Community engagement with armed actors: implications for proactive protection and violence reduction

Date 07 Mar

Time (GMT +03) 11:00 12:30

Tim Harcourt-Powell

ODI live events · Community Engagement With Armed Actors- Implications For Proactive Protection And Violence Reduction

ODI live events · Engagement With Armed Actors- Implications For Proactive Protection And Violence Reduction FRE

Description

This is a hybrid event on 7 March from 11:00am–12:30pm EAT/8:00am–9:30am GMT, with the in-person session in Nairobi. To attend in person, please use the 'Register now' button on the top of this page to confirm your attendance. If you would like to attend the online session, please kindly register your interest here.

Civilian communities are not passive actors in conflict, but have agency in developing strategies for self-protection, including through engaging with armed actors. Their interaction with armed actors is complex, ambiguous and changes over time. Their engagement is often below the radar and can take place before any recognised mediation or negotiation processes. Civilian communities in conflict areas can have high levels of interest, legitimacy and access in seeking to mitigate violence.

Often at a local level, local culture, values, social and customary norms, tradition and religion can matter more than formal norms when mitigating threats of violence. It is essential for humanitarian, protection and peacebuilding actors to better understand interactions between communities and armed actors, to inform how they support, engage or step back in order to support successful dialogue towards community self-protection efforts.

This event will host a discussion on communities engaging in dialogue with armed actors to reduce violence and improve protection, and the implications for peace, humanitarian and protection actors.