Download Education for Peace in West and Central Africa

Education for Peace
in West and Central Africa
Empowering children, youth and their communities as agents of change
Conflict drivers In West and central Africa
© UNICEF/NYHQ2015-1335/Cherkaoui
Children and young people, particularly girls, suffer
the most in times of crisis. They also realize the
greatest benefits from overcoming the impact of
violent conflict, and they are vital agents of change
in building sustained peace and development in their
communities.
Ethnic and Religious Divisions
Ethnic and religious violence may be fuelled by poor
communication, ignorance and marginalization. In
many countries in the region, the pervasive idea that
politics is a battle between ethnic or religious groups,
and that it is in everyone’s interest to line up with
their own group, is a major influence on collective
behaviour, often resulting in violent conflict.
Based on a desk review conducted by UNICEF’s
West and Central Africa Office (WCARO), the most
common conflict drivers in the region include:
An important conflict factor in Liberia is the division between
Americo-Liberian ‘Congos’ and indigenous tribes, along
with the practice of divide and rule politics. Following the
military coup in 1980, ethnicity became more politicized,
and “politico-ethno cleavages” were consolidated. In the
Central African Republic, unprecedented religious violence
between Muslims and Christians plunged the country into
a brutal civil war, although religious rivalry should not be
seen outside of a political framework.
Economic and Social Inequalities
Poverty and social injustice are the main root
causes of violent conflict in West and Central Africa.
Economic inequalities may lead to violent conflict
because of gross disparities in wealth distribution,
low economic development, poverty, unemployment
(particularly among youth) and minimal economic
diversification. Social inequalities may trigger violent
conflict because of unequal access to justice, water
and sanitation, nutrition, public health and education.
Other factors include lack of civil and political rights,
lack of freedom of speech, gender inequity and social
exclusion.
Exclusion and Instrumentalization of Youth
Social exclusion of youth is a recurring structural
feature of many societies and communities in West
and Central Africa. Government policies are often
not youth-centred. Unemployment is rampant.
Frustrations of young people caused by political,
educational and economic exclusion and their
resulting alienation and powerlessness can often
lead to violent conflict.
In Mali, the Northern region has suffered proportionately
more than the rest of the country from economic neglect,
expressed in a lack of investment and a perception of
unequal access to health and education.
In Sierra Leone, the arbitrary use of power against youth
by Chiefs is a major cause of youth alienation, directly
linked to the exclusion of youth from decision-making
at local and national levels. Intergenerational conflict
between youth, their parents and their grandparents has
also been a source of conflict in Chad.
Teacher Abba Kaka Sani walks home from a temporary learning space at the end of the school day, in the Dar es Salam camp for Nigerian refugees, in the Lake
Region, Chad.
External Actors, Transborder Security and Regional Dynamics
External actors may influence regional conflict dynamics by providing
financial or military support to armed groups or forces, or by directly
engaging in military activity. Indeed, many groups operate across the
boundaries of fragile states and borders are extremely porous. Spillover effects of intra-state conflicts into neighbouring states often
have a destabilizing effect at the sub-regional level. In addition, the
cross-border illegal trafficking of weapons has fuelled conflict and
contributed to destabilizing many countries in the region.
The Mano River Union countries – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Côte
d’Ivoire – share common conflict dynamics: remote border areas where
the presence of the state is limited; weak natural resources governance;
illicit trade in arms, drugs and minerals; and porous borders. The region is
vulnerable to cross-border conflict spillovers and violence, as seen during
the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Poor Governance and Elite Power Struggles
Poor governance may be the result of inequitable policies and
inadequate institutional capacities that undermine state legitimacy
and positive state-society relations. Examples are corruption,
nepotism, misuse of power, patronage politics, poor rule of law,
monopoly over the use of force, weak institutional capacity and weak
democratic structures. In addition, elite power struggles increase
existing divisions between the state apparatus and the population.
The struggle for power may be between rival political parties, within
the same political party or between political actors, the elite, and the
military.
In the Central African Republic, elite power struggles and greed marked the
policy of the Bozizé regime, as well as the agenda of many rebel leaders.
Neither political parties nor the rebel groups have properly represented the
interests of the population in CAR. These political entrepreneurs have been
driven by personal economic interests and ambition for power.
