Drawing on field research conducted in Maiwut County, Upper Nile State, where CARE’s peace and development work is most established, the paper looks at the role of peace committees, micro-entrepreneurs, savings and loan groups, and gender roles and economic markets. It highlights six key lessons from community peacebuilding and development, and makes recommendations for how national authorities, donors, and humanitarian and development actors, can help build long-term peace in South Sudan by promoting community reconciliation alongside economic development.
“Our small peace cannot survive alone”: Lessons in peacebuilding and economic development in South Sudan
South Sudan has endured many decades of violent conflict. To escape from the cycle of destruction and revenge, the Compromise Peace Agreement signed in August 2015 presents an opportunity for national authorities and the international community to adopt a new approach. This paper draws on CARE’s integrated approach to peacebuilding and economic development to argue that community reconciliation and economic development should be given equal weight in strategy decisions by national authorities, donors and aid agencies.
- Countries: South Sudan
- Published: December 2015
