Towards Sustaining Peace: Adaptive Peacebuilding Guidebook Launch Seminar

When we hear the word “peace”, we often think of the end of a war, a peace agreement, or large-scale reconstruction efforts that follow a conflict. In reality, however, peace does not emerge the day after a conflict ends. Rather, it is nurtured gradually through everyday interactions, relationships, and collective efforts. Peace is not something that can be delivered from the outside; it is something that emerges from within societies and communities themselves.

The newly published “Adaptive Peacebuilding Guidebook” seeks to translate this understanding into a practical framework through the approach known as Adaptive Peacebuilding. The academic foundations, theories, and concepts underpinning Adaptive Peacebuilding have already been articulated in the book Adaptive Peacebuilding: A New Approach to Sustaining Peace in the 21st Century. Adaptive Peacebuilding views peacebuilding not as a process of implementing predetermined plans or applying universal solutions, but as a process through which people learn, reflect, and adapt collectively in response to changing circumstances. The guidebook builds on these academic insights from the book and translates them into a practical approach.

This seminar will bring together the authors of the guidebook, representatives of JICA, and practitioners from organizations that provided case studies from Guatemala and Iraq to share their experiences and insights.

17:00-17:05　Welcome Remarks
Ms. Haruko Kamei (In-person) : JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development
17:05-17:20　Keynote Speech - Why Adaptive Peacebuilding?
Dr. Cedric de Coning (In-person) ：Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
17:20-17:35　Introduction of the Guidebook ：Overview of the Key Concepts and Case Studies
Mr. Tsunetaka Tsuchiya (Online)：Kyoto Tachibana University
Dr. Ako Muto (In-person) ：JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development
17:35-17:50　Case Studies Presentations
Mr. Nayef al-Fahad (Online)：Iraqi Foundation for Development Research (partner organization of Folke Bernadotte Academy)
Ms. Elizabeth Lucy Turner (Video Presentation): United Nations Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund
17:50-18:05　Comment and Discussion among the Contributors
[Commentator] Ms. Yuko Dohi (Online)：Governance and Peacebuilding Department, JICA
18:05-18:15　Q&A Session

Registration for in-person attendance has now closed.
Those who wish to join online may participate directly via the following Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87617031694?pwd=5C9bPPKtMNfNqH1Ti95WBTBJvT5oZx.1
Webinar ID：876 1703 1694
Passcode：349216

JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development
Mr. Shota Oboshi, Ms. Makiko Itoh
E-mail：ditas-rsunit@jica.go.jp