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Architects of Stability: Uganda’s First Peace Journalism Awards Redefine the Media Landscape

By
Justine Muboka
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2025 Peace Journalism Award winners with PJF Director, Gloria Laker Adiiki Aciiro (photo by PJF).

On December 19, 2025, the air in Gulu City, Uganda, carried more than the warmth of the dry season; It carried the weight of history. At the premises of Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G), the Peace Journalism Foundation (PJF) Uganda–East Africa launched the first edition of the Peace Journalism Awards. This initiative is designed to recognize journalism that contributes to peace, social cohesion, and development.

Held under the theme “Celebrating Peace, Progress, and the Power of the Media,” the awards marked a shift in how journalistic excellence is honored. Rather than relying on self-submitted applications, the PJF introduced a bottom-up, community-led nomination model. This approach is grounded in the belief that the grassroots communities—the most affected by journalism— are best placed to assess its value and impact.

The Bottom-Up Model: Why the Grassroots Matter

In traditional journalism awards, recognition is often driven by applications and the submission of selected stories. By contrast, the Peace Journalism Awards rely on community validators and partner organizations, including GWED-G, to identify journalists whose work has made a demonstrable difference in post-conflict contexts such as Northern Uganda. The model is expected to expand to other regions, including Karamoja, Bunyoro, and the Rwenzori sub-region.

Celebrating the Peace Journalism Awards at the Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G).

This approach elevates what might otherwise remain invisible. It recognizes reporters in remote villages who use conflict-sensitive language to defuse tensions over land disputes. It also highlights broadcasters who create space for dialogue where violence might otherwise erupt. Under this model, excellence is measured not by prominence but by verifiable community impact—reduced tensions, informed dialogue, and steps  toward reconciliation.

The Pulse of Peace: Mega FM and the Legacy of Gloria Laker

One of the most resonant moments of the ceremony was the Peace Radio Award presentation to Mega FM 102.2. The award’s significance is rooted in history. During the height of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict, radio played a critical role as a communication bridge. Radio Freedom, established with involvement from  the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), provided information to displaced communities. It aired messages urging  combatants to take advantage of the presidential amnesty. According to publicly acknowledged accounts, these broadcasts contributed to the voluntary return of thousands of former combatants.

Radio Freedom later evolved into Mega FM. Today, under the management of Irene Atek, Mega FM is widely regarded as a platform for dialogue, information sharing, and community engagement in Northern Uganda—illustrating how media can contribute to stabilization and recovery when used responsibly.

Closely linked to this history is the Excellence in Peace Reporting Award, established in honor of Gloria Laker Adiiki Aciro, a 2025 Luxembourg Peace Prize laureate. Laker’s career spans frontline reporting during the LRA conflict to regional mentorship and training, reflecting a transition from conflict coverage to peace-oriented journalism.

Senior Mercy Florence, a Youth Peace activist winner, pose for a photo with, Director PJF Gloria Laker Adiiki Aciro (Photo by Ayebare Cinderella).

The inaugural recipient of this award was Rosemary Anena of Vision Group (Radio Rupiny)—the same station where Laker began her career. Her achievement symbolized an intergenerational and “woman-to-woman” transfer of responsibility. In a region where women’s voices were once marginalized, Anena’s work highlights constructive reporting, community resilience, and inclusive narratives.

The Mediator’s Mic: Talk Shows as Spaces for De-escalation

The awards also recognized the evolving role of talk show hosts in fragile contexts. Otim Steven Acire, popularly known as Palaring of Radio Pacis, was named Talk Show Host of the Year for Northern Uganda. His nomination, submitted by GWED-G, highlighted the importance of mediation skills in live broadcasting.

While conventional journalism emphasizes detachment, the Peace Journalism Foundation underscored that, in high-stakes talk shows, responsible moderation can help prevent escalation. Palaring is recognized for managing tense discussions and ensuring respectful engagement among guests with opposing views. Reflecting on a recent broadcast involving multiple political candidates, he noted that deliberate use of mediation techniques helped maintain calm and constructive dialogue throughout the program.

Following Uganda’s 2026 elections, such conflict-sensitive approaches are increasingly relevant. The PJF’s framework seeks to move the media beyond sensationalism toward peace and development-oriented reporting, emphasizing early identification of conflict triggers and the promotion of non-violent responses.

Empowering the Future: Youth as Peace Actors

Another defining moment of the evening was the recognition of the Youth Peace Activist of the Year. Historically, young people in periods of political tension have often been portrayed as vulnerable to manipulation. The PJF’s decision to center youth in peacebuilding reframed this narrative.

