Projects
South Sudanese Peace Leadership
The Initiative for Peacebuilding has been supporting the critical role Australian South Sudanese community leaders and peacebuilders have in supporting longer-term peace, both within their communities in Australia and for political development and social healing in South Sudan.
Conflict Transformation in Afghanistan
More than four decades of violent conflicts and foreign interventions have profoundly disrupted the politics and society in Afghanistan. The Taliban's forceful takeover of the country in 2021 has led to a collapse of peace process and an intersecting political, human rights, and humanitarian crises, with long-term implications for the future of peace and stability in the country and the region. The Initiative for Peacebuilding is undertaking research to examine historical peace processes and the challenges and prospects for conflict transformation towards inclusive and sustainable peace in the country.
Do No Harm
Addressing sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping and humanitarian response
Although the vast majority of peacekeeping humanitarian personnel conduct their work with the utmost care, respect and professionalism, a small portion perpetrate sexual exploitation and abuse against the populations they are supposed to support and protect. Unfortunately, the behaviours of these few can have serious consequences for the long-term outcomes of peace processes and humanitarian support.
This project is led by Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf and is currently funded by the ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Scheme. It investigates the nature, scale and impacts of sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian operations, and the challenges facing effective prevention and accountability efforts.
Bougainville Senior Leadership Professional Development Programme 2023-2024
The BSLPDP is an Australian government programme implemented by the University of Melbourne Initiative for Peacebuilding with financial support from the New Zealand Government. The programme supports the professional development needs of senior government officials (President, Ministers and Secretaries) from Bougainville and the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG).
Peacebuilding Perspectives Conversation Series
The Initiative for Peacebuilding launched a Conversation Series in 2021 to hold space for deeper listening to Australian-based peacebuilders as well as discussion of important dimensions of their peacebuilding work. Hosted by Dr Tania Miletic, these conversations continue in 2024 with a fascinating and diverse range of peacebuilders from Australia and the world.
Preparations for the UN Summit of the Future
In September 2024 Australia participated in the United Nations Summit of the Future. In partnership with other collaborators, the Initiative for Peacebuilding prepared a series of briefing papers to stimulate discussion of key issues on the agenda for the Summit with interested Australians and community organisations.
Myanmar Conflict Transformation
Since 2021 the Initiative for Peacebuilding has led research and engagement activities concerning conflict transformation in Myanmar. In collaboration with the Australia Myanmar Institute in February 2024, the Initiative for Peacebuilding convened a major symposium in on pursuing conflict transformation and peace in Myanmar post-military coup. This hybrid symposium brought together Myanmar and Australian government leaders, researchers and practitioners to reflect on and further prospects for conflict transformation in Myanmar through presentations, panel discussion and participatory engagement.
Policy Submissions and Policy Brief Series
Since 2017 Dr Tania Miletic and Professor John Langmore have contributed to and published numerous policy briefs about peacebuilding which have been submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In 2023 the Initiative made a submission to DFAT’s New International Development Policy and delivered a range of briefings to high level government actors and parliamentarians in partnership with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. In 2024, the Initiative published a series of briefing papers in preparation for the UN Summit of the Future.
Visiting Scholars Program
The Initiative was delighted to host Dr Jeremy Simons as a visiting scholar in 2024. Jeremy is a senior research fellow at the Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice (Victoria University Wellington) with over 20 years of experience as an educator, organiser, and community-oriented researcher. His current scholarship and research support restorative initiatives in education, justice sectors, and community contexts. Having been born and raised in the Philippines he is curious about how culture interacts with restorative justice, peacebuilding, and community development.
Arts and Peacebuilding
The Initiative for Peacebuilding has members and affiliates who are involved in the connection between arts and peacebuilding, which includes the Creative Peace Collaboratory, a research, engagement, and translation initiative based in the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne. It is led by Dr Gillian Howell as part of her Melbourne Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2023–2026, exploring music and other arts practices as resources for peacebuilding and peace-seeking.
Peace Education Project
Professor Joseph Lo Bianco is developing an event that focuses on peace education, drawing together cases and experiences internationally to emphasise the importance of education for peacebuilding.
Connections That Matter Workshops
This project brings together people from across Melbourne’s diverse south-east to explore what social cohesion means in the local community. These workshops aim to create spaces for sharing experiences, perspectives, and ideas about how we can live together in peace and safety—even during challenging times—and the roles we all play in strengthening connection.