Land Disputes, Access To and Control Over Natural Resources
Access to, and competition over, land is a particularly volatile issue that
often represents a trigger for violent conflict. Land disputes may be
caused by underlying factors such as population growth, agricultural
commercialization, urbanization, and cross-border transhumance
movements. In addition, land tenure systems are usually not wellequipped to resolve land disputes. Formal institutions for land
administration often superimpose traditional structures, resulting in
further disagreement. Conflicts over the ownership, management and
control of natural resources are present in most countries of West and
Central Africa, although the magnitude varies. Part of the problem lies
in unclear laws and policies dealing with the distribution of benefits
accruing from natural resource exploitation.
For many years violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was
largely financed through looting and the exploitation of natural resources.
The confiscation and extraction of resources made the war “a very lucrative
business“.
In Chad, UNICEF works to mainstream conflict sensitivity in the school construction process.
UNICEF /Iker de Urrutia
West and Central African countries are chronically
affected by a variety of humanitarian crises, including
insecurity and conflict, drought, flooding, epidemics
and acute malnutrition.
HOW CAN SOCIAL SERVICES CONTRIBUTE
TO PEACEBUILDING AND RESILIENCE IN
CONFLICT AFFECTED SOCIETIES?
Education - a conflict driver or a catalyst fOR peace?
THE CASE OF COTE D’IVOIRE:
When conflict trumps learning at school
Through the Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy
(PBEA) programme, UNICEF Côte d’Ivoire supported
two conflict analyses which shed light on the
education – conflict nexus in the country. Indeed, since
the beginning of the civil war in Côte d’Ivoire in 2002,
the education sector has been the scene of several
confrontations involving the government, rebel
movements, teachers, and student organizations.
Key findings from the conflict analyses:
© UNICEF/UNI163765/Pirozzi
• Education-based inequalities across regions (in
terms of access and allocation of resources) have
exacerbated frustrations and generated social
contestations and violent conflict.
•Education has been highly politicized in recent
years: Through unions, teachers and students
have brought political ideas into the classroom.
Portrait of 5 years old Mounira, Chad.
In addition, across the country students were
mobilized for political violence.
•Education as a means to assert legitimacy:
During the conflict, the education system has also
been used as a means to catalyse power struggles,
in particular between the government and the rebel
forces. For instance, in 2003, the government
cancelled exams in the North of the country to
delegitimize non-state authorities who had started
running a parallel education system.
The role of EDUCATION
Conflict
prevention
Peace
Tolerance
Citizenship
Social
cohesion
•Schools reproduce societal violence: Even when
the conflict subsides, schools are often plagued
by crime and violence including corruption, theft,
drugs, aggressive behaviours, etc.
•Education no longer contributes to employment
and social mobility: This has led to a general
depreciation of the education system as well as
grievances and frustrations among youth in urban
areas.
•Violence in schools, including corporal
punishment and gender-based violence: While
data collection on these issues is challenging,
it is widely recognized that teachers use violent
punishments against children, which also
sometimes includes forced labour as well as
sexual and gender-based violence, sometimes in
exchange for high grades. of grades.
Social services for sector better governance (vertical social
cohesion): Social services, when managed and delivered in conflictsensitive, equitable and accountable ways, can reduce incentives
for a return to violence in post-conflict situations, strengthen sector
governance and accountability of related institutions, and ultimately
re-establish or enhance state-society relations.
Social services for peacebuilding at the community level
(horizontal social cohesion): Social services, when planned
and delivered in communities in ways that create mechanisms
for dialogue and cooperation, can build capacities and strengthen
positive relationships among and across different social groups.
This will contribute to better society-society relations and enhance
community resilience to violent conflict, and better prepare them to
respond to the causes and effects of violent conflict.
Social services for building individual level capacities: Social
services can also help alleviate the negative impact of violent conflict
on individuals and build their capacity to address its underlying
causes by ensuring services respond to their psychosocial needs
and wellbeing. Through this support individuals will be able to
contribute to peacebuilding processes and play a role in building
more resilient and peaceful societies.
UNICEF Niger/Lynch
Education can play a significant role in building peace.
It can serve as a peace dividend, restoring confidence
and trust in governments and in the future. It can
minimize inequalities or grievances among conflictaffected communities, and it can strengthen the
values, attitudes and beliefs that support peace.
