ECPC Showcases Groundbreaking Peacebuilding Insights at Yale’s “Dynamics of Peace” Colloquium
ECPC researchers join global experts at Yale to showcase innovative peacebuilding frameworks as global conflicts reach unprecedented levels
By N. Shemrah Fallon, ECPC News
Peace is a state of human relations to which many would aspire — yet find hard to sustain. In the 21st century, it is increasingly apparent that peace cannot be treated as a given. Rather, peace is something that must be cultivated. Invested in. Built. — Jackson School’s Peacebuilding Initiative
The Stark Reality: A World More Divided
Since this past spring when the Jackson School at Yale brought together leading peacebuilders at its “Dynamics of Peace” colloquium, the forward-thinking insights from Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC) experts and other top global leaders feel less like academic theory and more like necessary roadmaps for our divided world.
The timing of Yale’s April 8th peacebuilding colloquium Dynamics of Peace, co-organized and co-chaired by ECPCs scientific research expert Catherine Panter-Brick, Professor of Anthropology, Health, and Global Affairs at Yale University and Co-director of the Jackson School of Global Affairs Peacebuilding Initiative, now seems prophetic. Global conflicts have doubled over the past five years, with nearly 200,000 conflict events recorded this year compared to 104,371 in 2020.¹ Foreign policy experts rank 2025 as potentially among the more dangerous years in recent history, with more contingencies rated as high likelihood/high impact events than ever before.²
When Elizabeth Spehar, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, warned Yale attendees about “the highest number of active conflicts since the Cold War, with civilian casualties up 72% since 2022,” her words carried weight that has only intensified. Year-end projections for 2024 suggested conflict-related deaths could exceed 230,000 — a 30% increase from 2023.³
ECPC Joins Other Leading Voices at the Forefront: Revolutionary Approaches to Sustainable Peace
The colloquium, sponsored by the Jackson School of Global Affairs and the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale (Conflict, Resilience, and Health Program), proved particularly significant not only for its timing but for showcasing how ECPC members are pioneering approaches that traditional peacemaking has long neglected. Drawing representatives from major institutions including the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, the European Institute of Peace, the Institute for Economics & Peace, The Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program, and Yale University, the event positioned ECPC members as leading voices in frameworks that transcend conventional cease-fire negotiations.
Early Childhood Development as Peace Infrastructure: Revolutionary Frameworks
ECPC’s scientific research expert Liliana Angélica Ponguta, Director of Research at the Centro de Primera Infancia/Center for Early Childhood, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico, and former Research Scientist at the Yale Child Study Center, delivered one of the colloquium’s notable presentations, positioning Early Childhood Development (ECD) as fundamental to peace infrastructure. Her research demonstrates that the early years, marked by rapid brain development with millions of neural connections forming per second, represent significant opportunity and vulnerability.
“The connection between a child’s immediate environment — family, community, institutions — and broader social, cultural, and political forces is critical. What happens at home and in the community feeds directly into the child’s developmental path and, in turn, shapes what happens in society.”
— L. Angelica Ponguta
Her work in Colombia through the ECPC shows how investments in ECD in conflict zones not only build individual human potential but foster connections both across generations and within communities. This peacebuilding through early childhood approach reduces the risk of violence passing from one generation to the next while contributing to lasting economic growth.
The consortium’s community-based programs, including psychological support models tested in multiple municipalities, demonstrate practical applications of these principles. These programs use behavioral therapy techniques to build strength and healing among caregivers and communities, while youth-led early childhood programs enhance thinking skills and prepare young people for future parenthood.
“Despite the huge potential of ECD conflict prevention to drive human and social development, current investments remain far too low, especially in crisis and humanitarian contexts,” Ponguta noted, concluding with an invitation for peacebuilders to join in advancing a shared roadmap that makes early childhood peace infrastructure a central part of peacebuilding strategies.
From Child Soldiers to Peace Leaders: Breakthrough Recovery Research
ECPCs scientific research expert Theresa S. Betancourt, Director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity at Boston College, delivered equally compelling insights alongside Moses Zombo from Green Africa, Sierra Leone. Their discussion on former child soldiers addressed what Betancourt called “a major humanitarian crisis,” affecting one in six children worldwide who live in conflict zones.
