Fairer World

Peace Direct, in collaboration with Beni Peace Forum, was awarded a Jo Cox Memorial Grant between 2019 and 2022 in order to strengthen networks for the alert, prevention and early response to violence in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Government authority in the region is weak, and over 120 armed groups vie for power locally. With a lack of formal justice mechanisms and widespread poverty, local conflicts often spiral out of control. Beni, the northernmost territory in North Kivu, has experienced a series of massacres since 2014.  The widespread violence, which stems from the presence of numerous armed groups coupled with rich natural resources, is compounded by decades-old ethnic tensions between local communities.

Quiet diplomacy rather than violence

One example of when the early warning system was put into action was on 21 May 2020. Two groups Lucha (Struggle for Change) and Veranda Mutsanga organised a peaceful march denouncing unrest and violence in Beni. Peaceful protestors were met with aggression and tear gas from local police. Several protestors were injured, and one died from a gunshot wound to the head. The two groups, enraged by the violence they had faced, demanded the resignation of the Mayor of the city, along with his security committee.

Beni Peace Forum was alerted to the situation by members of the network who used the early warning system. They immediately launched mediation hoping to de-escalate the situation and prevent activists from acting out of anger while still promoting peaceful advocacy.

Two days before further planned protests, Beni Peace Forum held emergency talks with 10 members of the two activist groups in the hope of persuading the groups to cancel their protest, for fear that further confrontation of authorities would lead to escalating violence. At the meeting’s conclusion, representatives from both of the activist groups agreed that enhanced coordination and a recognition of peaceful protest and quiet diplomacy would be necessary for future campaigns.

Beni Peace Forum then represented the activist groups in pushing forward their demands through peaceful means. The Mayor of Beni was suspended after Beni Peace Forum escalated the risk of further violence from the activist groups to the governor of the province. Additionally, the project ensured that the Senior Police Inspector was called as a witness in the trial following the killing of the protestor. The officer who shot the young activist was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. The activist groups were satisfied with the approach to justice taken by the Beni Peace Forum and called off further plans for violent response.

In this case, the network and early warning system functioned effectively to alert Beni Peace Forum to a potential threat to peace, allow them to intercept the frustrated activists before they took any extreme actions, and produce the desired outcome through quiet diplomacy while circumventing violence in the streets. 

Looking ahead

The project has led to significant changes supporting the prevention and response to threats or violent incidents in the Beni area. The local protection committees continue to function effectively to support local stakeholders to identify and investigate possible violent incidents and then escalate this information to relevant authorities for action. This has led to the prevention of further violence and mediation has taken place to halt conflict in some situations. The early warning system has also improved trust between community members and the authorities giving them the ability to find appropriate solutions to promote community peace and cohesion.

Peace Direct established networks of peacebuilders and human rights activists through volunteers and project members across communities. Individuals involved in the project have reported that they have improved awareness of their rights and have confidence to hold authorities to account.

The early warning system continues to function through the commitment of local peacebuilders and human rights activists while institutionalising the local protection committees into civil society and government conflict prevention and response approaches.

Peace Direct is an international charity dedicated to stopping violence. It partners with local people to end conflict and build sustainable peace.

Beni Peace Forum is a network of local organisations focused on human rights, development and peace building in Beni, North-Kivu, a province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Beni Peace Forum works to connect citizens with local authorities to build trust and collaboration.

The Basongora community are livestock farmers living in Uganda. Thanks to a Conflict Early Warning Mechanism, set up as a result of a Jo Cox Memorial Grant, a peaceful and satisfactory solution was found for them after unexpected violent attacks were made on their property in 2021.

With the Jo Cox Memorial Grant funding, the Early Warning Mechanism was set up by Minority Rights Group International, which campaigns worldwide with over 600 partners in 60 countries to ensure that disadvantaged minority groups and indigenous peoples’ make their voices heard. These communities are often extremely poor and are particularly affected by scarcity issues such as limited grazing land or water access. In these contexts, social divisions are exacerbated because of climate pressures. 

