COMMUNIQUE OF THE 2ND NATIONAL WORKSHOP OF STAKEHOLDERS OF PEACE
RESEARCH AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION HELD ON 18TH MARCH, 2015 AT THE
AUDITORIUM OF THE AFRICAN FIRST LADIES PEACE MISSION, IPCR COMPLEX,
ABUJA, NIGERIA.
Preamble:
The 2nd national workshop of stakeholders of peace research and conflict
resolution was organized by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution
(IPCR) with the support of the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme
(NSRP), a DFID funded initiative for the management and mitigation of violent
conflicts in Nigeria. The workshop which took place at the auditorium of the
African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) within the IPCR complex on the 18th
day of March, 2015 was a follow up to an earlier one held on May 14-15, 2002.
The workshop was organized in furtherance of the IPCR’s vision for the
entrenchment of a functional platform for interaction among stakeholders,
strategic partners and diverse interest groups within the peace research and
practice community, Civil Society organizations (CSOs) including Faith Based
organizations (FBOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), security agencies
and the academic community.
The workshop also had in attendance high profile representatives of
government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); members of the
Diplomatic
Corp;
representatives
of
the
United
Nations
Development
Programme(UNDP), the European Union(EU), the Economic Community of West
African States(ECOWAS) and West African Network for peace Building (WANEP)
In addition to the Key Note Address on the Role of Peacebuilding in Democratic
Consolidation in Nigeria—2002 till date by Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, three other
papers were presented. Also, practical experiences by practitioners working in
violent conflict environments were shared.
Observations:
The participants deliberated on the various presentations and observed that:
1. The first national workshop of stakeholders of peace research and
conflict resolution held in 2002 was a
ground-breaking effort which
greatly impacted the peace research community within Nigeria, the
sub-region and beyond;
2. The great work of IPCR in producing the draft National Peace Policy
(NPP) and Strategic Conflict Assessment(SCA) has been of great benefit
and was much appreciated by peace researchers;
3. Conflict research, such as conducted in the SCA, is crucial to the
development of a functional peace and security framework;
4. There is need for more empirical research on peace and conflict issues
5. It is imperative that research endeavors should focus on the promotion
of synergy among stakeholders;
6. Peace research should also address political factors and other
governance that cause conflict within the country
7. Peace research should address the challenges of Early Warning Systems
(EWS);
8. Successive governments have not addressed the structural imbalances
inherent in the Nigerian constitutional arrangement;
9. Virtually every social and political demographic constituting the Nigerian
state is aggrieved over perceived injustices;
10. The prevalence of national insecurity is undermining human security and
threatening the conduct of peace research;
11. The youth population, the most marginalized within the country is
aggrieved because of what it sees as the deliberate neglect of its
interests.
12. Organic modern states are informed and anchored on values of sound
moral orientation;
2|Page
13. Peace- building is an activity that both state and non-state actors carryout in a complementary manner;
14. The national infrastructure for peace could be achieved through sound
multi-actor partnerships to be led by the IPCR;
15. There is urgent need for more funding for peace building and peace
research;
16. The introduction of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution into the
curriculum of tertiary institutions is a welcome development towards a
culture of peace in the country;
17. The IPCR’s research mandate in peace and conflict resolution makes it
an important player in peace policy formulation and implementation of
the national integration and diversity management processes of the
government;
18. The IPCR is strategically positioned to drive conflict resolution and
peace research in Nigeria, within the ECOWAS sub-region and Africa as
a whole;
Recommendations:
Based on the above observations, participants recommended that;
1. injustices against individuals and cultural groups across the country should
be addressed as a matter of urgency;
2. to overcome the challenges of insecurity in the country, it is imperative
that a national peace infrastructure should be instituted;
3. peace practitioners and researchers should focus research attention on
the imperative of good governance and an equitable structure within the
country;
4. a viable youth employment and empowerment scheme should be further
promoted for the meaningful engagement of the youth;
5. The national government must commit reasonable resources through the
budgetary process for effective programmes on issues of peace building
and conflict prevention;
3|Page
6. Funding partners must make long term commitment so that the peace
research and peace building process could be sustained;
7. Peace research should address the challenges of ensuring adequately
operational Early Warning Systems (EWS) and initiating timely responses to
Early Warning signals;
8. Peace Research should also be deployed to the Study of Traditional
Methods of peace and conflict resolution;
9. There is need for government to further deepen and institutionalize peace
research in the country through its national planning processes;
10. Peace
research
should
address
the
challenges
of
adequate
operationalization and harmonization of existing Early Warning Systems
(EWS); building capacities for generating timely responses;
11. Government should invest in building capacity in peace research at all
levels;
12. Government should facilitate the access of strategic research institutions
such as IPCR to TETFUND research grant;
13. IPCR should enter into strong partnership with other stakeholders like
universities and think tanks to deepen peace research in the country;
14. Government should endeavor to take ownership of peace building by
committing to the peace research efforts in policy making and funding;
15. There is
urgent need for government to approve the draft National
Peace Policy (NPP) already before it;
16. An Early Warning and Response hub focusing on peace and conflict
issues should be developed urgently;
17. There is a great need for synergy between all stakeholders, particularly the
security agencies and the peace practitioners;
18. The private sector should be considered as important source of funding
for peace research and peace- building activities of the IPCR;
19. IPCR should provide leadership in peace research and manage the
programming details for the infrastructure for peace in Nigeria;
4|Page
20. The IPCR should ensure that the workshop of stakeholders of peace
research and conflict resolution is organized regularly for the purposes of
cross fertilization of ideas and experience-sharing ons the most proactive
strategies for building peace and resolving conflicts.
21. The SCA should be updated more regularly to provide ready-to-use
conflict data on Nigeria.
5|Page