Betancourt’s long-term research in Sierra Leone, where approximately 20,000 young people were forced to participate in conflict and violence, revealed critical insights about child soldiers recovery programs and healing processes. Her team’s extensive 23-year study of war-affected children in Sierra Leone is documented in their new book Shadows into Light: A Generation of Child Soldiers Comes of Age, which chronicles this longitudinal research.⁴ Her data showed that the worst outcomes were found in those who experienced multiple war-related and post-conflict risk factors, including surviving rape, participating in violence, and losing caregivers.
The concept of “readiness resources” emerged as a key finding — young people need sufficient stability in their personal lives to benefit from peace programs.⁵,⁶,⁷,⁸,⁹ “You need to have enough stability in your personal life to pursue these programs because otherwise you’re not able to present yourself to the world in the way that you would hope,” Betancourt explained.
Her research demonstrated that young people who received readiness programs were much more likely to enter the labor force and pursue entrepreneurship, with particularly significant effects for young women. The work emphasized culturally grounded approaches to teach emotion regulation skills that young people could share with peers.
“Positive Peace” Framework: Beyond Stopping Violence
Jade Cooper, deputy director of the Americas at the Institute for Economics and Peace, presented what may be an important paradigm shift in modern peacebuilding: moving beyond “negative peace” (merely stopping violence) to “positive peace vs negative peace” approaches that create conditions preventing violence from recurring. Her data showed that countries with high Positive Peace Index scores enjoy higher per capita income, better environmental outcomes, and stronger performance on sustainable development goals.¹⁰
“Positive Peace provides the optimal environment for human potential to flourish.” — Jade Cooper
This framework feels particularly relevant as the UN’s 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review emphasizes “the importance of human rights, good governance, and sustainable financing as foundational pillars for peace while calling for specific actions such as empowering youth and women in leadership roles.”¹¹
Personal Stakes and Global Resonance
The colloquium’s impactful moments came through personal testimonies that connected individual experiences to global challenges. Nilakshi Parndigamage, Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives at Yale University, shared her experience growing up during Sri Lanka’s civil war, describing how she once considered losing loved ones to conflict as “normal.” Her childhood curiosity about whether people elsewhere knew or cared about the violence in her country struck an uncomfortable chord that resonates today.
Rivi Wijesekera, a Yale sophomore from Sri Lanka, found particular meaning in these discussions. “Growing up in a country embroiled in a decades-long inter-ethnic conflict, I found myself confronting my majority Sinhala identity and the systemic discrimination faced by my minority Tamil friends,” he reflected.
“This event’s timely discussions made me realize in hindsight that our work as a post-war nation has only just begun — reconciliation is essential to achieve true (positive) peace.”
— Rivi Wijesekera, Yale sophomore
For Wijesekera, who attended panels on “Pathway to Peace” and “A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age,” the distinction between negative and positive peace proved transformative. “My interest in Early Childhood Education has also deepened and gained nuance, and I will surely carry these insights with me as a hopeful entrepreneur and policymaker.”
Finding Purpose Amid Professional Interruption
For Kathryn Lance, a scholar-practitioner in youth development and peacebuilding recently laid off from Mercy Corps due to USAID funding cuts, the colloquium provided crucial renewal. “Two months ago, I was told the peacebuilding field was shifting — that there were no longer viable funding options for someone with my background and research interests,” she shared.
“This conference reminded me why I started down this path in the first place. Hearing from the panelists and connecting with so many incredible attendees made me feel like I had ‘found my people.’”
— Kathryn Lance, scholar-practitioner
“I left the event feeling grounded and hopeful — with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment not to give up on building peace,” Lance continued.
The role of intergenerational relationships in peacebuilding particularly resonated with Lance, aligning with her mentor John Paul Lederach’s emphasis on weaving long-term, trust-based connections as the foundation for lasting peace. She was especially inspired by the healing-centered frameworks that prioritize dignity, belonging, and cultural context.
“Peace is not only negotiated at the diplomatic level, but also built through everyday acts of care, trust, and community.” — Kathyrn Lance, scholar-practitioner
Innovation at the Intersection: Expanding Global Vision
The Yale colloquium showcased groundbreaking intersectional approaches that anticipate today’s complex challenges, many aligning with ECPC’s mission: to catalyze and coordinate global action that leverages early childhood development as a pathway to sustainable peace and social cohesion, through evidence-based advocacy informed by science, practice, and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Peace Through Health: Frederic Deycard’s Carter Center initiative in Mali, deploying health packages to 400,000 people while reducing violence, offers a model for addressing both immediate humanitarian needs and long-term stability.