In early 2021, armed individuals (associated with the Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA) attacked and vandalised properties belonging to members of the pastoralist Basongora group, in the Kasese district of Rwenzori in Uganda. The attacks were ‘justified’ by the perpetrators because the Basongora people had trespassed on a section of parkland belonging to the Queen Elizabeth National Park and built houses and other structures there illegally. The attacks came as a shock to the community as discussions on how to address this particular situation had already begun between the local Community Conservation Manager, on behalf of the UWA, and representatives of the leaders of the Basongora community.

The violent incident attracted the immediate intervention of local Peace Ambassadors, who had been recruited and trained as part of the Jo Cox Memorial Grant project. They rapidly reported the attacks on the online Conflict Early Warning Mechanism which had been set up with the support of this project.

The report prompted a local partner, KRC (the Kabarole Research and Resource Centre), to quickly make a site visit to the area to ascertain the situation and assess how to de-escalate the conflict and avoid further violent incidents. On arrival, the KRC team met with community leaders to hear the community’s views and concerns.

A meeting with the Community Conservation Manager of Queen Elizabeth National Park was then held to discuss the possible repercussions which may result from the destruction of the properties, especially as Basongora community members had shared their plan to attack wild animals in the park in retaliation for the loss of their property.

KRC brought together all the stakeholders involved, including community members and leaders, security forces and the UWA. It was agreed at the meeting that community leaders would mobilise all those who had lost their properties during the attack to file a case with the police. The UWA pledged to engage the central government on better definition of the park’s boundaries. The District Security team pledged to work with the District Land Officer to ensure a clear demarcation of boundaries in the area.

The outcome of the talks was satisfactory for all parties involved and the meeting managed to diffuse tensions and avoid further violence. 

This example shows that if violence can be reported quickly, in a system like the Conflict Early Warning Mechanism,  there is adequate time for responsive action which can prevent an escalation of tensions and violent incidents. This is because the system is used and trusted by everyone and is accessible to anyone who needs to use it. Slow reaction (or sometimes even no reaction at all), from key stakeholders or a mediator, result in increasing tensions which may escalate into violence.

The [Jo Cox Memorial Grant] project has really been an eye-opener for me because it provided a platform to see how those before me had sacrificed their energy in making sure that gender equality is promoted at all levels. Learning from their experiences motivated me to do more to be part and parcel of this great movement.

Councillor Angela Kayekesi, Zambia

When the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) was awarded a Jo Cox Memorial Grant of £1M between 2019 and 2021, it was with the aim of addressing the under-representation of women in local government and strengthening democratic governance across Eswatini, Lesotho, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The two-year-long ‘Connecting the dots’ project developed 12 advocacy networks, bringing together key stakeholders across local and regional governments with academics and professional organisations within the four countries.

The project reached over 3,400 women and young people to increase representation and economic opportunities.

Traditionally, there has been a low take-up of women participating in politics in Southern Africa. This project supported female candidates standing for election and paired young women with female councillors for mentorship. The project also created networks to promote job and leadership opportunities for women in local economic development and improved access and resources for sexual and reproductive health services. 

One of the young women involved in the mentoring scheme was Councillor Lesley Way, Mayor of Siteki Municipality in Eswatini.

Society has forced us to believe that we can’t take on roles and responsibilities, so now I know I have a purpose and can continue to inspire other young women. This programme has given me self-affirmation.

Councillor Lesley Way

The project used training sessions, networking events and mentoring sessions to help develop leadership skills and confidence. This contributed to a 52% increase in women councillors holding senior positions, such as mayors and committee chairpersons, across the four countries involved. 

The network also successfully passed a bill to implement a 30% quota for women in local government in Zimbabwe, which more than doubles the current representation. The President of Zimbabwe confirmed that the network’s use of evidence-based advocacy was a key factor in his support of the bill.

Lack of peer support has meant fewer women in politics, we have to support each other for the target representation ratio to be met.

Councillor Makhandanje Gugu, Eswatini

The CLGF has worked with partners to develop action plans, international links and affiliations with a global body in an effort to embed the networks into existing institutions on a local, regional and national level to ensure the progress made so far will continue.

