Has Peacebuilding Made a Difference in Kosovo?

Has Peacebuilding Made a Difference in Kosovo? A Study of the Effectiveness of Peacebuilding in
Preventing Violence: Lessons Learned from the March 2004 Riots in Kosovo

The violence of March 2004 prompted many agencies to reflect on their peacebuilding programming throughout Kosovo. What had gone wrong? Could they have done better? In some communities, however, there was little or no violence. This study was undertaken in response to a request by CARE International, with other NGOs, to understand what went right in those communities, and what lessons to be learned from those experiences to improve the effectiveness of peacebuilding programming in preventing violence in the future. The study was funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, CARE UK, CARE Austria, and CDA's Reflecting on Peace Practice project.

The purpose of the study was to understand whether and how peacebuilding programming contributed to communities’ lack of participation in violence, especially that which occurred in March, 2004.1 The questions we have focused on are:

What have been factors that have enabled communities to avoid, resist or not to participate in inter-ethnic violence?

To what extent has peacebuilding work contributed to these factors?

This report, along with the community case studies on which the findings are based is being edited for publication in book form. In the meantime, you can download this preliminary draft here: Has Peacebuilding Made a Differnce in Kosovo?>