International Decentralised Cooperation for Peace

A perspective from the International Action of Local Governments in postconflict circumstances

Abstract

This paper has the objective of analyzing the increasing role of local governments at peacebuilding in postconflict circumstances, this by analyzing several cases and bibliographic sources. Even though States have occupied the bigger role in peacebuilding, in the last decades local governments have increased their relevance in this area, thanks to their closeness to the communities they can create solutions based on people’s true necessities, thus, they can create a real change. This has been proved on several cases all around the world, however, this article focuses specifically on the following cities: Medellín, Bogotá, Sarajevo and Rwanda; even though each city is different, each one of them had an important role in the consolidation of peace postconflict and they are an example of how the engagement of local governments results in solutions that meet the needs of the population, and in turn, result in the construction of a solid peace.

This research was conducted through a systematic and critical bibliography analysis of case studies and relevant literature.  The four previously mentioned cases were incorporated into the analysis, integrating concepts such as multilevel governance, decentralized international cooperation, and paradiplomacy to interpret the role of sub-levels of government in social reconstruction. The study demonstrates that decentralized international cooperation has enabled the generation of more inclusive initiatives, better aligned with the needs of the population, than those promoted exclusively by the State.