Peaceworkers UK
Encyclopedia
Peaceworkers UK is part of the Peacebuilding Issues Programme of International Alert
. Previously an independent non-governmental organisation, PWUK became part of International Alert in 2006. PWUK focuses on raising standards in the field of conflict prevention, crisis management and peacebuilding through an integrated programme of research, training, assessment and recruitment. It is led by a Director (Tim Wallis) who has a PhD
in Peace Studies and over 20 years management experience in the field.
and peacebuilding. Its primary purpose is to help both local and international organisations to find and deploy the best people meeting the highest standards of professional competence in their particular field. As a professional development tool, it also helps those who join it to identify and improve their own skills and qualifications.
, conflict transformation, human security, and civil society capacity-building. Some of the more specialist courses are run under the auspices of the EU Training Project in Civilian Crisis Management.
agencies and Non-governmental organization
s (NGOs) to make a real difference to the lives of millions unable to escape the causes and consequences of violent conflict in so many parts of the world.
. As a member of the Peace & Security Liaison Group we also work closely with a number of other UK-based organisations working for the prevention, management and resolution of violent conflict around the world.
As a member of the European Network of Civil Peace Services, PWUK also works closely with partner organisations sharing similar aims in ten other European countries. We have partnerships with organisations working directly on their own situations of violent conflict or its aftermath in Chechnya
, Moldova
, Turkey
, Croatia
, and Georgia
. Outside Europe, PWUK has a special link with the 93 member organisations of the Nonviolent Peaceforce
as well as with a few specific organisations with which we have worked in Nepal
, Palestine
, Nigeria
, Sierra Leone
, and Zimbabwe
.
International Alert
International Alert is a London-based charity and international non-governmental organisation working to prevent and end violent conflict across the globe that marked its 20th anniversary in 2006...
. Previously an independent non-governmental organisation, PWUK became part of International Alert in 2006. PWUK focuses on raising standards in the field of conflict prevention, crisis management and peacebuilding through an integrated programme of research, training, assessment and recruitment. It is led by a Director (Tim Wallis) who has a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Peace Studies and over 20 years management experience in the field.
History
Peaceworkers UK began as an independent research project in 2000 to explore the phenomenon of ‘civilian peace services’ being set up in at least six other European countries. In 2001, it functioned as the secretariat for a Steering Group of other UK-based organisations exploring the feasibility of a UK Civilian Peace Service. The Steering Group, consisting of the organisations listed above, decided in 2002 to set up Peaceworkers UK as an independent entity to pursue these objectives.Peaceworker programme
- Assists organisations to recruit and deploy the best people and expanding the pool of those available for this work through the PeaceworkersRegister.
- Runs practical, hands-on training courses to help people reach the high standards they need through the PeaceworkersTraining programme.
- Develops and improves those standards and assesses people’s suitability for this work through PeaceworkersSimulations.
- Underpins all this with the latest PeaceworkersResearch into best practices and lessons learned from the field.
PeaceworkersRegister
The PeaceworkersRegister is an international database of people suitably qualified and potentially available for a wide range of roles needed in conflict prevention, crisis managementCrisis management
Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. The study of crisis management originated with the large scale industrial and environmental disasters in the 1980's.Shrivastava, P....
and peacebuilding. Its primary purpose is to help both local and international organisations to find and deploy the best people meeting the highest standards of professional competence in their particular field. As a professional development tool, it also helps those who join it to identify and improve their own skills and qualifications.
PeaceworkersTraining
The PeaceworkersTraining programme offers practical, field-based training to prepare people for the many different roles they may play in this field. There are introductory and core skill courses as well as specialised courses in human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, conflict transformation, human security, and civil society capacity-building. Some of the more specialist courses are run under the auspices of the EU Training Project in Civilian Crisis Management.
PeaceworkersSimulations
PeaceworkersSimulations provide a means to assess people against commonly agreed minimum standards of professional competence. Observing people’s responses under simulated field conditions provides the basis for assessments at five levels of competency across a wide range of fieldwork categories.PeaceworkersResearch
The aim of PeaceworkersResearch is to establish a body of knowledge about what has or has not "worked" in different situations of violent conflict. Research activities include field-based personnel assessments and surveys as well as in-house data analysis, tapping into a comprehensive network of individuals and organisations in the field. Why best placed: Peaceworkers UK is best placed to do this work because it has been developing this integrated programme of recruitment, training and assessment for the past five years and has built up an unparalleled understanding of the personal qualities, skills and knowledge needed to work effectively across a range of work categories in this field. It has already begun developing and obtaining wide agreement on a set of appropriate occupational standards together with a tried and tested methodology for training and assessing people against those standards. It has the capacity, the human resources and the know-how to achieve these objectives and is in the strongest possible position to help governments, United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
agencies and Non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s (NGOs) to make a real difference to the lives of millions unable to escape the causes and consequences of violent conflict in so many parts of the world.
Partners
Alert's PeaceworkersUK works with a wide range of partners in the UK and Europe as well as in the rest of the world. Our closest UK partners are Saferworld, Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS), and RedRRedR
RedR is an international NGO whose stated mission is to “rebuild lives in times of disaster by training, supporting and providing aid workers to relief programmes across the world.” It was originally an acronym for Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief, although it is no longer used as...
. As a member of the Peace & Security Liaison Group we also work closely with a number of other UK-based organisations working for the prevention, management and resolution of violent conflict around the world.
As a member of the European Network of Civil Peace Services, PWUK also works closely with partner organisations sharing similar aims in ten other European countries. We have partnerships with organisations working directly on their own situations of violent conflict or its aftermath in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. Outside Europe, PWUK has a special link with the 93 member organisations of the Nonviolent Peaceforce
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Nonviolent Peaceforce is a nonpartisan unarmed peacekeeping organisation that works to protect civilians and reduce violence in areas affected by armed conflict...
as well as with a few specific organisations with which we have worked in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.