Conflict resolution: ‘People-centred security first’

ISLAMABAD:

Civil society’s influence in conflict prevention and peace-building has grown globally with civil society actors increasingly becoming vital forces in discourses and initiatives that foster peace and security across the world.

This was the conclusion reached by participants of a conference on “Conflict Transformation and South Asian Security Dynamics-Strengthening Role of Civil Society” held here on Wednesday. The conference was divided into three sessions.

In the third session, Dr Farzana Bari, Chairperson Quaid-i-Azam University’s Gender Studies Department,  spoke on New Diplomacy: Role of civil society as an emerging force in the region.

“Civil society has been instrumental in the re-conceptualisation of security from state-centred to people-centric, she said. “This focus on people-centred security emanates from the belief that fundamentally states can only be secure if their people are.”

The event was organised by Centre for International Strategic Studies in collaboration with Friedrich Nauman Stiftung.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2012.