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Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.  This edition covers events in the past few weeks, including an update on the status of peace talks to end the war in Gaza, and the prospects for peace in Ukraine. The UN Secretary-General continued to call for peace in […]

Addressing communal violence requires a strategic collaboration of diverse actors in the state (government) and society (civil groupings). Without state-society synergy, attempts at peacebuilding can be fruitless. The problem is that some factions within the state (“uncivil government”) and society (“uncivil society”) also contribute to exacerbating tensions and violence, making peacebuilding processes an uneasy task. […]

In the U.S., Iranian Americans find themselves faced with a threat they know all too well, one that materialized during the 2003 Iraq war: an increase in anti-Iranian, anti-Middle Eastern, and Islamophobic sentiment… Read the full story here.

Does the prospect of a family Christmas gathering fill you with dread? Are you steeling yourself for the inevitable politics/climate-change “discussions” with certain relatives who perhaps don’t see eye to eye with you? Lawyers, therapists and hostage negotiators explain how to defuse festive conflicts in this article from The Guardian.

Despite international peace efforts, the crisis in Mali continues to linger and transform. Spiraling violence is moving southward towards the capital Bamako, and has already spilled over to neighboring countries…. Read the full story here. Photo: AirForce Medical Service

In a ground-breaking new Accord publication, Conciliation Resources has Afghan government representatives, Taliban leaders and international experts examine the prospects for peace in the country. Read the summary here.

Nearly 90 villages in Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan are proving that the divided regions can work together – in the olive oil trade. The Near East Foundation’s project Olive Oil Without Borders, funded by USAID, works with Palestinian and Israeli farmers, strengthening economic cooperation, and building peace.

The Lord’s Resistance Army have abducted at least 30,000 people since they began, and many women were forced to marry fighters. Now, re-integrating children born in captivity is presenting a huge hurdle for peace in central Africa. Hear first-hand accounts and about what’s working in Uganda.

When Kyalu was raped during the conflict in the DRC, her husband Abby almost couldn’t bare it. See their incredible story for yourself, and meet the people helping rebuild lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While we often hear of Syrian refugees migrating to Western countries, mainstream media rarely covers the story of those refugees in developing countries, such as Uganda from South Sudan. Peace News reporter Ochan Hannington spoke to South Sudanese refugees who have fled, and brings us their stories.

With the recent election of a female leader in the UK and potential new female leaders in the US and head of the United Nations, we wanted to know: What do women bring to peace-building?

When actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom visited schools in conflict-hit regions of eastern Ukraine recently, he was moved by 8-year-old Maxim’s story. We were too.

One man’s amazing work in South Sudan has been recognised in a celebration. Former Bishop Paride Taban has been instrumental in establishing the Kuron Peace Village and reconciling local groups over cattle-stealing issues.– This video contains footage by Simon Bingo from The Niles.

After entrepreneur and peace activist Elman Ali Ahmed was killed in 1996, his wife and children established the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Mogadishu. Now, his Somali-Canadian daughter, Ilwad Elman, is following in the social activist’s footsteps through her work in Somalia.