Understanding Advisory Groups: Their Role and Impact in Peacebuilding
One of Concordis’ values is that of humility: we learn all we can about a situation, and then accept that people who live at the heart of the conflict will always know far more than we do. As such, if we’re to be effective in managing and mitigating conflict, it’s crucial to work alongside those who are most affected by it.
Our programmes begin with Community Consultations, where we interview thousands of women and men in towns, villages and cattle corridors where conflict is fought and felt, to understand the nuances of conflict dynamics and to identify opportunities for peacebuilding. During these consultations, community members themselves nominate individuals they trust to resolve their conflicts.
We ask these nominated individuals to partner with us, to receive training in peacebuilding, and eventually to become members of our Advisory Group – an inclusive group of trusted women and men, young and old, from all different ethnic and livelihood groups in the region.
The Advisory Group members do not work for us; rather, we work alongside them, leveraging their insights and influence to address the root causes of conflict. Their role is indispensable because they help tailor our work to meet complex local needs, and they keep us accountable to the communities who sent them.
The Advisory Group Members:
Advise us on conflict dynamics, keeping us up to date with the latest developments;
Help us design and implement all programme activities, ensuring they’re owned by the communities and are relevant to the local contexts;
Generate early warnings of tensions arising. These may be referred to the security services, or they may be mediated by Advisory Group members themselves;
Form a network of community mediators who can be deployed to respond to conflicts arising, before they escalate;
Act as a conduit to ensure important information reaches rural communities, including recommendations from peace conferences, warnings of shocks or forecasts of extreme weather events;
Ensure ownership and accountability of the programme to communities we seek to serve.
Advisory Groups in Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR) has struggled with prolonged interethnic conflicts, land disputes, and issues related to seasonal migration of cattle.
Concordis has worked in northern CAR since 2018 and now has a network of over 300 Advisory Group members from across three prefectures.
They have been instrumental in designing and delivering our programme, keeping it rooted in local realities and accountable to the populations affected by conflict. Just in 2023 and 2024 they were responsible for resolving over 700 conflicts themselves, and they referred another 92 serious incidents to the lawful authorities.
Advisory Groups members are chosen directly by their communities due to their longstanding reputation. One example is the Mayor of Ndim, who was chosen for her long-standing efforts to prevent religious conflicts in her village in Lim-Pendé. She expressed her gratitude to Concordis for the training she received, which gave her deeper insight into the underlying issues.
The Sultan of Koui has relied on Advisory Groups over the past four years to resolve disputes in his region, as their mediation approach has proven more effective than traditional arbitration.
Oumar Fotor, a Secretary of the Advisory Group in northern Vakaga, explained that Advisory Groups use mediation instead arbitration, which means that parties are helped to find their own solution and reconcile, rather than having a solution imposed upon them. Farmer-herder conflicts have decreased significantly due to the mediation efforts of the Advisory Group. He adds, “Herders now approach me when they arrive during transhumance, seeking help with administrative procedures.”
Timea Szarkova, Concordis’ CAR Country Manager explains, “Advisory Groups take ownership of everything we do because they know it all comes from their insights.”