The evolving conflict environment — with multiple actors and shifting alliances — requires ongoing adaptation, sustained capacity building, and continuous community engagement to ensure long-term sustainability and trust rebuilding. — Frederic Deycard
Technology and Governance: The colloquium’s emphasis on “advancing global technological governance to counter misinformation and hate speech” anticipates current concerns about AI-driven cyberwarfare reshaping modern conflict.
Inclusive Peace Beyond Elite Bargains: Paul Seils, Director at the Peace Practice and Innovation unit at the European Institute of Peace, presented compelling evidence for extending peace processes beyond traditional top-down negotiations to genuinely include marginalized communities. His work in Guatemala, leading investigations into mass violence affecting indigenous communities, demonstrated how extensive local discussions aligned with community schedules enabled marginalized groups to participate meaningfully in peace processes — a stark contrast to elite-focused negotiations that often exclude those most affected by conflict.
Seils’ year-long consultation process in Yemen, involving over 16,000 participants through interviews and focus groups, revealed widespread feelings that traditional political leaders failed to represent local communities. This grassroots engagement created pressure on formal diplomatic channels to take local voices seriously, though Seils acknowledged the tension between the sustained time required for inclusive processes and the short-term demands of political decision-makers.
Local Solutions for Global Problems:
Peacebuilding is slow; we must engage with different levels of the ecosystem simultaneously — we do not want to create “islands of impact” but spread peace and well-being throughout all corners of society. — Roddy Brett
Roddy Brett, Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at Bristol University, and his research across Colombia, Lebanon, and Northern Ireland revealed that civilians most commonly employ avoidance strategies when facing conflict — a finding that takes on new meaning as millions worldwide navigate similar choices in 2025. His argument that “peace should be negotiated more at the local level to ensure sustainability” aligns with current UN emphasis on “inclusive and participatory peacebuilding” and reinforces Seils’ findings about the importance of grassroots engagement.
Key Takeaways
From Academic Theory to Urgent Reality
As global conflicts continue to multiply at an unprecedented pace — doubling over the past five years with nearly 200,000 conflict events recorded this year alone — the Yale colloquium’s April insights have proven prophetic. What seemed like academic theory three months ago now reads like an urgent roadmap in a divided world where foreign policy experts rank 2025 as potentially among the most dangerous years in recent history.
From Evidence to Hope
The evidence presented by all participants at Yale offers more than hope; it provides a scientifically grounded alternative to the reactive diplomacy that has proven inadequate to our current crisis. From Liliana Angélica Ponguta’s research demonstrating early childhood development as fundamental peace infrastructure and Theresa Betancourt’s breakthrough findings on healing former child soldiers, to Jade Cooper’s positive peace framework, Paul Seils’ inclusive community engagement models, and Fredric Deycard’s peace-through-health initiatives — these collective insights aren’t distant aspirations but practical strategies with measurable outcomes.
Personal Stakes in a Global Crisis
The personal testimonies from the colloquium underscore what’s at stake.
- When Nilakshi Parndigamage described growing up considering the loss of loved ones to conflict as “normal,” she captured the lived reality for millions of children today.
- When Kathryn Lance found renewed purpose after being told the peacebuilding field was no longer viable, she embodied the resilience this work demands.
- When Rivi Wijesekera realized that his country’s post-war work had “only just begun,” he voiced the intergenerational responsibility that ECPC’s mission addresses.
The Stark Choice Before Us
The choice facing policymakers, practitioners, and communities worldwide is stark: continue investing billions in reactive approaches that treat symptoms while conflicts proliferate, or embrace the evidence-based prevention strategies that the Yale colloquium’s diverse experts have demonstrated can break cycles of violence before they begin. As the collective research presented showed, despite proven approaches’ potential for conflict prevention, “current investments remain far too low, especially in crisis and humanitarian contexts.”
In a world where traditional diplomacy struggles to keep pace with rapidly evolving conflicts — where civilian casualties have risen 72% since 2022 and conflict-related deaths continue to rise — investing in our youngest citizens represents more than moral imperative. It may be our most pragmatic path to lasting peace.
