The Centre for Conflict Resolution (CECORE) seeks to empower individual women and men, communities, and organisations to transform conflict and to establish a culture of active tolerance and peace.

CECORE’s area of focus is Uganda, the Great Lakes Region, and the Greater Horn of Africa, though its services and involvement have been requested and provided beyond these areas.

Activities include:

· Training
· ‘Building Bridges’: Creating Links Between Parties In Conflict For Dialogue and Reconciliation
· Information Sharing Research, Documentation, and Information Dissemination.
· Networking and Advocacy
· Media
· Facilitation of CPTR and Peace-Building Events – Conferences, Workshops, Meetings
· Early Warning and Early Response (EWER)
· Pilot Peace Education in Schools
· Small Arms and Light Weapons/National Focal Point (SALW/NFP)

Specific examples of ‘building bridges’:

The German development agency GTZ contracted CECORE to work with pastoral communities in the Karamoja region on conflict resolution and peace building. [2000/2002]

The International Community, the Government of Uganda, and the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF II) appointed CECORE to facilitate training skills in negotiations to end conflict in North West Uganda, as a result of which a peace agreement was signed. [2002]

The World Bank invited CECORE to facilitate a dialogue between all stakeholders in conflicts arising from the proposed hydro-electric scheme on the River Nile at Bujagali Falls. [2001]

The OAU Women’s Committee for Peace and Development assigned CECORE the task of mobilising Barundi women in the search for peace. [1997]

The Karachunas (armed youth warriors) in Karamoja invited CECORE to introduce to them non-violent means of dealing with conflict. [1997]

“Hands Across The Border”

The Hands Across the Border project had its focus on the Teso-Karamoja area being built. With the cattle rustling across the Teso-Karamoja borders, tension and conflict was building up. This therefore called for fast and immediate intervention to calm the situation. A series of trainings and meetings were carried out for the political leaders, Members of Parliament, Ministers, UPDF, Local Administrative officers, government representatives, kraal and religious leaders as well as security officials and community representatives. Specific activities in this project included;

· Enhancing political leader’s skills in conflict resolution and peace building, held in Mbale, October 12-15,2003.
· Consultative workshop for Governmental Ministers and Members of Parliament: “Pulling together for peace building”
· Consultative workshop for Government Ministers, Members of parliament, District Leaders, NGOs and Religious Leaders: Search for common Ground for Peace-building
· Responding to a recommendation from various workshops to organise a familiarisation tour for kraal leaders and warriors from Karamoja, CECORE together with Teso Initiative for Peace (TIP) brought together 15 Karimojong and Iteso to visit Western Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda borders. Among the areas visited were cattle keeping communities. This was aimed at exemplifying to the kraal leaders and warriors that cattle keeping does not mean rustling and conflict building. The tour also aimed at showing the pastoral communities in Karamoja that they can keep cattle and yet live in peace with the neighboring communities.