Violent conflict is the primary obstacle to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The international and national community – from the humanitarian, development, stabilization, peacebuilding and human rights sectors – need to enhance their effectiveness in supporting locally led efforts fostering sustainable peace.

Interpeace’s Effective Advising Course equips experts and advisors with new ways of approaching the complexity of their work in and on conflict affected contexts. Focused on three interlinked spheres of action: interpersonal, contextual, and organizational, the course reinforces participants’ ability to identify and seize opportunities for change.

Over a period of 11 weeks, the online global edition of this professional development course is made up of 12 ~2.5-hour sessions, 3 dedicated group work sessions,
as well as background reading and individual preparation.

A team of three experienced facilitators guide ~25 participants selected from around the world to take a step back from their day-to-day work environments and reflect on their individual roles and effectiveness as advisors.

Interpeace’s interactive and practice-oriented methodology provides a space for professionals to take a fresh look at advisory challenges and tackle these more consciously and creatively using practical frameworks.

Five core training modules structure the course:

1. Advisory roles
2. Peacebuilding contexts and principles
3. Personal agency & interpersonal skills
4. Advising in complex systems
5. Change process and managing resistance

Can institutional reform contribute to sustainable peace in countries emerging from violent conflict?

Institutional reforms that (re-)define the “rules of the game,” including constitutional reviews, decentralization reforms or changes of the electoral system, are common to most peace processes. Often with a rationale of “all good things go together,” the international community mobilizes bundles of reforms in an effort to strengthen legitimate state institutions and good governance in conflict-affected contexts. However, experiences show that these processes face many hurdles and do not necessarily produce satisfactory outcomes.

This course explores the interconnectedness of the different reform processes as well as the opportunities and risks they may pose in highly politicized and contested contexts. Going beyond a purely technical understanding, the course views institutional reform as a deeply political intervention aimed at transforming the socio-economic and political setup of a country. From conceptual trends to policy and practice, the course tackles questions surrounding legitimacy, timeframes and sequencing, inclusivity and representation, amongst others.

As a participant, you will:

• explore contemporary policy debates on institutional change, peace processes, and political transitions.
• hear experiences from local actors involved in institutional reform processes.
• reflect on current methodologies and approaches proposed by international actors.
• train your skills with practical exercises.
• exchange experiences and become part of a community of practice.

This course examines the relationship between gender, violent conflict, and peacebuilding. Participants will consider how war and militarism are highly gendered phenomena that impact men and women differently, and relatedly, how peacebuilding processes account for gendered dynamics. Throughout the course, participants will consider questions such as: how do gender stereotypes influence the way that we think about war and peace? How has feminist peace activism contributed to peacebuilding? Why should peacebuilding processes remain attuned to local women peacebuilders’ needs, and how can they do so? What are the strengths and limitations of the design and implementation of the UN Security Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security? How does conflict open up potentially transformative spaces for gender relations, and how can peacebuilding processes foster rather than hinder the development of gender equality in post-conflict spaces? Ultimately, participants will gain an understanding of the gendered dimensions of violent conflict and peacebuilding as well as evaluate the respective policy frameworks that address these complexities.

In this course you will:

• learn how to analyze the gendered dimensions of violent conflict and peacebuilding, including the various roles women and men play in war and peace.
• recognize the importance of applied gender analysis for policy-making and peacebuilding processes.
• expand your understanding of peacebuilding processes to include new, gendered strategies for effecting sustainable peace.
• strengthen your work in the field of gender and peacebuilding.
• exchange experiences and become part of a community of practice.