At the same time, however, education can be a
potential driver of conflict when delivered without
consideration of the dynamics of conflict or sufficient
attention to peacebuilding dimensions.
Cultural
repression
Segregation
Ideological
indoctrination
Conflict
Denial of
education as a
weapon of war
English Teacher with a secondary school class in the village of Gomba, Southern Niger.
All social services programming needs to be designed to contribute
to peacebuilding and delivered in a conflict-sensitive manner.
The Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) programme
GOVERNMENT
INTEGRATING PEACEBUILDING AND EDUCATION
My teacher is equipped
to be a champion of
peace in the classroom
and outside
Article 4.
New Education Sector
Orientation Law, DRC,
2014.
In my school, I learn in
a safe and protective
environment
The overall goal of
this programme is to
strengthen resilience,
social cohesion,
and human security
in conflict-affected
contexts.
For more, see page 16.
© UNICEF/SLRA2013-0352/Asselin
Schoo l
© UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0621/Pirozzi
My community is
engaged in bridging
social and ethnic
divides and in
resolving conflicts
C ommu n i t y
My government
recognizes the critical role
of education towards
social cohesion and
integrates peacebuilding
in education sector plans
and programmes
Government
Teacher
“The national
education aims
at providing
acquisitions of skills,
human, moral,
civic and cultural
values to create a
new, democratic,
cohesive, prosperous,
Congolese Society
that promotes justice
and peace.“
My
government
recognizes the critical
role of education towards
social cohesion and integrates
peacebuilding in education
sector plans and
programmes
FOCUS:
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, CHAD, COTE D’IVOIRE
AND GUINEA BISSAU
Inclusion of conflict and disaster risk reduction in Education Sector Analysis
UNICEF WCARO partnered with the UNESCO International Institute for Education
Planning’s Pole de Dakar to include a new chapter in the Education Sector Analysis
that were conducted in the DRC and Chad in 2014 and are being finalized in Côte
d’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau. This new chapter entitled “Conflict and Risk Analysis”
intends to measure the impact of conflicts, risks and fragility on the education
system; the relationship between education, conflict and peace; and the existing
measures and gaps for the sustainable integration and operationalization of conflict
and disaster risk reduction in and through education.
Following the completed Education Sector Analysis in the DRC and Chad, UNICEF
supported Ministry of Educations and the Local Education Group in leveraging the
results of the Education Sector Analysis (ESA) conflict and risk analysis to stimulate
education policy dialogue and inform the Education Sector Plans in both countries.
Based on these experiences, it is expected that UNICEF WCARO will play a key role
in updating the ESA Methodological Guide (UNESCO – World Bank – UNICEF), with
an emphasis on conflict and risks.
TARGET GROUPS: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Ministry of Education plays a key role to monitor violence at school
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Ministry of Education developed tools to ensure that the existing
Education Management Information System (EMIS) tracks incidents of violence and
conflict affecting girls and boys in schools. This is part of an early warning system
that will provide the Ministry with accurate and relevant disaggregated data to
enable the government and its partners to better understand the phenomenon of
violence in schools – including school-related gender-based violence – and to take
adequate measures to curtail it.
Young girl heads back to class from recess at the Primary School, Kono district, Sierra Leone.
TEACHER
Strengthening institutional capacities
‘Sara and the Plum Tree Palaver’ is an educational story that teachers use
to promote tolerance, reconciliation and peace among children, teachers,
parents and the community. It tells a story about Sara, a 12-year-old girl who
resolves a land dispute between her father and her uncle through peaceful
dialogue. An instructor’s guide has also been developed to help teachers
use the book as a communication tool to start conversations and debates
about pathways to peace in the country. Sara and the Plum Tree Palaver’ was
developed in partnership between UNICEF, the Ministry of Education, the
Liberian Association of Writers and a group of Liberian artists and designers.
TARGET GROUPS: TEACHERS
© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-2483/Asselin
Teachers trained and equipped with pedagogical materials
My teacher is equipped
to be champion of peace
in the classroom and
outside.
In the DRC, UNICEF provided support to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education, and the initiation of a New Citizenship (ESPINC) to harmonize
approaches and implementation strategies through the development of
peacebuilding education training tools and pedagogical support materials.
