Peacebuilding

Europe has enjoyed more than half a century of peace and stability, while war and chaos reign almost 40 countries the world over. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions have been displaced from their homes. The consequences for the future development of those countries affected are enduring and catastrophic. Many of these conflicts are no longer between countries, but rather within sovereign states themselves. Civil wars often bring even greater hardships for a country’s inhabitants, since the social infrastructure – hospitals, schools, water and electricity – is directly adversely affected.

Almost all wars and civil wars currently taking place are in developing countries. International cooperation is faced with new challenges as countries dissolve, where economies are based on violence and regionalisation is on the rise. The age-old premise that "anyone seeking to prevent war must develop peace" applies today more than ever before.

There will always be conflicts between people. Change and development go hand in hand with different interests, and as such with conflicts of interest. The key is to resolve these conflicts peacefully, to avoid escalation and outbreaks of violence. This is a difficult task that can only be approached with long-term, holistic solutions. The reasons that conflicts erupt into violence are numerous and varied, and the real causes are often buried below the surface. Religious and ethnic conflicts in particular often have strong economic components. On the whole, international economic, national economic, political and societal problems interact. The battle for natural resources, such as access to food and water, and a dearth of human rights, democracy, and good governance are all additional threats to stability and peace both within states and between states.

Developing peace and preventing crises are overriding issues German development policy seeks to address. Inwent works to provide assistance in reaching our goals. Our programmes are designed to encourage cooperation between vastly different institutions within a region and explore the interests of those involved in a supportive manner. Inwent provides political actors from regional organisations with the relevant knowledge they need to promote processes of regional integration and solutions to regional-specific problems. We also strengthen experts and executives from civil society with our capacity building programmes and contribute to the formation of strong and fully functional networks of social groups.

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) information on the topic