PJF Youth Mercy Florence received an award from the UPDF 4th Division PIO, Capt. David Kamya, Justine Muboka, and Chief Guest, RCC Gulu City, (Photo by Peter Banya).

When Senior Mercy Florence received the award, she emphasized the significance of being recognized in a country where young people constitute the majority of the population. Her acknowledgment sent a message that youth can be agents of social cohesion and constructive engagement. By spotlighting such initiatives, the PJF aims to encourage peaceful participation during the 2026 election cycle and beyond.

Voices from the Ceremony: Media, Responsibility, and Protection

Several speakers used the occasion to reflect on the broader role of media in society. Pamela Angwech, executive director of GWED-G, emphasized that media should be treated as an essential public good rather than a luxury.

“Media should reach all communities, including displaced persons. We should promote peace-oriented and responsible journalism,” she said.

Angwech also highlighted the importance of fair labor practices within media houses and the need to appreciate journalists whose work supports  the industry. She stressed that protecting journalists and upholding freedom of expression—within the bounds of the law—is fundamental to an informed society.

Gloria Laker Adiiki Aciro, speaking in her capacity as Director of the Peace Journalism Foundation, urged journalists to prioritize development-focused reporting and to learn from regional history.

“It is us who can create a society, so let us promote peaceful development,” she said, referencing the importance of avoiding post-election violence experienced elsewhere in the region.

Speaking for the security sector, Captain David Kamya, the Fourth Division Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) public information officer, reflected on the human cost of conflict and called for reporting that emphasizes unity and shared responsibility.

“Let us report unity over division, humanity over hatred,” he said, noting that irresponsible reporting can have consequences for entire communities.

Local government also weighed in. Peter Banya, the Gulu City resident city commissioner for Laroo–Pece Division, encouraged journalists to highlight positive developments in the region to balance narratives and support recovery.

The Digital Frontier: Looking Toward 2026 and Beyond

Building on the success of the first  edition, the PJF announced plans to expand the awards in 2026 to include Digital and Individual Peacebuilders, such as bloggers and online content creators. As information increasingly circulates across  digital platforms, these categories aim to recognize efforts that counter misinformation and promote responsible online discourse.

A Call to Action for a Rising Region

The 2025 Peace Journalism Awards positioned ethical, impact-driven journalism as a cornerstone of sustainable peace. As Gloria Laker noted, supporting peace journalism is an investment in the infrastructure of peace—one that benefits communities, democratic processes, and regional stability. The 2025 laureates included Benson Ongom (Journalist of the Year), Dennis Ojwee (Lifetime Achievement Award), and Otim Steven Acire (Talk Show Host of the Year). They represent a media landscape that prioritizes responsibility over sensationalism. Their recognition affirms a growing consensus: When journalism chooses peace, society as a whole is strengthened.

Keywords: media, journalism, peace, peace journalism, Uganda, Northern Uganda, awards, conflict, conflict resolution

Can Community-Based Learning Help Prevent the Next Wave of Extremism? Four Lessons from Young Southeast European Peacebuilders

By
Nerkez Opacin
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Prizren, Kosovo, photo by Sabina Kallari.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, over thirty years after the end of the war (1992-1995), still struggles with divided education systems, fractured histories, and ongoing silence among Bosniak, Croatian, and Serbian ethnic communities.  

In recent years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has continued to face challenges with its fragmented education system, which includes persistent ethnically segregated schools and competing curricula that present different versions of history. Public discussions on school reform, war commemorations, and the resurgence of nationalist rhetoric consistently reveal how unresolved historical narratives continue to influence young people’s daily lives.

In many post-conflict societies in Southeast Europe, where history remains contested and young people rarely hear stories beyond their community’s own version, the search for belonging can become dangerous. When formal institutions fail to recognize young people or give them meaningful opportunities to engage, alternative narratives—sometimes extremist or manipulative ones—quickly fill the gap. When schools and institutions fail to create space for young people’s questions, doubts, and lived experiences, other stories that are often louder, simpler, and harder to challenge step in.

Despite these challenges, a sense of hope is emerging in this complex environment. 

Small community-based peacebuilding education initiatives (PEIs) serve as spaces where young people from different ethnic backgrounds in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia come together, share their stories, confront historical issues, and gradually rethink their futures. During over 13 months of ethnographic research on people aged 18 to 26 across six of these programs, I observed significant changes. These are small, human-centred shifts that formal education systems have found difficult to attain.

These four lessons from young peacebuilders offer valuable insights for societies facing polarisation, mistrust, or ideological extremism: 

1. When young people finally feel heard, reconciliation can start 

Many young people felt ‘unseen’ in school, experiencing educational displacement in which their identity, suffering, or hopes have no room in the classroom. PEIs addressed this by providing a straightforward but meaningful solution: a space where their voices are  acknowledged. 

