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Women, Conflict and Peacebuilding: 6 Best Practices

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Recently, IREX hosted four experts who offer up much needed wisdom during the panel discussion, “More than Victims: Women’s Roles in the Syrian Conflict.” Here are six concrete recommendations they made for the international development community:

“One of the problems is that we have this monolithic notion of women, it’s like we’re either all victims or we’re all political activists,” explained Sanam Anderlini, Co-Founder of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN). It’s nearly impossible to comprehend all the ways that women matter to development during conflict.

Both Sides Benefit from Transitional Justice

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When the Syrian regime shot its first bullet at peaceful demonstrators on March 18, 2011 in Daraa, it lost its legitimacy and became a burden on the country, the people, the region, and the world. Democratic transition for Syria will happen. It is only the timeline that is unclear.

When the Syrian regime shot its first bullet at peaceful demonstrators on March 18, 2011 in Daraa, it lost its legitimacy and became a burden on the country, the people, the region, and the world. Democratic transition for Syria will happen. It is only the timeline that is unclear.

Welcoming New Champions in the Fight against Child Marriage

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I’ve just returned from a series of meetings in New York. With the UN General Assembly  and the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference taking place, the energy in the international development community was palpable.

I was especially excited to learn about the new Girls Not Brides initiative launched at CGI by The Elders in partnership with the Ford and Nike Foundations, as gender is one of IREX’s core focus areas.

I’ve just returned from a series of meetings in New York. With the UN General Assembly and the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference taking place, the energy in the international development community was palpable.

Palestinians deserve a life without walls

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IREX staff member Swathi Balasubramanian shares beautiful photos from a recent trip to the Middle East where immobilizing walls depict mobilizing messages of hope. 

Imagine you lived in Virginia and worked across the river in Washington, DC. Now imagine living with the daily uncertainty of whether someone would stop you from crossing over to make a living or returning in the evening to be with your family. This seems like an absurd scenario to many of us but it is a reality for more than 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank, a territory roughly the size of Delaware.

Filipino Civil Society and its Efforts to Bring about Peace on Mindanao

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I am writing from the Philippines, where I spent the past week meeting with representatives of the vibrant civil society sector to discuss the potential for programming related to youth and conflict mitigation on the island of Mindanao. On the surface, the Philippines is perhaps the most accessible country in Southeast Asia. In a country of more than 7,000 islands and numerous languages, English is the common language and there is a fondness for anything from the United States– from fast food to malls to jeeps refashioned as the uniquely Filipino form of mass transport known as the “jeepney.” Yet, I discovered that everything in the Philippines is more complicated than it first appears.

I am writing from the Philippines, where I spent the past week meeting with representatives of the vibrant civil society sector to discuss the potential for programming related to youth and conflict mitigation on the island of Mindanao. On the surface, the Philippines is perhaps the most accessible country in Southeast Asia.

Local Solutions Equal Lasting Change

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As aid budgets shrink, donors want to see more than just the immediate impact of their dollars – they want to know an investment will be sustainable, continuing to affect people’s lives for years to come. To achieve sustainability, a project has to introduce tools that truly serve local community needs. That’s what I love the most about our Youth Theater for Peace (YTP) programs—they present a flexible methodology, Drama for Conflict Transformation (DCT), which beneficiaries can use to address a range of conflict issues they feel are relevant locally.

As aid budgets shrink, donors want to see more than just the immediate impact of their dollars – they want to know an investment will be sustainable, continuing to affect people’s lives for years to come.

Happy 50th Anniversary Peace Corps!

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On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the Executive Order establishing Peace Corps. On behalf of IREX, I would like to extend our congratulations to Peace Corps on its 50th Anniversary of promoting peace and friendship around the world.

On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the Executive Order establishing Peace Corps. On behalf of IREX, I would like to extend our congratulations to Peace Corps on its 50th Anniversary of promoting peace and friendship around the world. We share common values and goals in our work to make a better world. IREX benefits greatly from the experience and enthusiasm of more than two dozen returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) on our staff.

People-centric Conflict Resolution

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One of my college professors was an Israeli member in low-level peace talks, in his case focused on the transportation link between Gaza and the West Bank. He told me a great story of particularly heated conversations with his Palestinian counterpart during discussions in Rome, and leaving the room feeling such anger and frustration that he didn’t think he could speak with the man again.

One of my college professors was an Israeli member in low-level peace talks, in his case focused on the transportation link between Gaza and the West Bank. He told me a great story of particularly heated conversations with his Palestinian counterpart during discussions in Rome, and leaving the room feeling such anger and frustration that he didn’t think he could speak with the man again. That night, on the bus back to the hotel, the two men sat in silence for a long time, until the Palestinian leaned over and asked, “Do you know anything about watches?

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