Civilian Protection and Conflict Resolution: Good Practices at the Local Level

"Conflict situations across the world disrupt civilian lives through violence, economic hardship, and political turbulence. Non-profit and government organizations operating at local levels aim to minimize these disruptions to civilian life. This report was prepared for the Henry L. Stimson Center by a team of graduate students at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs as part of a Capstone project. Our analysis includes case studies of five national conflicts and identifies good practices in local conflict resolution, which contribute to the protection of innocent civilian populations in conflict situations. We categorized these five cases by conflict type (communal/mass, elite, factional, foreign intervention, and revolutionary) and explored the work of local non-governmental organizations to discover several common themes among the cases. Findings and themes developed though the case study analysis seek to pinpoint which types of conflict call for what conflict resolution approaches. We found some conflict resolution approaches are applicable for multiple conflict types, but the majority of conflict contexts are highly complex and do not involve clear-cut courses of action. Nevertheless, common observations throughout the case studies point to good practices in conflict resolution, which are important to transfer to potential conflict situations. According to our analysis, effective local-level practices include: fostering active and inclusive civic participation, including by women and youth, encouraging local integration of potential or former fighters, and sufficient funding for long-term local initiatives. By adopting these types of good practices, local and international practitioners will be better able to protect civilians in conflict-affected areas."