Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: Meeting Human Needs for Justice and Reconciliation

2004Wendy Lambourne, United States Institute of Peace

The ending of overt violence via a peace agreement or military victory does not mean the achievement of peace.2 Rather, the ending of violence or a so-called ‘post-conflict’ situation provides “a new set of opportunities that can be grasped or thrown away”.3 The international community can play a significant role in either nurturing or undermining this fragile peace building process. Both justice and reconciliation are fundamentally significant goals that need to be addressed in the design of successful post-conflict peace building processes and mechanisms, especially in the aftermath of genocide.

Key wordsarmed conflict / genocide / reconciliation / reconstruction / trauma

CountriesCambodia / East Timor / Global / Rwanda / Sierra Leone

CategoryPublication