Our vision
The Sustainable Peace Lab conceptualizes “the sustainable peace process as a transformative process of mutual recognition of the complexities of identity dynamics and their functions in achieving peace and justice in post-conflict societies. This approach concentrates on local agency and promotion of local voices in defining peace processes and societal transformation in societies affected by asymmetric and protracted conflicts.” (Korostelina, K.V. The role of identity in brokering peace agreements. In Korostelina, K.V. et al, Identity and Religion in peace processes. Routledge, 2024, P. 17-18). Comprehensive and inclusive strategies of addressing and incorporating key factors of social identity and intergroup relations lead to a more just and sustainable peace.
The Sustainable Peace Lab (subtitle: Reconciling Conflicts and Intergroup Divisions (RCID)) works to empower conflict resolution and reconciliation practitioners with evidence-based tools and approaches for addressing identity-based conflicts and societal divisions. It emphasizes the diversity of views on just peace within the society and the need to account for all positions in the production of a common language of peace.
The identities of the parties involved should be recognized, respected, and accounted for as a crucial part of peacebuilding through a transformative process that involves improvements in relationships between conflicting groups and changes to the social identities of each group, including their values, norms, and behaviors, to promote a peaceful and just society. We do this by focusing primarily on five thematic areas: social boundary, threat perception, social norms, multiplicity of collective memories, and difficult heritage.