The Call to Collective Action
“How do we do any work other than this work?” — Nilakshi Parndigamage, Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives at Yale University
Parndigamage’s challenge to the Yale community resonates beyond academia. For all those working at the intersection of conflict prevention and sustainable peace — whether through early childhood development, inclusive community engagement, positive peace frameworks, or innovative health-based approaches — the answer is becoming clearer each day. In boardrooms and classrooms, in policy debates and community centers, the question is no longer whether we can afford to invest in comprehensive peacebuilding strategies. The question is whether we can afford not to.
The foundations for peaceful societies require comprehensive approaches that address root causes at multiple levels. The research presented at Yale is conclusive, the frameworks are tested across diverse contexts, and the need has never been more urgent. What remains is the collective will to act on what all these experts have shown works.
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About the Jackson School Peacebuilding Initiative
The Jackson School of Global Affairs at Yale Peacebuilding Initiative (PBI) works towards understanding pathways to peace and documenting how policy efforts can build a more lasting peace. The initiative also hosts an annual colloquium and speaker events to consolidate lessons learned and develop the peacebuilding network anchored at Yale.
References
- ACLED Conflict Index: Global conflicts double over the past five years. ACLED. March 2025. https://acleddata.com/conflict-index/
- Stares, Paul B. “Conflicts to Watch in 2025.” Council on Foreign Relations. January 7, 2025. https://www.cfr.org/report/conflicts-watch-2025
- “Global conflicts in 2025: figures, impacts and perspectives.” Bunker Swiss. April 30, 2025. https://www.bunker-swiss.com/en/conflict/the-evolution-of-global-conflicts-in-2025-figures-impacts-and-perspectives/
- Betancourt, Theresa S., et al. Shadows into Light: A Generation of Child Soldiers Comes of Age. Cambridge University Press, 2024. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/shadows-into-light/9781108844239
- Betancourt, T. S., Hansen, N., Farrar, J., Borg, R. C., Callands, T., Desrosiers, A., Antonaccio, C. M., Williams, M. J., Bangura, J., & Brennan, R. T. (2021). Youth Functioning and Organizational Success for West African Regional Development (Youth FORWARD): Study Protocol. Psychiatric Services, 72(5), 563–570. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202000009
- Betancourt, T. S., McBain, R., Newnham, E. A., Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Brennan, R. T., Weisz, J. R., & Hansen, N. B. (2014). A behavioral intervention for war-affected youth in Sierra Leone: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 53(12), 1288–1297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2014.09.011
- Freeman, J. A., Farrar, J. C., Placencio-Castro, M., Desrosiers, A., Brennan, R. T., Hansen, N. B., Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Su, S., Bangura, J., & Betancourt, T. S. (2023). Integrating Youth Readiness Intervention and Entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone: A Hybrid Type II Cluster Randomized Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, S0890856723022542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2023.09.552
- Newnham, E. A., McBain, R. K., Hann, K., Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Weisz, J., Lilienthal, G. M., Hansen, N., & Betancourt, T. S. (2015). The Youth Readiness Intervention for War-Affected Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(6), 606–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.01.020
- Akram, A., Alex, L., Freeman, J., Dal Santo, L., & Betancourt, T. (Under Review). Labor market impacts of an entrepreneurship training and mental health intervention in a post-conflict setting: results for men and women from a cluster randomized controlled trial in Sierra Leone. The journal of developmental studies. Submission ID: 257133407
- “Positive Peace Index 2025.” Institute for Economics & Peace. 2025. https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/PPI-2025-web.pdf
- “In Hindsight: The 2025 Peacebuilding Review.” Security Council Report. February 2025. https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-02/in-hindsight-the-2025-peacebuilding-review.php
Additional Resources
- United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office: https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/
- European Institute of Peace: https://www.eip.org/
- Institute for Economics & Peace: https://www.economicsandpeace.org/
- The Carter Center: https://www.cartercenter.org/
- Yale Jackson School Dynamics of Peace Conference: https://jackson.yale.edu/dynamics-peace-conference/
About the Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC)
Where all children are the stars of today and leaders of tomorrow!
The ECPC is a global movement of United Nations agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations, academia, practitioners, and the private sector focused on sharing scientific and practice-based evidence on how investment in early childhood development (ECD) can contribute to sustainable peace, social cohesion, and social justice. We recognize that investing in ECD is a powerful and cost-effective strategy for reducing violence, poverty, and exclusion and for building peaceful societies.
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