In storytelling circles and open conversations, participants shared personal histories, family memories, and questions they had never been able to ask before. Being heard with respect  and without judgment helped loosen the grip of inherited narratives. 

One participant from Kosovo explained: 

“It was the first time someone asked what I thought about the war. For the first time, I felt my  story belonged somewhere.” 

Recognition might seem minor, but in societies characterised by silence and division, it  serves as a vital form of healing. 

2. Contact across ethnic lines reshapes the way young people see each other 

As segregation along ethnic lines is common across Southeast Europe, many participants had never previously interacted with peers from different ethnic backgrounds before attending  the programs. PEIs offered their first chance to meet and often served as the initial challenge to the stereotypes they had been raised with. 

Travelling together, visiting memorials, cooking meals, and sharing late-night conversations created the conditions for real human connection. Survey data from the study confirms that contact between ethnic groups significantly increased eight months after the programs  ended. 

A young participant from Bosnia and Herzegovina described this shift: 

“We grew up thinking we were different. But when we finally talked, we realised our fears and hopes were the same.” 

Friendships formed in these spaces became long bridges, with some participants visiting each other’s hometowns long after the program ended. 

3. Stories of moral courage help break down mistrust 

One of the key transformative aspects of PEIs was encounters with moral exemplars, individuals who, during the war, risked their lives to rescue neighbours, friends, or strangers  from the primary aggressors. Their stories, rooted in compassion instead of revenge, challenged longstanding narratives of distrust.

Participants often mentioned that these stories stayed with them well after the programs finished. They served as reminders that coexistence can be achieved even during difficult times. Moral role models did not erase the painful truths of the past, but they created room  for different futures. 

4. Experiential and reflective learning convert insights into meaningful  transformation. 

Perhaps the most powerful changes came from experiential learning, moments when young  people stood in the places where history happened, listened to survivors, and reflected on  what they saw, heard, and felt. Walking through memorial sites, visiting communities living with the war’s consequences, and speaking directly with ordinary citizens created  emotional depth that no textbook could capture. 

Reflection sessions, whether structured or spontaneous, helped participants make sense of their experiences. Many described these moments as when something “clicked.” One  participant from Serbia said: 

“Standing there, listening to survivors, I felt fear, sadness, anger, and hope all at once. And  then talking with others, I realised they were feeling it too.” 

Through reflection, participants began questioning old narratives and forming new understandings, not because someone lectured them, but because they lived it, felt it, and talked about it together. 

This blend of experience and reflection corresponds with established principles of transformative learning, shifting knowledge and how individuals perceive themselves, others, and the world. 

Why these lessons matter today 

Grassroots interventions, such as PEIs, show that peace is not achieved through institutions  alone. It is often fostered in circles of young people sitting together, sharing stories, navigating painful history, and learning from each other. 

One challenge with PEIs is that they are mainly funded by external government organisations, mostly embassies, and not internally by states. As a result, their sustainability heavily depends on funding and foreign government interests. Therefore, they do not reach as large an audience as they potentially could, and changes occur only gradually. 

Community-based peacebuilding efforts might lack the resources or scope of national institutions, but they possess a similarly potent quality: the power to change perspectives, reduce mistrust, and foster hope. They also have the ability to empower youth as future  peacebuilders and can counter extremism by providing a sense of belonging through healthier, human connections. 

As global polarization and ideological extremism grow, Southeast European youth remind us that change often starts in small circles through honest stories, shared experiences, and the bravery to connect with those we were taught to fear. Their transformations encourage us to  envision what might be possible if societies invested more in spaces like these, where young people learn about the past and one another.

Keywords: Southeast European, Southeast Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, extremism, youth, young, peace, conflict resolution, conflict

This Week in Peace #111: January 16

By
Tara Abhasakun
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The Azadi tower in Tehran, photo by Blondinrikard Fröberg from Göteborg, Sweden.

This week, Iranians fight for peace. UN Investigators call on Venezuela to release all political prisoners. UN envoy leads efforts toward peace in Yemen.

Iranians Fight for Peace

After 47 years of living under a brutal regime that has committed numerous human rights violations, Iranians are once again demanding regime change and fighting to live in peace. 

The latest round of protests, which many commentators argue have evolved into a full-on revolution, began on December 28, 2025, and continue to this day. While the protests were initially over the country’s plunging currency, Iranians are now expressing anger at the regime’s human rights abuses and restrictions on freedom. 

