served basis – acceptance is confirmed by payment in advance of the course fee to Interpeace

IBAN CH88 0027 9279 2135 5200 G;
SWIFT UBSWCHZH80A