Bottom-Up Peace: Local Peace Infrastructure in Afghanistan

1. Bottom-Up Peace: Local Peace Infrastructure in Afghanistan

2. The Liaison Office (TLO) • Founded in 2003 at request of elders from the Southeast to fill gaps in peace/statebuilding project • Information gap  research/analysis • Inclusion gap  Dialogue Facilitation; liaise between traditional governance mechanisms and modern state • Peace/Justice gap  Peacebuilding/Alternative Dispute Resolution • Survival/Resilience gap  Alternative Livelihoods • Core Values • Work participatory, inclusive and bottom-up • Take into account local realities and adapt projects to community needs • Conflict sensitive/do no harm approach • Adherence to humanitarian principles of independence, impartiality and non-discriminatory practices

3. Gaps in the Afghanistan Peace Process • Continued top-down process  call on the High Peace Council to show greater political will and improve its uneven and ad hoc engagement with CSOs into a more systematic, sustained and transparent cooperation, especially at provincial/district levels • Peace can only come when local ownership is achieved, by including men and women, young and old, modern and traditional, religious and secular, majority and minority (especially marginalized communities such as Kuchi nomads and internally displaced populations).

4. Advantage of Civil Society Inclusion • Facilitate a truly participatory process and build inclusive-enough coalitions for durable peace (men, women, young, old, etc.) • Function as an impartial and independent facilitator between the Afghan government and other stakeholders • Build a bridge to grass-roots communities and promote community mobilization and facilitate confidence/trust building between people and government • Facilitate local peace processes by reaching out to insurgent groups and help mediate grievances

5. Peacebuilding Work around Afghanistan • Village-Level Bodies • Peace Shuras by TLO-Partner Organizations CPAU, SDO and PTRO • Work with Malek Association by WADAN • Contribute to peace/good governance at sub-national and national levels • Provincial confidence-building • National policy development (engagement with APRP/HPC)

6. TLO’s Peacebuilding Work • Regional / Provincial Level – Peace Jirgas (ad hoc) • Identify local grievances and solutions • Communicated with state and international stakeholders • Provincial/Regional/District Commissions on Conflict Mediation (CCMs—permanent) • Regional: Southeast/Central Afghanistan • Provincial: Khost (original), Paktia and Logar • District: Nangarhar, Paktia, Helmand, Uruzgan, and Nimroz • Identify and resolve (resource) conflicts: major at provincial/regional level; smaller at district level. • Work closely with minority and women’s leaders in reducing conflicts and discrimination

7. Southeastern/Central CCMs • Paktia, Khost, Logar: 20 members in each province • Traditional elders, religious leaders, women’s leaders • Balanced by geographic location and ethnic group • 47 conflicts resolved in first year • Regional: 21 members (seven from each provincial CCM) • Has addressed inter-provincial issues/conflicts • Also will address national issues/develop policy inputs and recommendations

8. Stakeholder Engagement • Each CCM has developed a women’s engagement strategy (ensuring local “fit”) and women members on Khost and Logar CCMs • Government conferral during CCM set-up and monthly confidence-building and yearly review (meeting between CCM members and government officials)

9. Resolved Conflicts