The success and implementation of the 30% quota for women in Zimbabwe has inspired networks in Eswatini and Zambia – who are following the same steps – to introduce the quotas in their respective countries. The networks have leveraged additional funding through the success of the Zimbabwe case study to support mentorship and women in local government.

The networks continue to support each other and share lessons learned while taking action to increase visibility, opportunities and voice for women and youth, within and across the four countries.

The networks continue to support each other and share lessons learned while taking action to increase visibility, opportunities and voice for women and youth, within and across the four countries.

On the issue of sexual and reproductive health, one graduate of the project is Tina Zulu, a human resources manager in Zambia. After joining the Young Women in Local Government network, she chose to focus on giving women and girls in rural areas better access to menstrual hygiene products. Tina founded an NGO, Equal Privileges for All, which makes sanitary hygiene products available to every schoolgirl in Mpongwe so that no girl will be absent from school because of her period. 

Seeing how Jo Cox fought for women’s rights made me realise that I too can fight for a great cause.

Tina Zulu

With the budget available for widowed women, Dalit women and marginalised women I have supported many women to rear goats, chickens or just given financial support. As soon as I won the elections I told the ward chairperson, if there is any budget for us, I will be happy but if there is no budget for us, I will protest. By doing this, I learnt that we need to speak up about things we want. Currently, I have put aside budgets for five Dalit women’s organisations.

Kaushila, a participant in the Womankind Worldwide PAVE project

From encouraging women to enter politics to supporting them to earn a living for their families, the Jo Cox Memorial Grant awarded to Womankind Worldwide has had a far-reaching impact. The grant of £995K was awarded between 2019 and 2022 to increase participation and voice for marginalised women in Nepal, including widows, women with disabilities and two particularly marginalised indigenous groups, Dalit and Janajati women. 

During the project, 2,000 marginalised women were supported to take up leadership roles within their communities, to access economic opportunities to support their financial independence, and to run for political office or implement advocacy campaigns.

Among those women was Kaushila, who took part in the project in 2021. She received training to support her political ambitions and to seek opportunities to develop a business with the Feminist Dalit Organisation (FEDO). 

I learnt from FEDO that women need to be active politically to advance in society. FEDO came to villages and taught us many things. We need to move ahead socially, we need to organise, be part of the board of schools – these are things I learnt from them and that’s how I began my political journey. Five years ago, when I won the elections, I was very happy because I had struggled a lot. I had been taught that it’s not enough to just be political, I also need to win the elections.

Kaushila

Kaushila says the training she was given gave her the ambition to continue with her work and help others as well as herself. After the training and support Kaushila received from Womankind Worldwide, she was able to open a sewing shop. She says it “has really given me an easy option for my livelihood.”

Thanks to the Jo Cox Memorial Grant funding, the PAVE project has strengthened 62 women’s rights groups in five districts of Nepal. It has supported groups to register with local government, access financial opportunities and take up leadership roles within their communities. This support has led to some women joining political parties, running for political office and joining advocacy campaigns to shift gender norms within their communities. Following on from the project, 82% (1,898 women) reported an increase in support from their community to participate in and influence decision-making in community and district government structures.

The project focused on enhancing representation of marginalised women by improving the responsiveness of female-elected councillors to women’s needs and issues. The project simultaneously gave training to increase elected women’s capacity to act, and supported them to increase their influence, such as in analysing health systems so they could propose change and build their confidence to raise concerns at an Executive level.

By the end of the project, 82% of women surveyed across the communities felt they had sufficient engagement with their female-elected leaders to voice their concerns and views. 99% of female elected councillors were able to name specific changes and improvements they had contributed to that addressed their constituents’ needs.

Since the project was implemented, there has been strong coordination with local stakeholders to bring them into critical spaces, including continuing with women’s groups as collective agents for change within their local communities, as well as working with journalist advocates who continue to support awareness-raising around the rights of women and the importance of women’s representation in governance.