This has assisted in the training of 2,166 teachers (including 739 women) from
472 Primary schools in six provinces. 141,600 students benefited from life
skills education that promotes peace and social cohesion through the training
of teachers. An average increase of 30 per cent was observed between
teachers’ pre and post- training tests results. Beneficiaries’ testimonies, as
observed in reports, highlight overall reduction of violence, improvement in
cohabitation among students from different ethnicities including minorities
(Pygmies in Equateur and Katanga provinces), and a reduction in cases of
teachers using whips to beat students, or committing sexual violence.
Integrating capacity building efforts at different levels
Central
education
officials
3%
National
CBOs/
NGOs
members
District
education
officials
5%
1%
Regional
Inspectors
Students perform a dramatization of Sara, Let’s Speak Out, at Groba Town Public School, in Todee
District. In her books, Sara acts as a positive agent of change in her community by tackling issues
common to Liberia.
1%
School
directors
4%
Local
National
volunteers
8%
Teachers
58%
0%
A teacher reads to students at a primary school in the town of Bondoukou, Côte d'Ivoire.
© UNICEF/NYHQ2014-3509/Gordon
Introduction of the code of
conduct for teachers and school
administrator in Liberia ; Ministry of
education, 2014.
FOCUS: LIBERIA: Sara promotes peace and reconciliation
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
© UNICEF/NYHQ2014-3511/Gordon
“Teachers and school
administrators are not only
called upon to develop
the child intellectually but
also morally and socially
to engender the spirit of
good citizenship and gender
equality. They must practice
and exhibit in the school and
community the principles
they teach“
COMMUNITY
Promoting social change for peace
Extract from ‘Alternative Forms of
Punishment - Sierra Leone song’
SIERRA LEONE: community engagement to fight corporal
punishment through theatre for development.
FOCUS:
TARGET GROUPS: COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LEADERS
UNICEF supported community engagement to fight corporal punishment
through theatre for development. About 95 per cent of the children participating
in the action research said their rights were being violated and that corporal
punishment was a form of violence that had traumatic effects on children.
Children and adolescents have been empowered to advocate and inform their
communities on the negative effects of corporal punishment and alternative
practices resulting in behavior change in 2013 and 2014. UNICEF has reached
3,475 participants through drama, songs and public debates and more than
900 schools are now practising alternative forms of discipline.
In the DRC, various media outlets were used to convey relevant and
essential messages to children and adults in schools and communities,
in partnership with non-government organizations (NGOs) such as
Radio la Benevolencia. Radio programmes were also developed with
the participation of various actors including headmasters, teachers,
women association members, journalists, young reporters, and
community members. More than 15 radio emissions on conflict
prevention, management and promotion of peace were developed and
approved by zonal authorities before broadcast. Some villages reported
that major conflict cases were avoided thanks to the information
received through those channels.
TARGET GROUPS: COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LEADERS
© UNICEF/SLRA2013-0485/Asselin
Strengthening women’s participation and social cohesion
My community is
engaged in bridging
social and ethnic divides
and in resolving conflict
In Côte d’Ivoire, UNICEF supported the establishment of 17 Early childhood
development (ECD) Centres allowing over 1,255 children to access ECD
services in volatile communities that border Liberia. The Centres are managed
by multi-ethnic women’s groups who are learning together how to read,
write, calculate and manage income-generating activities that help sustain the
community ECD Centre and improve women’s position within the community
and households. The inclusion of mothers clubs in ECD Centres demonstrated
the benefits of using ECD Centres as entry points for fostering peacebuilding
between previously estranged groups by uniting women around the common
goals of child wellbeing, community stability and peace.
A boy stands up to answer a question during a class at the primary school in the village of Kpandebu Dama, Sierra Leone.
Promoting a culture of peace, dialogue and participation through radio
Members of the UNICEF-supported 'Junior Reporters' club' during a radio show in a local radio station
in N’Djamena, Chad.
Community engagement for peace
Community
dialogue
Child reporters/
Technical
reporters
Distribution
Activity
Reflection
Workshop
Educational
discussion
Advocacy
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO
→ Reduce and cope with conflict
→ Prevent conflict
→ Promote peace
Sport
activities
Public
Games
Another highlight includes the production of a CD with 10 songs
promoting peace produced by young local singers in the North Kivu
province. It was used as part of the larger annual Back-to-school
campaign launched by the Ministry of Education. Two concerts were
organised, reaching a large audience, and the songs were played on the
local radio, reaching approximately 105,130 (about 40 per cent female)
youths, adolescents, children, and community members. This activity
further demonstrated the key role girls can play in working towards a
cause as one of the two girl singers among ten was selected to receive
an award in New York for her engagement on girls’ education.
