This document is designed to stimulate and frame the research agenda to accompany the global programme leading to an international conference in 2005 at the United Nations headquarters on the role of civil society in conflict prevention, hereafter referred to as the ‘CSP programme’. One of the central values guiding the programme is inclusiveness and perhaps its greatest strength will be its truly global scale of involvement. At the heart of the CSP programme are the regional processes that enable a diverse array of civil society actors from every part of the world to give voice to their experiences and to formulate principles and recommendations to guide practice. Leaders from these processes will be guiding forces in international coordination, through the International Steering Group and other working committees, and therefore help to ensure that the programme’s ‘centre of gravity’ is not based in any single region of the world, even though the Secretariat is based in Europe.

Just as the regional processes are at the centre of the overall programme, the research to guide the substantive contents of the programme can be similarly inclusive. This framework is therefore based on the assumption that the civil society practitioners taking part in the programme should be the principle researchers and – through a process that involves them in reflecting on key cross-cutting themes, questions and dilemmas – they should formulate the principles and recommendations to address the most relevant issues related to the role of civil society in conflict prevention in their own context and in the international system more generally. Their deliberations can be enhanced through the inputs of more conventionally commissioned research papers into key issues identified as common concerns across the different regions.

A research programme based on the programme participants as the primary resources will have several advantages. (1) It should elicit insights and analysis drawn from the direct experience of thousands of peace practitioners throughout the world who have sought to address very different types of conflicts in a range of contexts. Because much of this experience has been undocumented, these findings are likely to contribute substantially new insights that can complement the existing body of academic and policy literature on conflict prevention. (2) Because the programme will create an opportunity for structured reflection and evaluation of existing practice, the process itself should contribute to the professional development of peace practitioners and contribute the efficacy of their work. (3) Because the process will engage those participating in the programme at both the regional and international levels, it is likely that they will feel greater ownership of the outcomes and will have a stronger commitment to promoting them. The overall substantive outputs are likely to have greater political legitimacy because they will be seen as derived from an inclusive process and this could enhance the seriousness with which they are taken.

The aim of this ‘Living Document’ is to create an integrated framework of core issues and questions that can be addressed in different ways in all the other aspects of the programme. It is referred to as a living document because participants in the different regional and international forums of the programme are invited to further develop it by adding their own issues and questions as well as their responses to the issues and questions posed in earlier versions. As such, it will be the central vehicle for organising the ‘action-research’ frame of the programme’s research plan. This iterative process – which will be managed by the International Secretariat and overseen by the International Steering Group – should result in the development of a coherent body of theory that is grounded in the diverse experiences of the practitioners involved in the programme.

Part I of this paper (sections 2-4) reviews and discusses some important issues related to civil society and conflict prevention. It is not necessary to read Part I of this paper in order to use the Living Document but it will hopefully clarify and enrich the discussion of the issues raised in Part II for those who do read it and will help to lay a common foundation for the concepts explored through the programme. Section 2 discusses ways of understanding conflict and its sources and explains the focus on preventing ‘armed conflict’ that is the focus of this programme. The third section is intended to provide a brief overview of some common conceptual ideas about ‘civil society’ and its development at the global level in recent decades. Both sections are intended to stimulate thought and provide a common starting point for discussion rather than to set forth a definitive analysis or definition of the conceptual terms explored. These concepts and their definitions will doubtless be further discussed and refined in countless forums connected to CSP in the coming years. In this regard it is, however, wise to remember an observation from the CSP planning meeting in June 2003:
 
Definitions of ‘conflict prevention’ and ‘civil society’ were discussed at Soesterberg but no final decisions were taken. Given the regional variations, it may not be necessary or even desirable to define these terms too closely. The dangers of too loose a definition (an incoherent programme) would seem to be balanced by the dangers of too tight a definition (an inflexible programme). Not forgetting, of course, the dangers of becoming preoccupied by definitions (a paralysed programme)!

Section 4 explores two ideas that may help to inspire thinking about how to empower more effective action in changing the causes and dynamics of conflict: systems-thinking – to develop better strategies for prevention – and ‘agency’ or the belief that your actions can change the world around you, which is quality that can empower people to transform the dynamics of their conflict systems.

Part II of this paper (sections 5-8) presents a framework of questions to initiate discussion around the Living Document and can stand on its own without Part I if appropriate. It takes the central question guiding the programme – how can civil society actors play an effective role in preventing armed conflict and building just societies? – and develops five cross-cutting themes to explore possible answers:

1. What can civil society actors do to prevent armed conflict and create just societies?:key actors and issues;
2. Strategies and mobilising for effective action;
3. Ethics of practice: legitimacy, accountability, efficacy and codes of conduct;
4. Resources and capacity-building: creating the social infrastructure for prevention; and
5. Interaction: coherence in CSO, government and inter-governmental organisation engagement.

Under each theme are a number of sub-headings and a series of questions to explore them. These questions are intended to stimulate thinking about some of the various challenges connected to the theme, not a research agenda, and it is NOT expected that they all need to be ‘answered’. Those participating in the CSP programme – as well as anyone else with an interest in it – are invited to reflect on their own experiences and concerns and add to this list of questions as well as consider responses to them.

The process of discussing the Living Document is intended to encourage people to engage in hard thinking about hard questions and also to stimulate creative envisioning about how civil society actors around the world can foster effective processes of social and political change so as to respond to conflict constructively. Participants are encouraged to further ground deliberations in actual experience by asking such questions as: what have you done?; what do you wish you had been able to do?; what could have enabled you to act more effectively? what are your learning points? An honest reflection on these questions should result in rich insight into the challenges and help to share hard won lessons in the field more widely.

Over time, as the document continues to develop, based on inputs from the regional processes and the other aspects of the research programme, the CSP programme aims to collect the following type of insights:
a) Principles to guide action and the analytical explanations for why they are important.
b) Obstacles to effective prevention and ideas / recommendations for how they can be addressed.
c) Areas of difference – e.g., between geographic contexts, between actors, between types of conflict – and the reasons why these differences matter so as to enhance the potential for developing strategies that are appropriate to specific contexts and situations.
d) Examples and case studies of actual experience that can be shared with others as both inspiring stories and cautionary tales…

These ideas and information will be used for developing Action Agendas – both regional and international – for principles to guide action, areas in further need of development, and recommendations for change (in policies, practices and institutions). Some of the ideas and case studies will be compiled in the book People Building Peace II that will be released at the international conference and will be intended to educate a broader public audience about conflict prevention.

This ‘Living Document’ is, therefore, a framework for stimulating forums for dialogue and consideration of the many challenges for conflict prevention. You are invited to comment on it, add to it and – most importantly – use it to channel your experience and learning into this global process.

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