Overview

The Peace & Justice Innovations Program reflects critically on the practices of international peacebuilding and works alongside civil society organisations to co-develop innovative approaches and strengthen methodologies grounded in lived experiences and contextual knowledge. The program is closely linked to the collaborative learning and research platform, the JustPeace Lab.

The program builds on critical analyses of recent peace and justice initiatives and incorporates insights from diverse forms of knowledge, including academic research, community-based learning, and practice-based reflection. In addition, it contributes to a necessary shift towards human-centred, community-led approaches and more equitable and reciprocal relations across regions.

The Peace & Justice Innovations Program is designed as a multi-year initiative. It launched in March 2024 with the GFO-supported project described below.

projects

Project: International Peacekeeping Practitioners

Countries: Global

Duration: 01 March 2024 – 30 Sept. 2025 (19 months)

Donor: German Foreign Office (GFO)

Amount: 788,838.35 Euros

Head of Project: Dr Tilmann J. Röder

Program & Research Coordinator: Dr Sarah Biecker

Program Researcher: Robert Poll (LL.M.)

Program Assistant: Lea Hensch

Supervising Director: Dr Julie Trappe

The first project of the Peace & Justice Innovations Program focuses on the intersections between rule of law and transitional justice, while fostering connections with complementary fields such as peace mediation or humanitarian security and safety.

The first project of the Peace & Justice Innovations Program focuses on the intersections between rule of law and transitional justice, while fostering connections with complementary fields such as peace mediation or humanitarian security and safety. CSO Alliance. These exchanges may span a wide range of themes, from political analysis to strategies for operational collaboration and collective care. The project facilitates a safe and self-directed space for exchange, initiated and shaped by CSOs themselves.

In addition, practitioners and researchers with situated knowledge and diverse forms of expertise are invited to contribute to the project. JustPeace also facilitates spaces for collaborative reflection and learning through the Exchange Forum, where knowledge from practice, community action, and research can meet on equal footing.

Together with these collaborators, the project team works with CSOs to co-develop methodologies grounded in their lived experiences. Partners reflect together on the systemic and structural obstacles that hinder their efforts to advance peace and justice. From mid-2025 onwards, JustPeace will allocate flexible funds to eight CSOs to support locally-led, innovative pilot initiatives, with ongoing accompaniment to respond to evolving needs and lessons during implementation.

Additionally, JustPeace is co-developing a concept for Civil Society based Monitoring System (CSBM). This system aims to identify shifts in local dynamics at an early stage, strengthening the collective capacity of civil society actors to respond proactively, particularly in moments of heightened risk or rapid change.

To support timely, locally-defined responses to emerging challenges and opportunities, JustPeace will also/plans to establish a Rapid Response Unit (RRU). Dedicated funds will be made directly available to partner CSOs, ensuring they can lead interventions according to their analysis and priorities.