Video
Forums
Focus group
Discussions
Peace Club
Setup
Concert and
special Events
© UNICEF/UNI163772/Pirozzi
“There are several good
ways to bring up the child
Many good ways to
make them live up to our
expectations
Beating-beating, kicks and
slaps are never the answers
Dialogue with them, listen
to then, don’t terrify them
I am sending this message
to everyone
Mama, papa, it is for all of
us
Especially those who have
children or are caregivers
Everywhere in the country.“
COMMUNITY
Promoting social change for peace
I didn’t know because
everything that I was, I had
endured alone.“
Participant in an International
Centre for Transitional Justice
(ICTJ) training. UNICEF worked
with ICTJ to provide non-partisan
forums for young people across the
country to express their grievances,
foster forgiveness and build peace.
FOCUS:
CÔTE D’IVOIRE : Youth, transitional justice and constructive
citizenship
UNICEF in Côte d’Ivoire supported the government in fostering engagement
amongst youth, particularly in national reconciliation processes. A diverse
youth leaders’ network was established and the members are actively engaged
in transitional justice and peacebuilding. The network, which represents
approximately 5,000 members across the country offers a safe, non-partisan
space for youth to engage in reflection about the past, in constructive
dialogue about the future, and to exert positive action for justice, peace and
reconciliation. With the support of UNICEF and ICTJ, youth members of the
network developed innovative education tools on teaching transitional justice
outcomes to reach and teach a mass audience on the experience of youth in
conflict and their responsibility for shaping a peaceful Côte d’Ivoire.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Participatory Video was used to learn more about how the peace clubs had engaged students
in peacebuilding processes at school and if the clubs were mobilising them to influence their peers and the
wider community.
28%
of beneficiaries of community activities were
Youth and Adolescents
© UNICEF/UNI163772/Pirozzi
“I didn’t know that despite
everything that has
happened, one day I would
be able to talk with people
in harmony like that and
explain my story.
In the DRC, capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts form, has had a positive impact in helping children
demobilized from armed forces to make the transition away from military life and reintegrate with
their families and communities.
In Liberia, at the height of the Ebola crisis, 250 of the National Volunteers were retrained and rapidly
deployed to take part in prevention, tracing, and conflict management activities across the country in
communities where they were known and trusted“
TARGET GROUPS: YOUTH AND ADOLESCENTS
© InsightShare
© UNICEF/NYHQ2015-0346/Grile
9-year-old Mercy Kennady who is in her first year of school, at the start of the school day, in Monrovia, Liberia.
National Volunteers in Liberia were trained in peacebuilding, leadership,
and sector-specific delivery and employed throughout the country. In
2014, they worked as teaching assistants, health personnel, vocational
skills trainers and youth centre managers to deliver conflict sensitive
education, training and other services. Over the course of the year
they engaged 91 communities with their peacebuilding campaigns on
alternative non-violent conflict resolution strategies, events that helped
to positively shift social cohesion in each communities.
© UNICEF DRC/2014/Stefano Toscano
National Volunteers Empower Youth As Agents of Change
My community is
engaged in bridging
social and ethnic divides
and in resolving conflict
SCHOOL
INCREASING ACCESS TO CONFLICT-SENSITIVE EDUCATION
“I used to think
discrimination was normal
because we had learnt from
a very early age that Pygmies
were inferior to us. We could
never be with them; whether
it was at church, at school, at
the well… they had to live far
away from us. It was after
our training that I realised it
was a great mistake to think
of them in that way“.
Key CFS standards
for integration into
school operations
Effective
leadership
and
management
Rights-based
inclusion of
all children
Child-centred
teaching and
learning
Fatuma Feza - Fatumata is 12 ½
years old. She is a pupil in year 5
of a Primary School in the village
of Sango Malumbi, in Katanga
Province, DRC. Together with her
classmates, she leads advocacy
activities for children’s rights and
for peace in her school and her
village.
