“We need a whole new approach 鶹APP we need to do far more to prevent war and sustain peace鶹APP
Sarah Brown
This episode of Sarah Brown's Better Angels podcast is on peacebuilding, with Harriet Lamb, Kirthi Jayakumar, Jakaya Kikwete and UN chief António Guterres.
When the world seems to be awash with war and rage, bringing people together is absolutely crucial.
In a new episode of the Better Angels podcast series, 鶹APP President Sarah Brown explores the subject of peacebuilding and how to apply different approaches to today鶹APPs conflicts.
Better Angels features stories from around the world about activism, campaigning, comedy and youth action 鶹APP everything that champions the activist spirit.
Today Sarah talks to Harriet Lamb of International Alert, activist and writer Kirthi Jayakumar, and former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. There鶹APPs also a contribution from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Ten days into his role as the ninth UN Secretary-General, António Guterres gave a speech in which he said the world is spending far more time and resources on responding to crises, rather than preventing them.
He spoke of rebalancing the world鶹APPs approach to peace and sustainability, and our responsibility to do more to prevent war and sustain peace.
Guterres said: 鶹APPWe spend far more time and resources responding to crises rather than preventing them. People are paying too high a price.
鶹APPWe need a whole new approach鶹APP We need to do far more to prevent war and sustain peace.鶹APP
Harriet Lamb became CEO of in 2015, having previously been CEO of Fairtrade International. International Alert enables people to find peaceful solutions to conflict, believing 鶹APPpeace is within our power鶹APP.
It works in 20 countries, including Rwanda 鶹APP where this amazing example of peacebuilding happened.
鶹APPIn one village a woman was actually next door to the man who murdered her family,鶹APP says Lamb.
Somehow they had to find a way to live together and it was through running dialogue sessions that they were able to find a way that she can put her hand on his knee and say I forgive him. Now they are together leading small livelihood projects in their village.鶹APP
Lamb talks about how important it is to include women in the peacebuilding process, adding: 鶹APPYou can only succeed if right through the whole of society people have a hunger of reconciliation.鶹APP
Jakaya Kikwete is a former President of Tanzania who now sits on the that is working on solutions to the global learning crisis.
When Sarah asks what was his greatest achievement as president, he says it was keeping the peace. Although Tanzania is not known as a conflict country, it has 120 tribes and a wide range of religions, races and political parties.
Kikwete says: 鶹APPLooking at the history of Africa, sectarianism, tribalism has been a source of conflict and breaking up countries.
鶹APPSo I said I鶹APPll try to do as much as I can to continue to hold the country together.
鶹APPI felt that the country cannot break in at my hands.鶹APP
Kirthi Jayakumar is a women鶹APPs rights activist, social entrepreneur, peace activist, artist, lawyer and writer. She founded The , an initiative built on storytelling, civilian peacebuilding and activism for gender equality.
From her home in Bangalore, India, she says: 鶹APPWe believe both gender equality and peace can come together to create a future that is sustainable. Without one the other cannot exist.
鶹APPWhen you have women holding up half the sky, excluding them and having them vulnerable to violence is not a good thing for the future of the world.鶹APP
Jayakumar 鶹APP who is also a Global Youth Ambassador for 鶹APP 鶹APP has published a book called The Doodler of Dimashq about a Syrian child bride. Tomorrow you can read her account of how she wrote the book and what it means to her.
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