An Integrated Framework for Peacebuilding

There is a natural and crucial overlap between the structural and procedural lenses as elements of a broad peacebuilding paradigm. “Structure” suggests the need to think comprehensively about the affected population and systemically about the issues. “Process” underscores the necessity of thinking creatively about the progression of conflict and the sustainability of its transformation by linking roles, functions, and activities in an integrated manner. Together, the two sets of lenses suggested an integrated approach to peacebuilding, which links two nested models into an overall matrix.

The vertical axis is taken from Maire Dugan’s ‘Nested Paradigm of Conflict Foci’ that allows us to link the foci and the levels of intervention in the conflict. The horizontal axis is a time frame model that links short-term crisis with longer-term perspective for change in society. The two dimensions intersect at five points, each of which represents a distinct – and all too often discrete – community of thought and action in the broader field of peacebuilding.