Mali civil society and peacebuilding: phase 1

The lack of peace and security in Mali is a major obstacle to economic, social and human development. Any development cooperation strategy for Mali needs to consider the interconnections between peace, security and development. A genuine and sustainable peace requires the involvement of local populations, and by extension, the full participation of civil society.

The aim of this project, which was conducted during July 2013–December 2015, was to strengthen the capacity of civil society actors to generate increased knowledge and understanding of the conflict dynamics in Mali, and to develop a strategy for civil society contributions to peace, security and development.

The two most important results of the project were:

• A mapping and analysis of the main causes and manifestations of the conflicts in Mali from a civil society perspective. This was based on field research by civil society actors in the three northern regions of Mali and in Bamako and the results were published in a report about community conflicts in Kidal and in a main report summarising the findings.
• A strategic vision for civil society contributions to peace and national unity in Mali, which was presented at a national launch seminar in Bamako in September 2015 (shown below) and disseminated in 12 local languages across Mali.

The project was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).