Helpdesk

Question
Mainstreaming Peace and Conflict Prevention in Zimbabwe: Please provide examples of and lessons learned from development and humanitarian interventions in Zimbabwe that have provided entry points for peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and conflict resolution.

Helpdesk response
Key findings: There are few resources detailing how peacebuilding, conflict prevention and conflict resolution have practically been integrated into developing and humanitarian programming in Zimbabwe. However the Zimbabwe literature is in-keeping with the general literature in that it talks about: a) governance; b) education; and c) developing the capacities of staff within these sectors. In terms of lessons learned in these discussions it is possible to identify the following trends:

• immediate political concerns in regard to Zimbabwe’s power-sharing agreement, the safety of the MDC and the prospects for long-term reform;
• the centrality of the education sector in developing the long-term security of the country and facilitating an ‘enabling’ environment for human development;
• the need for international support in ensuring security and planning for reconstruction;
• an approach to peace and conflict which entails extensive training for all aspects of society;
• the notion of ‘transformation’ in order to denote how and why peace and security concerns should be mainstreamed into development planning and implementation.

Full response: http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/HD659.pdf