Child
friendly
school
Healthy,
hygienic and
nutritionally
adequate
FOCUS: CHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOL (CFS)
Safe and
protective
environment
Gendersensitive and
girl-friendly
environment
Community
participation
Using the transformative power of action research to
operationalize Child Friendly School (CFS) standards
In Sierra Leone, UNICEF successfully supported the Pujehun and
Tonkolili District Education Offices (DEOs), Local Councils and NGOs
in operationalizing CFS Standards in 40 schools through Action
Research.
The conflict had serious impact on education in the communities:
• Children from the antagonistic villages refused to attend the nearby
primary school in Sawula for fear of their safety
• The head teacher of the school fled from Sawula for fear of his life
after threats by community members thereby creating a leadership
vacuum.
• Ultimately, school enrolment decreased from 285 in 2012/2013 to 95
in May 2014.
The Traore child walks to school in the Dougouba village, Segou Region, Mali.
© UNICEF Video
© UNICEF/MLIA2011-01011/Lynch
CHAD - Sensitizing architects to ensure the construction
of school sites and learning spaces helped prevent violence and
discrimination.
In Chad, the construction of 53 classrooms was initiated in 2013 for at-risk
adolescents, youth and girls among the internally displaced population in
Chad, returnees from the Central African Republic and host communities.
To support these efforts, 10 architects and engineers were sensitized on
conflict-sensitive and resilient construction based on a Do No Harm model
and the concept of child-friendly spaces.
fallen significantly, the head teacher had
abandoned the school and learning was
ineffective.
While they stopped short of attributing blame
to any particular group/community or
individual, they acknowledged that their
learning and future were being compromised
as a result of the conflict.
Three communities-Sawula, Lungo, and Baoma were in conflict over
use of a common fishing pond on the banks of the river Wanje in
Pujehun district since 2012.
FOCUS:
In my school, I feel
safe and I participate
in creating a peaceful
learning space
After receiving training, children set out to identify
the problem, explore it, take action and reflect on it
as follows:
The children noted that school enrolment had
In Pujehun district, Sierra Leone, an Inter-communal conflict over rights to a fishing pond had serious
impact on education in the communities.
1
ASSESSED THE PROBLEM
2
EXPLOREED THE PROBLEM
The
children
identified
inter-communal violence has a
major safety problem affecting
children and teachers in the
school/community
4
REFLECTED
Two weeks later, the chief of Lungo
invited the Imam of Sawula to officiate
at a Muslim festival to be organized in
his village. The children also reported
that some of their friends and the head
teacher had returned to school.
3
TOOK ACTION
The children recommended that
they should talk to the elders and
leaders of the three communities to
see reason for reconciliation and
peace.
On May 21st, 2014 residents of the
three communities assembled in
Sawula
where
each
chief
committed to resolve the conflict
peacefully in the interest of their
children. They also invited the head
teacher to return to his post
immediately. This was followed by
visit to the pond where they carried
out symbolic fishing. Elders from
Lungo and Baoma also pledged to
send their children back to the
school.
Cover photo: Students sit under a tree as they
attend class outside the Primary School in the
village of Kamaranka, Sierra Leone.
© UNICEF/SLRA2013-0248/Asselin
The Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) programme,
or “Learning for Peace” is a partnership between UNICEF, the
Government of the Netherlands, the national governments of
participating countries and other key partners. The overall goal this
innovative programme is to strengthen resilience, social cohesion,
and human security in conflict-affected contexts, including countries
at risk of, experiencing or recovering from conflict. In particular, it
aims at strengthening policies and practices in education for
peacebuilding.
The program focuses on achieving five key outcomes:
1. Increase inclusion of education into peacebuilding and conflict
reduction policies, analyses and implementation.
2. Increase institutional capacities to supply conflict-sensitive
education.
3. Increase the capacities of children, parents, teachers and other
duty bearers to prevent, reduce and cope with conflict and promote
peace
4. Increase access to quality and relevant conflict-sensitive education
that contributes to peace.
5. Contribute to the generation and use of evidence and knowledge
in policies and programming related to education, conflict and
peacebuilding.
The PBEA programme started in 2012 in the West and Central Africa
region and is implemented in five countries – Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – as well
as at the regional level. UNICEF’s West and Central Africa Regional
Office also supports other Country Offices - such as the Central African
Republic, Mali and Niger – to develop child-focused programmes that
explicitly seek to contribute to social cohesion and peace.
regional office for west and central africa