Due to the regime blacking out the internet, the numbers of people killed in protests still isn’t entirely clear. While the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on January 15 that the crackdown on demonstrations had killed killed at least 2,637, some estimates are much higher. The media outlet Iran International reported on January 13 that it estimated that at least 12,000 were killed, based on eyewitness testimonies and reviews of several sources. Meanwhile, one source inside Iran told CBS that possibly as many as 20,000 have been killed.

It remains to be seen whether Iranians will soon be able to experience peace in their country.

UN Investigators Call on Venezuela to Release All Political Prisoners

The United States’ capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026, has gripped the world. Venezuela experienced repression and economic and political instability under Maduro’s rule, and questions remain on how the country will move forward. Maduro’s Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, is now serving as Venezuela’s interim leader. 

One issue is the release of political prisoners. While Venezuela’s top lawmaker, Jorge Rodriguez, has said that over 400 people had been freed from prison, the UN Venezuela’s Fact Finding Mission reported on January 12 that only around 50 had been released out of 800 prisoners.

The UN said the partial release failed to meet the government’s international human rights obligations to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained.

UN Envoy Leads Efforts Toward Peace in Yemen 

UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg is leading efforts toward peace in the country. Grundberg held talks in Saudi Arabia on January 15, which he said were part of his ongoing engagement with Yemeni, regional, and international stakeholders.

In Riyadh, Grundberg met with Yemeni Prime Minister Salem bin Buriek on to discuss development and economic challenges in Yemen. 

Grundberg also met with the Yemeni government’s Committee for Prisoners and Detainees and representatives of the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government. He discussed outcomes of recent negotiations between Yemen’s warring parties and ongoing efforts to agree on conflict-detainees to be released in the next phase. 

The talks came a day after he shared insights from his discussions in Egypt, Oman, and Saudi Arabia with the UN’s 15-member security council, warning that, “Instability is felt first in the economy,” through sudden price surges, delayed salaries, and basic services breaking down. He urged that economic stabilization is “critical for creating conditions conducive to peace.”

He also warned that remains dangerously low, exposing children to preventable diseases, such as measles, polio and cholera. 

Grundberg closed the Security Council meeting by urging the Security Council to press for the immediate release of all detained UN and humanitarian personnel, substantially increase funding for Yemen’s worsening crisis, and preserve the 15-member organ’s unity by remaining pragmatic, patient and firm in upholding humanitarian principles.

Keywords: Iran, Iran revolution, protests, Venezuela, Yemen, peace, conflict, conflict resolution

Threats and Challenges to Peace Committees in Pakistan

By
Tara Abhasakun
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Bab-e-Khyber in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the attack took place.

On January 13, at least four members of a peace committee were killed in a suspected terrorist attack in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Bannu district. 

In Pakistan, peace committees are local groups that help security forces maintain peace and combat extremism. Some commentators have noted a larger trend in threats against members of peace committees, and have pointed out that such committees cannot be effective without further actions by the government against extremism. 

In an op-ed for Eurasia Review, researcher Ahmad Khan notes that there have been other kidnappings of peace committee members in the province in recent months, as well as a campaign of threats on social media. 

Khan remarks, “These acts are not separate instances of violence but a logical and long-term campaign against community-based peace arrangements. Peace committees enable the prevention of radicalization, the settlement of conflicts, and depriving terrorists of the social domain.” 

Khan goes on to say that terrorists commit such acts out of fear, knowing that their ideology is “not able to stand the test, both socially and locally.” He adds that terrorists therefore wish to get rid of people who work to establish order. 

Pakistan has established many local and national peace committees in the past. These groups work on the front lines dealing with hate speech, extremism, and terrorism. In September 2025, Pakistan’s government established the National Paigham-i-Aman Committee (NPAC). NPAC is a body made up of clerics, religious leaders of non-Muslim communities and senior officials. It was set up under the information ministry to “draft a unified national stance against extremism and terrorism.”

Another major part of NPAC’s work is combating hate speech and extremism disseminated through media and cyber networks. 

However, an editorial article by Dawn noted that in the past, other similar initiatives have tended to “slip into oblivion after the initial enthusiasm, mainly because of the state’s disinterest in pursuing the core goals of such initiatives.”

The article continues by saying that the state needs to state needs to take strong actions against those who promote, condone, and carry out violence against minority religions and sects. It also notes that despite Pakistan’s efforts against extremism and the formation of bodies such as the NPAC, there is still an insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with sectarian groups “flexing their muscles from time to time.”

At least seven peace committee members were killed in Bannu district in November 2025. 

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the January 13 attack, stating “Cowardly acts of militants cannot shake the nation’s firm resolve against terrorism. The nation stands united to defeat the evil designs of these militants,” as quoted in TRT World.

