About Us

Fostering sustainable peace and social cohesion in theWest African sub-region

Green Advocacy for Conflict & Resilience Building (GACRB) is a non-profit organization and a Think Tank established in 2021 with a commitment to fostering sustainable peace and social cohesion in the West African sub-region. Our organizational framework is built upon research, training, advocacy, and capacity-building on peace and conflict-related programmes.

Our primary objective is to promote peacebuilding and social harmony by advancing the localization of transitional justice initiatives in societies affected by protracted conflicts across West Africa. Recognising the profound impact of climate change in the West African sub-region, GACRB-West Africa places significant emphasis on building local capacities and structures to mitigate and prevent the negative effects of climate change on individuals and communities recovering from conflicts. GACRB-West Africa is deeply committed to collaborating with both state and non-state actors, as well as key community stakeholders, to facilitate transformative peacebuilding efforts through evidenced-based research and programming. GACRB Nigeria team has extensive experience in conducting research and  localization of transitional justice and mainstreaming climate change adaptability in peacebuilding programming as pathways for sustainable peace across West Africa. In the last few years GARCB with support from Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has been implementing inclusive peacebuilding and social cohesion projects leveraging on traditional mechanisms for social justice in the three states most affected by Boko Haram insurgency (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) in Northeast Nigeria. Recently our team of experts have supported the development of the Northeast Transitional Justice Policy document that culminated into the process for the implementation of the Borno Model- a localized approach to transitional Justice and Deradicalization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) of surrendered Boko Haram associates in Borno state.

 

 

Our Thematic Areas

Our core thematic areas of intervention and programming are centered on the following

Environmental Protection & Climate Resilience

Climate change poses significant challenges to peace in West Africa, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and contributing to conflicts in the region. Variability in rainfall patterns, increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, rising temperatures, and sea-level rise significantly impact livelihoods, food security, and access to resources. These environmental stressors often intensify competition for land, water, and other essential resources, leading to tensions and conflicts, particularly in agrarian communities. In addition, climate-induced displacement and migration further strain resources and heighten socio-economic tensions, potentially escalating conflicts.

 

Through its environmental protection theme, GACRB:
  • Implement strategies for sustainable resource management, agricultural practices, and disaster risk reduction to mitigate conflicts arising from resource scarcity.
  • Integrate conflict sensitivity into climate adaptation initiatives that aim to address the root causes of climate-induced conflicts.
  • Advocate for policies that promote environmental peacebuilding such as equitable access to natural resources, strengthened environmental governance, and fostering cooperation among communities to manage shared resources sustainably.
  • Conduct educational campaigns and awareness programs aim to inform communities, policymakers, and stakeholders about the interlinkages between environmental degradation, climate change, and conflicts.
  • Provide capacity-building support to local communities and stakeholders in conflict-sensitive environmental management.
Transitional justice programmes & peacebuilding
  • Promotion of peace, dialogue, social cohesion and human rights in collaboration with government institutions and CSOs in the West African sub-region.
  • Support the development of transitional justice policy framework for state and non-state actors in order to advance the localization of transitional justice in conflict-affected societies.
  • Build the capacity of community stakeholders and organize a series of community-based dialogue programmes leveraging on existing indigenous social justice mechanisms to foster social cohesion, address trust deficits and prevent conflict relapse in the communities.
  • Promote strategic communication engagement with local media actors to raise awareness on peace and reconciliation to address community grievances.
  • Mainstream gender inclusion and participation in peace, security and development programming.
Strategic Communication
  • Promote media engagement in peacebuilding programmes.
  • Support local actors in response to gender and sexual-based violence in the West Africa sub-region.
  • Liaise with government institutions to respond to reported cases of GBVs.
Gender-Based Violence
  • Advocacy against gender-based violence
  • Collaborate with local stakeholders to strengthen the capacity for reporting, documenting, and monitoring cases of gender-based violence in the context of armed conflicts.
  • Organizing capacity-building workshops for actors on prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence.
  • Working with non-state and state security agencies to mitigate cases of gender-based violence.
Governance & Elections

GACRB-West Africa collaborates with network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to uphold electoral integrity and transparency. This involves various initiatives such as election monitoring, countering election-related disinformation, advocating for anti-corruption measures, and promoting women’s inclusion in governance. We actively engage with electoral actors to combat the disenfranchisement of marginalised social groups, including persons living with disabilities, women, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) during elections. In numerous conflict-affected societies across West Africa, the displacement caused by conflicts has marginalized millions of voters, pushing them to the periphery of the political landscape. As an organization, we tirelessly strive to ensure the inclusion of these disenfranchised groups within the electoral system and advocate for their participation in voter registration processes. Our efforts aim to counteract the exclusionary impact of conflict-induced displacements on these marginalized populations, fostering their active engagement in electoral processes.

Mission

GACRB’s mission is to collaborate with West African governments and networks of civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), and faith-based organisations (FBOs) to develop and advocate for policies in economic, social justice, peace, and security to promote sustainable peace and development. Through these collaborative efforts, we aim to achieve our vision of sustainable peace and development in the West African sub-region.

Vision

GACRB envisions the West African sub-region as a hub for fostering sustainable peace and development. Our vision revolves around galvanizing local and international resources and opinions to effectively respond to and mitigate conflicts. GACRB aims to facilitate social cohesion and local-level dialogues, advocate for strengthened democracy and good governance and the mainstreaming of gender in peace and development processes.