Turning Crisis Into Opportunity:

Resolving Conflict Peacefully

When violence tears a country apart, communication and compromise are often the first casualties. Mercy Corps believes that engaging adversaries in productive dialogue can lead to peaceful, lasting change for war-torn communities. Mercy Corps’ 2004 merger with the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Conflict Management Group strengthened our ability to conduct conflict management programs worldwide.

The war in Iraq has destroyed lives and livelihoods – and disrupted the education of thousands of children like Naji (front) and his friend, who peer through the window of a damaged school. Mercy Corps is helping Iraqi children like these boys continue their education. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Our peace-building programs help communities identify the underlying causes of violence, which are often linked to a lack of resources such as land or jobs. We then equip people with the negotiation tools and skills they require to develop creative solutions to these complex issues.

Since 2004, we have been helping several communities in south-central Iraq deal with violence. Our team has trained more than 120 Iraqis – tribal sheikhs, religious clerics, academics, civil society leaders, community members, local government representatives and provincial council notables – in the fundamentals of negotiation and mediation.

Our approach is to supplement, not replace, a society’s traditional dispute resolution systems. We enter the arena with respect for local customs and practices, looking to augment them where possible with new tools and techniques. We recognize, as do our local partners, that today’s levels of violence can overwhelm problem-solving systems that evolved over hundreds of years.

Mercy Corps’ conflict management program in Iraq has produced some truly remarkable results. Take, for instance, our work to protect livelihoods in Basra. Iraq’s Department of Agriculture had rented a piece of land to a group of sharecroppers who wanted to grow tomatoes, potatoes and onions.

However, the sharecroppers’ contract stipulated that if oil were found there, the land would be turned over to the Southern Oil Company and the contracts considered null and void. Southern Oil began exploring, found sizeable deposits, and requested that the contracts be cancelled and the sharecroppers expelled – just as their harvest was about to begin. Distraught at the idea of losing everything, the farmers threatened to kill any Southern Oil employees that came on the land.

A participant in Mercy Corps’ conflict management program intervened to resolve the conflict. He convinced the oil company to wait until after the harvest before voiding the contracts. And, once the land was transferred, some of the sharecroppers found new jobs working for the oil company.

This story illustrates how our programs help create powerful advocates for peace. Resolving today’s conflicts can forestall tomorrow’s violence, making life safer and the path ahead brighter for the people we serve.