JFA-PFE has been working on peace building and conflict management practices through the creation of public communication and participation platforms and high level dialogues by building the capacity of communities and institutions in conflict management. In the hopes of managing conflict and bringing lasting peace to Ethiopia, JFA-PFE has been organizing a series of dialogue forums on peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and common values for peacebuilding. Such forums are held to raise understanding of dialogue; identify the root causes of the current social and political crises in the country, while collecting inputs from the participants as to how the problems could be solved which can subsequently be used for the national reconciliation, peacebuilding and transforming the society. JFA-PFE intervenes when the need arises and some of the interventions are between Tigray-Amhara, TPLF-Central Government, Somali– Afar, Somali-Oromia, Sidama Referendum, SNNP Region, Benishangul Gumuz, OLF leaders meeting, Abba Gadda’s peace meeting, and many more.
Strengthening Restorative Justice – focuses on the search for and strengthening of traditions of restoring justice in order to address poor conflict management practices and lack of reconciliation among victims of crime and corrected inmates. This hitch necessitated the intervention with the objective to enhance the administration of criminal justice by incorporating restorative justice programs, and increase public participation in the Justice system to make the community part and parcel of the Justice system
Building Culture of Peace and Tolerance: It involves in supporting conflict management and peace building works in the society. It focuses on searching for and upholding affirmative traditions in diversified societal settings for better cooperation of the society and harmonization of relations between the communities. Some strategies are devised to achieve the objective of building culture of tolerance for peace building. The first strategy is building the capacity of stakeholders in conflict management and peace building practices to create awareness on tolerance. Second, promoting traditions of peace building, stabilizing and conflict managing through devising a mechanism of alternate dispute resolution and court annexed mediation. The third is to strengthen partnership with stakeholders involving in peace building and conflict management. The forth is conducting studies on conflict prone areas and carryout high level dialogue forums on the results. And the final is facilitating victims and offenders reconciliation forums and restorative justice community meeting in conflict prone areas.
Abba Gadaa’s Peace Dialogue
Gadaa is an indigenous institution that incorporates the social, economic, religious, and political institutions of the Oromo society. The Gadaa system governs every aspect of life, wisdom, and philosophy. It has different mechanisms for resolving conflict and keeping the peace, mediating the people they live amongst with the power that has been bestowed upon them. Understanding their significance and the major role they can play in the peace of the nation a series of peace dialogues were organized by JFA-PFE, for two of Abba Gadaa groups that disclosed their unwillingness to sit and discuss with one another due to the unresolved matters between them. Lessons on reconciliation was given and its four elements truth, mercy, justice, and peace.