Civilian Peace Service Canada (CPSC) is an exciting initiative that recognizes the critical need around the world for specialists in conflict prevention, resolution, and transformation.
Like lawyers, doctors, soldiers, engineers, environmentalists, and tradesmen, it is time for peace workers to establish and apply standards to the practice of their skills and application of their expertise. This is necessary to
- distinguish those who have taken a few weeks of peace-related training from those who have years of related training and/or recognized professional results in the field, and
- apply appropriate values and principles critical to this field of practice, and
- build credibility for peace practitioners with decision makers and the broader public.
For this reason, CPSC has developed a methodology for accrediting Peace Professionals.
How is a “Peace Professional” different than a peace worker, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) specialist, or conflict resolution worker?
A Peace Professional:
- Has met the standards of professionalism by the Civilian Peace Service Canada (CPSC) and has been accredited by the CPSC Assessment Board based on a rigorous assessment of Core Values and Key Competencies;
- Has the requisite values and attitudes, required knowledge and training, a significant and varied body of experience, and has been accredited to practice peace work and conflict resolution/transformation in a wide variety of situations and contexts;
- Is more knowledgeable, better trained, and more experienced than other peace workers. As such, they might be called upon to lead a team of other practitioners, to communicate/negotiate with more senior levels in organizations, or to train others in peace practices;
- Is an excellent communicator verbally, in writing, and with the media.
What does a Peace Professional do?
In the medical field, some individuals are best suited to be general practitioners, others to perform open heart surgery. Others still can provide valuable support services, whether as volunteers or employees. So in the peace field, there should be a professional designation—similar to a general practitioner in the medical field—as well as a range of specializations such as mediation, diplomacy, negotiation, teaching/training, research, peace governance, political structures, trade etc.
A Peace Professional performs many of the same functions and activities as other peace workers:
- Advising governments, even to the highest levels, in policy formulation and critical decision-making (eg. whether to engage in combat or to seek alternatives);
- Preventing violent conflict or wars in communities and countries;
- Mediating among fighting or warring parties;
- Advising communities and governments (and other organizations) on preventing, reducing, or addressing community violence;
- Overseeing or participating in election-monitoring and/or setting up an elections process;
- Managing particularly difficult projects or situations to guide communities or organizations towards the peaceful resolution of differences (and preventing violence from erupting);
- Observing peace processes and/or violence (including accompaniment);
- Guiding societies towards non-violent ways of structuring and governing themselves (perhaps through Education for Peace Processes);
- And much more!
Why bother at all with accreditation in the peace field?
Given the plethora of highly motivated volunteers, other professional practitioners (such as mediators and negotiators), and academics working in various aspects of conflict analysis and peacemaking, why do we need another term or process to determine competency in the peace field?
While there is a need for standardized, specialized, and sufficient competence in peacebuilding, there are no corresponding tools in the peace field for distinguishing between candidates best suited for senior level international diplomacy, high-level mediation, or grassroots volunteer work. This tension between the growing demands for peace professionals and lack of corresponding tools for assessing their qualifications has been a recurring theme in CPSC research and discussions, whether with UN, government, military, or other personnel.
- The effectiveness and credibility of peace workers will be enhanced by setting and meeting professional standards, in the same way as the medical and engineering fields have benefitted from professional standards and accreditation;
- The world is desperately looking for solutions to incredibly serious conflict-related issues and they don’t know where to turn in the face of a wide variety in the levels of knowledge and experience currently offered by peace workers;
- At present, peace workers are not invited to the Cabinet and other tables when governments are discussing how to deal with and prevent major conflicts. In the future, they must be invited.