Philippines

The word “conflict” is by many automatically connected to violence. However, we deal with them on a daily basis. Conflicts are at their core opposing or seemingly incompatible interests between two or more parties. Conflicts are a natural phenomenon. Every process of social change, progress, and development will cause conflicts of interest about the if, how, why, who, where, or when. Hence, conflicts cannot be avoided - the question is how we chose to solve them.

In order to cultivate a practice of Non-Violent Conflict Transformation and find alternative solutions for dealing with conflict other than violence, skills as well as structures are needed. We have been supporting actors who are facing violent conflicts in their communities by providing training on mediation, dialogue facilitation, or conflict analysis tailored to their specific needs and context. As a result, participants act as mediators in conflicts and prevent violent escalation.

In addition, we aspire to strengthen multiple forms of formal and informal local conflict resolution infrastructures that have the potential to prevent violent escalation. This includes traditional practices of resolving conflict as presented by customary law as well as progressive concepts like peace zones.