Marking the International Week of Peace: Shaping Peace Together
Marking the International Week of Peace
Published under the theme “Shaping Peace Together” and PROCMURA’s sub-theme “The Place of Religion in Peacebuilding,” the report presents country-level activities undertaken during the International Week of Peace in September 2020. The interventions responded to conflict, displacement and the additional pressures created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peacebuilding requires the commitment and courage of everyone to overcome violence, repair relationships and work together for the wellbeing of society.
Areas Covered in the Report
- The place of religion and religious leaders in peacebuilding
- Peacebuilding amid the COVID-19 pandemic
- Humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected communities
- Engagement with internally displaced people
- Prayer, peace walks and public awareness
- Christian-Muslim cooperation for peace
- Reconciliation and peaceful coexistence
Country Peace Actions
Nigeria
Religious leaders and Area Committee members visited conflict-affected communities and camps in Southern Kaduna, providing food, construction materials and access to medical attention.
South Sudan
Religious leaders held prayers and shared a meal in an internally displaced persons camp, where representatives of the Nuer and Dinka communities pledged peaceful coexistence.
Liberia
Christians and Muslims prayed for peace, joined a city peace walk and extended radio outreach to communities affected by religious, youth, ethnic and land-related tensions.
Shaping Peace Together
- Peace Week activities combined prayer and public awareness with tangible assistance.
- Religious leaders used churches, mosques and community spaces to reinforce messages of peace.
- Support in Southern Kaduna included food, cement for damaged temporary shelters and medical assistance.
- The South Sudan Area Committee gained access to an internally displaced persons camp for a peace gathering.
- Christian leaders in Liberia visited the 72nd Mosque and prayed alongside Muslim leaders.
- Peace walks and radio programmes extended the message beyond formal gatherings.
Peace as a Long-Term Process
The report concludes that peacebuilding requires sustained dialogue and the patient repair of damaged relationships. It calls on religious leaders and communities to move beyond speaking about peace and to embody Shalom and Salaam through practical cooperation, reconciliation and care for people affected by violence.
Publication Details
- Title: Marking the International Week of Peace: Shaping Peace Together
- Publication year: 2020
- Publisher: Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa
- Length: 8 pages
- Category: Publications
Download the Peace Report
Read the complete report for the country activities, photographs and reflections from the 2020 International Week of Peace.