Peacebuilding is the guiding principle of international intervention with the objective of conflict prevention and/or resolution activities performed by either the UN, other international organisations, or groups and individuals at a community level. It aims to establish a self-sustaining peace that encompasses more than just an absence of violence or a return to armed conflict. It is a multifaceted project that involves implementing a range of reconstruction and reform efforts in countries with some of the most fragile, fluid, and unpredictable political environments.
Peacebuilding requires effort from political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions and security practices which are complementary and mutually reinforcing. However, the transition from armed violence to lasting peace for all is neither easy nor the aim of all local groups.
Australia has been actively involved in peacebuilding for over 75 years, through NGO programs, managing contractor activity and military and police support of multilateral peace and security operations, including to the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and Commonwealth missions in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Afghanistan.
Hear from speakers with first-hand experience in Peacebuilding at our May networking events and bring a colleague to find out more about what working in this challenging and life-changing area of the development sector entails.
Speaker
Dr Tania Miletic
Dr Tania Miletic is a peace and conflict studies academic and practitioner with a longstanding commitment to violence prevention and cultural and structural peacebuilding in Australia and across the Asia Pacific region.
Tania leads the University of Melbourne's Initiative for Peacebuilding. The multidisciplinary team is committed to working collaboratively to influence positive change through research, policy development and support to peacebuilders across a range of contexts and settings. Tania’s work relates to supporting innovative peacebuilding efforts in the Australian context, South East Asia and China.
She is also Faculty on the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies’ (CPCS) Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) PhD program, a unique hybrid academic-practitioner program throughout Asia.
Tania has been engaged as a consultant and facilitator to a range of government and non-government organisations and stakeholders in the areas of peacebuilding, political affairs and community engagement.
Tania holds a Masters in Public Administration (Rotary Peace Fellowship 2002-2004) from ICU, Tokyo and a PhD in Political Science from UQ. Tania is the founder of Peace-Meal Peacebuilding Inc., a not-for-profit initiative that supports the important work of peacebuilders globally through the power of sharing food and stories to nourish understanding and connection.