Peace Negotiation Knowledge-Sharing Sessions for Sudanese Civilians

In Sudan, inspiring civilian-led efforts are underway to pursue peace for the nation. Following the "Civil Front to Stop the War in Sudan" meeting in Addis Ababa, the Sudanese civilian leadership formed a Preparatory Committee to facilitate meaningful dialogues and negotiations.
To ensure a durable peace, it is important for civilians— including women— to be fully informed on the core elements of peace agreements. To facilitate this, PILPG launched two knowledge sharing series covering topics likely to arise at the negotiation table from both generic and gendered perspectives. These Knowledge Sharing recordings are intended to provide capacity building support for Sudanese civilian political representatives, civil society groups, and international partners engaged in efforts to promote Sudanese peace building. 

The Building & Maintaining Cohesion within a Civilian Delegation Knowledge Sharing session explores how civilian leaders can form an inclusive delegation and the challenges that hinder effective civilian participation in peace negotiations. Dr. Williams discusses practical steps civilians can take to prepare for and engage more effectively in these negotiations, along with strategies for forming a cohesive and functional delegation. It is crucial for civilians to not only understand the substance of the negotiations, but also to equip themselves with the skills required to strategically and effectively represent their interests at the negotiating table.

The Security and Military Reform knowledge sharing session addresses the complexities and strategic considerations involved in reforming security and military sectors as part of peace negotiations. Topics include the challenges of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), the intricacies of negotiating security sector reform (SSR), and the importance of establishing a state's monopoly of force in a post-conflict environment. The speakers also discussed how effective security and military reforms are essential for durable peace, drawing upon real-world case studies and experiences from various international conflicts.

The Rebuilding Institutional Bodies Knowledge Sharing session addresses issues related to how to restructure governmental institutional bodies to ensure their legitimacy and trustworthiness in the eyes of the population. A post-conflict government must have sufficient civic trust in order to effectively implement reforms, foster national reconciliation, and ensure sustainable peace and development. During this conversation, Dr. Williams and Mr. Elnu’man discussed approaching the issues of vetting and dismantling government institutions during peace negotiations.