Season's Greetings and Year-in-Review Highlights!
Dear friend,
As we approach the end of 2024, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we've had this year. It's been a year filled with challenges, growth, and remarkable achievements, and I couldn't be more pleased when reflecting on our joint accomplishments. Here is a brief highlight of our year-in-review, sprinkled with some festive cheer!
In the DRC, we've navigated through political tensions and resource conflicts. Our peacebuilding efforts in South Kivu province have led to significant community resolutions and the empowerment of local women and youth vocational training and accompaniment.
Ethiopia faced a complex year with insurgencies and economic challenges. Yet, we established the Network of Ethiopian Peacebuilding Actors and launched impactful community dialogues in Shashemene and Dire Dawa. Our peacebuilding efforts at universities have also been noteworthy.
Kenya experienced political upheaval, but our Capacities 4 Peace (C4P) project made strides in climate change efforts and community collaboration. We also participated in international conferences, highlighting the importance of environmental peacebuilding.
Our cross-border resilience project in Moyale Kenya and Ethiopia has been dynamic, with community entry meetings, baseline surveys, and capacity enhancement training. Despite security challenges, we've fostered collaboration and trust among cross-border communities.
Somalia's security and political landscape remained volatile, but our projects focused on inclusive policy engagement and youth-led social change. We've facilitated numerous dialogue sessions and strategic planning workshops, contributing to peace and reconciliation efforts at local and national levels.
While Sudan faced continued violence, we focused on re-building and strengthening civil society capacities, and our resilience and peacebuilding trainings have empowered local communities. We've also engaged in significant advocacy and collaboration efforts to promote peace and stability by working with Sudanese civil society actors in Sudan and neighbouring countries.
Despite the region's political unrest and climate challenges, our Horn of Africa Regional Programme (HARP) team has been steadfast. We completed a four-year programme evaluation and are gearing up for the next phase. Our transitional justice and reconciliation (TJ&R) efforts saw the publication of five insightful reports and the launch of a new capacity strengthening training programme for women in civil society. Our cross-border initiatives have made significant strides this year, with our work on IGAD’s Policy Framework on Informal Cross-Border Trade - Cross-Border Security Governance yielding recommendations set to be presented at the next IGAD Trade Ministers Meeting.
In Sweden, the Sustained Dialogue processes in Nybro and Stockholm have been well received, thanks to our collaboration with Fryshuset. We're excited about the positive feedback and the potential for future cycles and expansion.
Earlier in the year, we implemented our Quality Financing project, aiming to shift more resources to community actors, through our global policy team. We also partnered with the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and GPPAC to explore donor coordination with civil society. Plus, we welcomed commenced our post-doc fellow programme with American University and Carnegie Foundation.
The Horn of Africa Bulletin (HAB) continues to amplify African voices and promote evidence-based policymaking, with a revamped new look. This year’s editions focused on transitional justice, reconciliation, and African perspectives on the multilateral system, featuring community-led research and photo essays. LPI's commitment to local voices ensures that those affected by conflict remain central to the conversation on peace and justice.
As we wrap up this year, we're excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. From new projects and partnerships to continued efforts in peacebuilding and community resilience, we remain committed to making a positive impact and promoting nonviolent approaches to transform conflicts.
All of this could not be accomplished without the committed and dedicated LPI partners and donor and our amazing LPI staff. I am very grateful to all who have joined hands in challenging and often insecure regions to bring the voices of those in the margins into conversations about peace and security.
Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication. Wishing you a joyous Christmas and a prosperous New Year filled with peace, love, and happiness!
Warmest regards,
Judy
Executive Director
