Peacebuilding Effectiveness

CDA’s work on peacebuilding effectiveness began in 1999 with the launch of the Reflecting on Peace Practice Program (RPP). RPP posed a simple, albeit complex question: What works- and what doesn’t work – in peacebuilding? RPP worked with hundreds of agencies and individuals, and conducted 26 peacebuilding case studies throughout the world to glean lessons applicable across conflict contexts and develop user-friendly toolkits. The resulting lessons are presented in Confronting War: Critical Lessons for Peace Practitioners (2003). Between 2007 and 2009, CDA undertook 16 case studies that investigated the cumulative impacts of peacebuilding programs in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Latin America. Findings from these have been published in issue papers, and select publications.

CDA is currently developing a new collaborative learning initiative on effective approaches to prevent violent extremism, and has recently published a briefing paper on applying established design, monitoring and evaluation approaches from the peacebuilding and development fields to the emerging field of preventing and countering violent extremism.