Global Advocacy for Integrated Peacebuilding

Integrating holistic, impactful and human-oriented approaches to peacebuilding on the global scene

Background

IAHV has been at the forefront of actively designing, implementing and advocating for psychosocial peacebuilding programming and awareness on an international level in order to increase the impact of peacebuilding efforts worldwide.

We need to change the way we think and practice peacebuilding, taking better care of all involved in or affected by violence, and becoming more impactful in our peacebuilding interventions by transforming mindsets, attitudes, wellbeing and behaviour of individuals and communities.

We cooperate in particular with a developing global initiative to integrate Mental Health and Psychosocial Support into Peacebuilding.

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Strengthening Mental Health at the Core of Peacebuilding, Development and Humanitarian Work

A panel organised during a global virtual conference on "Changing Paradigms in a Pandemic World”

7 April 2021 from 1:00 to 6:00 pm CEST

Key-note speaker at UNDP International Symposium on MHPSS and Peacebuilding, Oct 2020

In October 2020, the UNDP Crisis Bureau (Headquarters, USA) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) invited IAHV as one of the key speakers at a high-level international symposium entitled Promoting and Protecting Human Well-Being: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Peacebuilding, which is part of the 2020 UN Peace Building Architecture Review.

In the webinar, attended by 80+ colleagues, including global UNDP staff, Member States, civil society organisations and UN entities, IAHV presented its integrated approach to psychosocial peacebuilding as well as concrete results in improving mental health and wellbeing and reducing violence and aggression in conflict and war zones.

With thanks to IAHV USA, IAHV Philippines, UNDP, Ministerie BuZa NL

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Member of the Global Reference Group on MHPSS and Peacebuilding

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We are collaborating with other organisations around the world as a member of the Global Reference Group for Psychosocial Peacebuilding to increase the knowledge and application of integrated approaches to psychosocial support and peacebuilding.

The group convened at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa, in May 2017 and Sept 2018.

Convinced that Peacebuilding, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support need to be better integrated, we drafted guidelines and an action plan to bring both fields #pb and #mhpss closer together for more impactful and sustainable Peacebuilding, and planned the next actions for field research, awareness raising and capacity building.

Publication in leading Peacebuilding Journal on IAHV’s Training for Peacebuilders

Towards Integrated Peacebuilding: Comprehensively Integrating Psychosocial Factors in Peacebuilding Trainings and Programs for Increased Impact, Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, July 19 2019. 

This briefing shares IAHV’s experience in developing, implementing and advocating for an integrated approach to peacebuilding that includes psychosocial factors in training and programming. It starts from three needs identified in the field of peacebuilding practice: 1) the need for more extensive and practical self-care and professional care for peacebuilders 2) the scope to more fully develop our human and professional potential as peacebuilders 3) the marginalisation of psychosocial factors in mainstream peacebuilding. This briefing presents the approach of IAHV to peacebuilding and peacebuilding training to address these needs, illustrated with first empirical evidence from frontline staff training in Jordan and Lebanon. Finally, we will look towards the future into challenges and opportunities for the development of and research on psychosocial peacebuilding and its effectiveness.

Publication in leading Peacebuilding Journal on IAHV’s Integrated Psychosocial Peacebuilding Approach

The intrinsic interlinkage between peacebuilding and mental health and psychosocial support:The International Association for HumanValues model of integrated psychosocial peacebuilding, Intervention 2017,Volume 15, Number 3, Page 278 - 292

The article presents an overview of several congruencies between the MH, PSS and PB fields, illustrated with practical examples of IAHV programmes from around the world. It argues that sustainability of peacebuilding cannot happen without psychosocial peacebuilding: an approach that integrates the full range of psychosocial factors into peacebuilding, including but not limited to the integration of MH and PSS. It concludes that as an integrated field, we can move forward to the full and joint aspiration of both MHPSS and PB towards optimal health and positive peace.

Key-note Speaker at Shaping the Future of Peace Training, Vienna, October 2018

It was refreshing to hear how many peacebuilders at the Shaping the Future of Peace Training Conference in Vienna in October 2018, realise and are committed to integrating practical tools to manage their stresses and improve their quality of work as a peacebuilder. The Conference gathered 150+ trainers and practitioners from Europe and beyond to review and discuss the quality and content of training for peacebuilders and front liners.

We shared IAHV’s approach of integrated peacebuilding that effectively engages psycho-social factors as well as our tailored Training for Peacebuilders in Psychosocial Peacebuilding.

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International Young Women Peace Award 2018

IAHV’s Peacebuilding Director Dr. Katrien Hertog has been awarded the International Young Women Peace Award 2018 “for outstanding work in peace and human rights”. The award was handed over by former Prime Minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratian during the annual conference on “Challenging Wars and Conflicts” of Democracy Today in Yerevan, Armenia.

“The Young Women’s Peace Award” was established in October 2011 to make the important role of women in peace processes visible and recognized, and to bring voices of women to peace negotiations. Peace is a human right and in order to achieve it, it is not enough to talk about it. One must believe in it and work for it. This award aims at advancing and supporting the emergence of a new generation of women peace builders.

Inclusion of IAHV Approach in EU Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) database of best practices

IAHV also presented its specific approach to strengthen community resilience against extremism and polarisation @RAN YF&C, London, together with youth, family and community workers and practitioners from across Europe.

IAHV's approach to preventing and transforming violent extremism has been included in the RAN collection - the Radicalisation Awareness Network set up by the EU that collects best practice approaches across Europe.

More information: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/node/12451_en

We are happy that decisionmakers, practitioners and researchers value a deeply human-centred approach to counter radicalisation and look forward to working together in complementary partnerships with other actors in Europe and beyond, especially in prisons.

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