Preventive Action has emerged out of the broader field of practice on Early Warning and Early Response (EWER), through a closer look at the specific actions and conditions that can enable the prevention of violent conflict. There are currently few practical tools that help translate broader conflict prevention policies into action, and early warning systems worldwide have not produced the expected scale of response. Governments, international agencies and CSOs need to enhance their institutional capacity to move from analysis to strategy to action in the face of both emerging crises and long-term structural conflicts. To enable CSOs to move towards preventive action and engage constructively with other key stakeholders, GPPAC has developed a systematic framework for Preventive Action. Summarized in Figure below, the approach consists of a flexible outline of steps for identifying areas vulnerable to violent conflict, conducting a conflict analysis, developing a Preventive Action Plan, mobilizing and advocating for initiatives by a range of actors, and monitoring the degree and effectiveness of responses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Will GPPAC Work on the Issue?

Through the Preventive Action approach, GPPAC aims to enable the regional networks to implement actions for preventing conflict and building peace, based on a multi-stakeholder process of problem identification, assessment and action planning. As part of this, the Preventive Action Working Group will:

• Develop expertise in identifying and analysing the potential for violent conflict in a range of settings;
• Develop the ability to translate conflict analyses into specific Action Plans, with strategies to deal with potential violent conflict, to close the gap between conflict analysis and preventive action;
• Refine existing tools, methods and conceptual frameworks for preventive action;
• Promote learning at all levels regarding what works in conflict prevention in practical terms.

 

By working with a cross-section of GPPAC members that pursue the implementation of Preventive Action initiatives on the ground, and through the engagement with experts to analyse lessons learned, the tools and resources developed as part of the framework will be further refined in an ongoing cycle. A Peace Portal community of practice will provide a platform for practitioners, experts and policy makers alike, where linkages will be made with other key resource centres. The development and implementation of the Preventive Action plans in GPPAC regions will inform the plans of regional networks, and provide the foundation for policy & advocacy and public outreach. As such, it directly interrelates with the key strategies from a solid basis of Action Learning.

 

How Does GPPAC South Asia Approach the Issue?

Within the ambit of Preventive Action, GPPAC South Asia would also be taking into consideration the Human Security theme. South Asia provides enormous opportunities for networking, advocacy and research for studying conflicts and their timely conflict prevention. Most of the conflicts in South Asia are at the intra-state level which involves conflict over resources, ethnicity, communal and sectarian. Likewise, the issues of intolerance, extremism and radicalization, also involve the unleashing of a serious thought process at the community level.

Prevention Action Plan for South Asia would also mean:

• Public awareness at the community level to respond to the outbreak of potential conflict.
• Identifying potential conflicts and explore strategies to prevent escalation.
• Seek the possibility of preventive action by understanding in the context of human security.
• The relevance and significance of engendering preventive action plan.
• Explore how better education, dialogue, mediation and conciliation can make a difference in pursuing an effective preventive action plan for South Asia.
• Learning from the experiences of other regions where preventive action has been a useful approach for peace building.

Strategies of Action Learning, Policy & Advocacy and Public Outreach will be contemplated in order to seek the possibility for a better understanding of conflict prevention through a mechanism of early warning and early response. Under the Action Learning strategy the network would focus on mapping both internal and external conflict, identifying target groups and developing strategies and action plans. Under the Public Outreach strategy, the network members aim to conduct seminars, training workshops, as well as carry out campaigns, rallies, meetings as well as work with the media. Under the Policy and Advocacy strategy, the network hopes to lobby on both national and regional levels. The gender aspect will be incorporated into all of these strategies.