Peacebuilders in Pakistan often face a difficult and threatening environment. Accusations of “blasphemy” are used to incite violence, particularly against religious minorities and people with differing ideas. Studies from recent years have shown that Pakistani authorities, particularly in rural areas, act under pressure from extremist groups or fail to respond altogether.

In the past, Peace News Network has reported on the brave actions of peacebuilders despite the risks in Pakistan. In May 2025, Pakistan’s city of Narowal, located near the Indian border, was the scene of an important peace initiative, the Narowal Peace Dialogue Forum. This grassroots forum took place on the anniversary of the 2018 assassination attempt on Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who survived being shot during a gathering. Religious scholars, eduactors, media professionals, and policymakers gathered under the banner “Rejecting Hate, Rebuilding Peace.”

Keywords: Pakistan, peace committee, npac, terrorism, conflict, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, peace, conflict resolution, bannu district

Combating Climate Change for Peace in Mali

By
Tara Abhasakun
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Fulani (pastoralist) children in Mali, photo by. Ferdinand Reus via Wikipedia.

Mali is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world. Between 1970 and 2020, the country experienced at least 40 major climate shocks, with drought affecting around 400,000 people each year and reducing crop revenues by US$9.5 million annually, according to the World Bank.

In Mali, climate change is a major factor in conflict, according to an August 2025 report by the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). Due to the degradation of grazing lands from declining soil fertility, the report says, farmers are expanding their cultivation into traditional herding routes. This has led to violent conflicts between farmers and herders. 

In order to recruit more members, violent extremist groups have exploited these conflicts, taking advantage of ethnic and religious differences and land rights. Young people are particularly vulnerable to falling prey to extremist groups in this context. 

Climate change issues also disproportionately impact women, who are crucial to farming and household survival, by forcing them to travel farther for fuelwood and water. Conflict also puts women at an increased risk of gender-based violence. 

The UNSDG provides examples of some projects that have shown success in building resilience to climate change and reducing conflict. It also, along with other organizations, recommends several further steps for the Malian government and international partners to take to resolve climate conflict and build peace in Mali.

The UNSDG notes that local authorities and communities can improve early warning systems providing advanced information about approaching hazards such as droughts and floods. This, the UNSDG says, has helped by allowing people to evacuate to safer places, and letting farmers take steps to protect their crops.

Trainings combining science with traditional knowledge are improving the situation. These trainings focus on assisted natural regeneration, and land, and water management, and are helping farmers and pastoralists adapt to changing climatic conditions, UNSDG reports. 

Another solution is reviving traditional laws for environmental sustainability. Salif Aly Guindo, president of Barahogon, a traditional institution of the Dogon ethnic group, said the group has re-established traditional laws for sustainable use of forests. Since then, she said, “trees and forests have begun to regenerate, reducing conflicts and floods.” Now, people in towns like Djénné and Mopti are following the group’s model, she added.

Maliki Hamadoun Sankaré, a young Malian entrepreneur who launched Socco-Agro-Business to boost local rice and vegetable production, is working to provide young people with jobs. He said, “We want to create several jobs in the agricultural sector by 2030, especially for the youth in rural areas, to reduce rural exodus.”

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recommends in a 2023 report, “long-term development strategies on issues where the impact of climate change entails conflict risks: livelihood security, herder-farmer relations, resource disputes, community conflict, governance, social marginalisation and exclusion.”

SIPRI encourages the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to work with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to appoint an Environmental Security Advisor for prioritising climate, peace and security risks within MINUSMA, as well as for “coordinating effective responses with the rest of the UN system, the Malian government, civil society, international and regional partners.”

Another suggestion for the Malian government by SIPRI is to strengthen the leadership and participation of women and girls in decision making on conflict-sensitive resource management, climate adaptation and responses to climate, peace, and security risks.

Finally, SIPRI recommends that the Malian government and its partners, which include the African Union (AU), European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN), agree on  a climate-sensitive stabilisation strategy. This strategy, SIPRI says, should combine security and attention to development needs, governance reforms, and political dialogues, to tackle the causes of conflict in Mali’s ten regions and in transboundary areas like the Liptako-Gourma. This includes causes affected by climate change. 

Meanwhile, further research is continuing. According to a March 2025 report by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Malian stakeholders recommend “designing programs that enhance the ability of local communities to cope with climate impacts and security threats.” These research-based recommendations, the report says, are expected to guide a technical committee in developing Mali’s first national climate security strategy.

Keywords: climate change, peace, Mali, Malian, government, farmer-herder conflict, conflict, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, environmental peacebuilding

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