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| | | Title | GREWER: A Mechanism for Peace- Building in Zimbabwe | | Author | ACBF | | Subject | Peace-Building | | Date of Publication | 2017070 | | Publisher | African Community of Practice on Management for Development result at the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) | | Number of Pages | 7 pages | | Language | English | | Geographical Coverage | Zimbabwe | | Keywords | Conflict Resolution, Gender Responsive, Early Warning, Early Response, Peaceful Elections , Gender-related electoral violence | | Abstract | Election outcomes present threats to peace in Africa, as seen in recent years in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Many African communities are divided by disagreement and competition over power, elections, and control over material resources. The resulting conflicts and divisions generate political violence unless there are mechanisms for negotiation and brokering outcomes. Many of these conflicts have gender dimensions. Key findings: This case study shows that the Gender Responsive, Early Warning, Early Response (GREWER) mechanism can proactively prevent community conflicts, particularly those related to elections. By including a raft of authorities that command respect from communities, gendered conflicts are addressed. The GREWER project provided education and training and space for state functionaries in isolated, rural areas to collectively monitor threats to citizens’ security. Main lessons: Peace committees are effective in preventing, mitigating, or monitoring violence, as indicated by the reduction of violence in rural Murehwa and Hurungwe districts in Zimbabwe. Multi-stakeholder participation, preventive actions, and gender mainstreaming were important. Key recommendations: There is need to encourage state and non-state actors to invest in mechanisms such as GREWER in rural and other isolated and resource-poor communities. These mechanisms are relatively inexpensive at bringing together stakeholders (traditional leaders, police, women groups, religious leaders, and so on) to enhance the safety and security of isolated communities. Equipping these actors with the required skills in conflict prevention and management at community level is equally important. | | Copyright Holder | African Community of Practice (AfCoP) | | Copyright URL | http://www.acbf-pact.org | | Filesize | 529616 MB | | File Format | PDF | | [ View / download original document ] |
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