UCP/A in Democratic Republic of Congo - February 10th

An online consultation was held on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in response to the sudden escalation in violence in the Kivu areas at the end of January. During this session, the NP DRC start up team facilitated a space to raise awareness and explore, together with the Community of Practice, protection challenges and how we could respond through UCP/A to enhance civilian protection.

UCP/A Community of Practice at One! Evaluation Session – March 4th

We had a fruitful online consultation with space to connect, share and discuss our thoughts directly with each other as we evaluated and considered next steps for our Community of Practice. We identified several take away action points to continue developing further, largely focusing on enhancing connection and impact in various ways. To find out more:

1. A summary of the session in Spanish and English

2. The Session Presentation, including the evaluation survey results

3. The Session Video Recording here

UCP/A in & Around Elections – January 3rd

How can UCP/A be applied before, during, and after elections? Speakers included Parfaite Ntahuba from the Quaker Peace Network (QPN) in Burundi; Atem Akonjang Austine Kechen from Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) in South Sudan; and Mary Hanna from Meta Peace Teams in the US. Although all speakers come from and work in vastly different contexts, some overarching themes and causes of election violence were identified and shared. Electoral processes are becoming increasingly exclusive with different marginalized groups working hard to overcome barriers to their participation in political decision-making. Read the meeting notes here.

UCP/A in Palestine – January 26th

An ad hoc consultation on the role of UCP/A in Palestine was held to reflect on current challenges, exchange best practices, and develop recommendations for further joint action. Panelist participants were Operazione Colomba (Operation Dove), Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), and Meta Peace Teams (MPT).  

Can UCP Work in Palestine? – November 11th
An assessment was undertaken by four researchers in July 2024, to assess the feasibility of implementing an UCP project in Palestine. The Community of Practice gathered to learn about the realities observed during the assessment and explore opportunities for individuals and groups to get involved. Linke here to the Assessment Summary and the full Assessment Report.

The Unexpected Power of Nonviolence - October 24th

In 2024, Creating Safer Space (CSS), an international research network, held three regional conferences, which brought together researchers, practitioners, artists, journalists, and policymakers to share unique research methodologies, findings, and their implications for violence prevention, protection, and peacebuilding initiatives. Prof Berit Bliesemann de Guevara, the Principal Investigator of CSS, reported on key findings following three research forums held in Kenya, Thailand, and Columbia. The findings include:

1. There is a wealth of community-led UCP practices across the world.

2. Community-led UCP works because it is culturally embedded.

3. Community-led UCP is linked to wider struggles for social justice and transformation.

See meeting summary here.

Responsible Partnerships – December 5th

Equitable and responsible partnerships are critical for protecting civilians and ensuring humanitarian aid reaches those in need. Participants learned about the Nonviolent Peaceforce’s Partnerships Management Toolkit and shared best partnerships management strategies. See the meeting video here.

Simplified Agenda English | Spanish | French

Detailed Agenda English | Spanish | French

Gathering Resource Guide English | Spanish | French

Gathering Final Report English | Spanish | French

The International Virtual Gathering was held November 12-14 and 19-21, 2021.

Reflections from the UCP/A Virtual Gathering in November, 2021, and the six regional UCP/A Good Practices Workshops that preceded it English | Spanish | French | Arabic

“Good Practices in Unarmed Civilian Protection” (Paige McLain, Chris Grathwol, and Will Goltra; Nonviolent Peaceforce and University of Minnesota Human Rights Lab), February, 2021 English

Report from the November, 2021, Virtual Gathering English

Conference recordings on YouTube

The research underpinning the Good Practices Workshops consists of case studies conducted in four areas of the world where UCP is practised: South Sudan, Colombia, the Philippines (Mindanao) and Israel/Palestine. The researchers reviewed the work of more than twenty local and international organizations and identified and described 77 UCP good practices. Their findings were published in Wielding Nonviolence in the Midst of Violence Description Purchase the book here. See the summary here.

From 2017 - 2021, six facilitated consultation groups convened on a regional basis and made up of UCP practitioners, field partners, beneficiaries, and academics for three-day sessions to review their work, analyze findings from Wielding Nonviolence in the Midst of Violence and validate good practices and emerging themes as well as identify dilemmas or challenges raised but not answered by the cases.

Summary of all Good Practices Workshops:  English | Spanish | French | Arabic 

Reports from each Good Practices Workshop by region:

Manila: December 7-9, 2017 | Full report (English) | Short report (English)

Beirut: June 18-20, 2018 | Full report (English) | Short report (English)

Nairobi: November 12-14, 2018 | Full repor (English) | Short report (English)

Paynesville: October 21-23, 2019 | Full report (English) | Short report (English)

Bogotá: January 13-15, 2020 | Full report (English) | Full report (Spanish) | Short report (English) | Short report (Spanish)

Virtual Europe: February 19-21, 2021 | Full report (English) | Short report (English)