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Fisherman along the Wataboo beach casts net in the water to catch small fish. Baucau, Timor-Leste. UN Photo/Martine Perret.

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Press release - Making Peace Work: The Challenges of Social and Economic Reconstruction 

10 March 2009
Pioneering book highlights the challenges of rebuilding after war and charts the steps to lasting peace  'Making Peace Work: The Challenges of Social and Economic Reconstruction' edited by Tony Addison and Tilman Brück

Book launch hosted by UNU-WIDER Project Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Conflict. 

Date and time: Friday 20 March, 17:15 – 18:15

Address: INCORE, University of Ulster, Magee Campus, Aberfoyle House, Northland Road, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.  The venue has full disabled access. Wine and snacks will be served. 

Chair:
Brandon Hamber, Director INCORE, University of Ulster
Speakers:
Tilman Brück, DIW Berlin, co-editor of 'Making Peace Work'
and Pat Colgan, CEO of the Special EU Programmes Body
Special Guest:
Nobel Peace Prize winner and former politician, John Hume 

 

There is hope that the number of violent conflicts in the world is declining. But can peace last? Or is it inevitable, especially taken into account the slumping world economy, that many countries will relapse into conflict?  The examples of Afghanistan, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo or Georgia are reminders that reconstruction from war and conflict is a daunting task. Countries face huge challenges, often with too few resources to meet these needs: rebuilding infrastructure, assisting war-damaged communities, re-creating weakened institutions. How should reconstruction take place to prevent countries from regressing back into war? In this book, the outcome of a UNU-WIDER study, one of the editors of 'Making Peace Work', Tilman Brück, offers examples of what works and what doesn’t. This key book draws on leading authorities on the political economy of war and peace. It has been hailed as the definitive volume on how to establish peace, participation, and prosperity in post-conflict societies.The volume covers a range of topics, some of which too often receive scant attention in reconstruction strategies, such as the gender dimension, the importance of horizontal inequalities, ethics and the need for a social contract, and entrepreneurship. It suggests practical approaches which should be of interest to researchers, policymakers and practitioners alike.