Description
The key aim of peacebuilding is to transform violent conflicts into non-violent ones. In recent years, debates around post-conflict peacebuilding revolved around the involvement of the international community, and the ownership and responsibility that is taken by national governments and local communities in post-conflict countries in promoting peace after major conflict. There has been a lot of criticism towards the role the United Nations and other international actors play in post-conflict peacebuilding, e.g. for example, that they perpetuate postcolonial hierarchies in international efforts to build peace. As a result, amongst others, different UN agencies have critically engaged and changed their practices on peacebuilding. However, problems still persist in norms and practices of post-conflict peacebuilding. This panel speaks to this year’s CfP of the BISA Annual conference 2023 and critically reflects on the future of peacebuilding. Papers in this panel critically engage with the question whether the United Nations is up to the challenges of promoting peace and prevent conflicts – and whether there are any other alternatives.
