Concordis International is a non-profit organisation (UK Charity Commission Number 1105697) that works alongside and in support of official peace processes, where they exist, to improve the potential for lasting peace. The organisation has headquarters in London, and offices in Cambridge, and country-offices in Juba more widely in South Sudan and Nouakchott, Mauritania. Concordis' historical roots are in peacebuilding work by the Newick Park Initiative in South Africa (1986–91) and in post-genocide Rwanda (1994-7). Much of Concordis’ work now focuses on Sudan and South Sudan,where, initially as Relationships Foundation International, the organisation have been working since 1999. Concordis remains actively engaged there both nationally and with respect to regional conflicts, including Darfur. There is an emphasis on gender awareness within programmes and women from Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan have played a prominent role in the process.
Contents
Methodology
Concordis International’s interventions are based on unofficial dialogue between and across different levels of society on different sides engaged in or affected by violent conflicts. The dialogue focuses on the issues surrounding the causes and consequences of conflicts and is informed by expert contributions and research. The aim of this is to:
Concordis’ work is guided by:
Work in Sudan and South Sudan
Concordis International’s work in Sudan and South Sudan has aimed to facilitate informal dialogue, providing a forum where North and South Sudanese representatives can work together on key issues. Grounded in ten previous years of sustained peacebuilding engagement, the 2-year Sudanese Peace-Building Initiative (PBI), primarily funded by the European Union, lasted from January 2009 to December 2010 and, in cooperation with a number of Sudanese partners, increasingly focused on the development of cooperative, secure and economically viable relations across Sudan’s North-South border. With further funding from the EU and Norway, this border-related work continues. Concordis has recently started work on a new project called Cultural Healing, based on a concept developed by British-Sudanese filmmaker Taghreed Elsanhouri and funded by the European Union. Work began for this project in 2010 and is scheduled to end in March 2013. The programme is inspired by a successful EU co-funded programme in Afghanistan which has contributed towards the development of an independent media sector. The programme involves training people from a wide range of backgrounds within Sudan and South Sudan to make films that express their own culture and traditions. It will be jointly executed with a local partner Nasaq. Concordis’ work on Darfur started soon after the Darfur conflict broke out in 2003. A series of inclusive consultations were held in 2004-5 on land use and tenure, on cultural, political and economic marginalisation of the region and also on enabling the sustainable and safe return as well as integration of the displaced. After the signature of the Darfur Peace Accord in 2006, Concordis worked with senior Darfurians, the African Union and others to develop Darfurian unity as a foundation for a lasting settlement. Concordis has also worked in partnership with the Sudan Inter-Religious Council (SIRC) to develop the capacity of Sudanese religious leaders of different faiths, from across the country, to cooperate in promoting and facilitating peace and reconciliation.
Work in Kenya
Concordis International's work in Kenya focuses on policy-makers from the national to the community level and aims to encourage dialogue on land reform as Kenya starts to implement a New Land Policy. Consultations to promote reconciliation and reduce the threat of renewed violent conflict in Kenya are held in partnership with the Sychar Centre and the Institute for the Study of African Realities, both in Nairobi.To date, three such consultations have been facilitated in Nairobi since 2008.
Involvement Elsewhere
Concordis conducted background research and an assessment of conflict in Afghanistan in 2003 prior to a visit there in January 2004. Concordis has maintained a modest level of research and networking on Afghanistan for several years and has been involved in the Afghan/Canadian-led Pathways To Peace project. Concordis assisted the Annapolis Friends Peace and Justice Center with expert advice on its work with the Palestinian/Israeli Geneva Initiative, bringing Palestinian and Israeli participants together for three days of intensive discussions in August 2008 on the difficult issue of access to water supplies. Concordis held a consultation in 2009 on the role of churches in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, bringing together experts and leaders from UK churches. Concordis has undertaken in-depth research and confidential partnering discussions in other areas and also contributes to conflict analysis and public awareness, informing different groups about the complexities of conflict.
Networks and Partnerships
Concordis International has cooperated with several other agencies, often acting in partnerships. Concordis is a member of the following networks: Advocates for International Development (A4ID)
Alliance for Peacebuilding
British Overseas Network for Development (BOND)
The Humanitarian Centre, Cambridge, UK
The Jubilee House Forum
Concordis has worked with the following local partners:
Sudan and South Sudan
Kenya
Afghanistan
Major publications
More than a line: Sudan’s North-South Border
Accord:Peace by Piece
Concordis Briefing 1: 'Overarching Inter-Governmental Frameworks: Comparative Reflections on Nigeria’s Tested Mechanisms'
Concordis Briefing 2: 'Trade and Cross-Border Economic Cooperation'
Concordis Briefing 3: 'Strategies in Border Management and Security'
Concordis Briefing 4: 'Border Management and Security in Africa'
Concordis Briefing 5: 'Policy Frameworks for Cross-Border Transhumance'
Concordis Papers I: Land Use and Tenure - A Key to Sustainable Development in Darfur
Concordis Papers II: Devolved Government within the Post-Naivasha Sudanese Constitution - A Key to Sustainable Peace in Darfur
Concordis Papers III: Enabling the Sustainable and Safe Return and Reintegration of the Displaced in Darfur
Concordis Papers IV: Access to Education in Sudan
Concordis Papers V: The Role of Investment in Sudan’s Economic and Political Future
Concordis Papers VI: Promoting Sustainable Peace in Sudan through Post-Conflict Justice and Reconciliation
Concordis Papers VII: Intra-Governmental Relationships in Sudan
Concordis Papers VIII: Christian Churches and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict