Peace Programs

Conflict Resolution Program

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The Carter Center Conflict Resolution Program

 

Wars produce the worst violations of human rights worldwide and are the greatest impediment to human development.  Most of the more than 50 major armed conflicts since the Cold War have been internal clashes over religion, national or ethnic identity, or access to natural resources or wealth. The Conflict Resolution Program works to resolve such conflicts and build sustainable peace.
 
The Center has become a trusted broker for peace, serving as an alternative channel for dialogue and negotiation until official diplomacy can take place. As a nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization with access to world leaders and expertise in mediation, negotiation, and peacebuilding, the Center helps warring parties when traditional dispute resolution methods fail, filling the space between official diplomacy and unofficial grassroots peace efforts.
 
Monitoring and Mediating Conflicts
 
Program staff and interns monitor daily many of the world's armed conflicts to better understand their histories, the underlying causes, the primary actors involved, disputed issues, and efforts being made to resolve them. The Center will intervene if no current avenues for mediation exist or are working effectively. To mediate, the Center must be invited by all the major adversaries and see evidence that they are truly interested in resolving the conflict. Conflict resolution program staff pave the way through ground level contacts, and President Carter may travel to the region and remain in close touch with key leaders.  

Read about our current work in the Middle East >

 
Implementing Peace Agreements and Peacebuilding
 
An end to fighting does not always mean a conflict has been completely resolved. The often protracted process that leads to a peace agreement represents the beginning of an even longer process of peace implementation and post-conflict reconciliation. All parties must be held accountable for implementing agreements in good faith. Beyond the implementation of a peace agreement, root causes of a conflict may linger and continue to fester to the point of reigniting the conflict. Bringing former combatants together to forge a shared future demands patient, persistent efforts. Steps may be taken to ease ethnic tensions, identify and build consensus around shared social goals, strengthen the rule of law, and bring justice to victims.


Read about our current work in Liberia >


 
Preventing Conflict
 
While direct negotiation to resolve armed conflict is the program's major focus, there is also an emphasis on preventing conflict. A series of minor crises can signal or contribute to deteriorating societal and political stability. In such situations, parties in dispute may approach the Center as a neutral third party to facilitate dialogue that can keep tensions from erupting into violent conflict.