INTERNATIONAL: The Role of Education in Peacebuilding: A Synthesis Report of Findings from Lebanon, Nepal and Sierra Leone

This research sought to understand the role of education in peacebuilding in postconflict states. The research was commissioned by UNICEF as part of the Education and Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition [EEPCT] programme – a partnership between UNICEF, the Government of the Netherlands and the European Commission. The study consisted of two phases: Firstly, a literature review of education's role in peacebuilding. Secondly, the completion of three country case studies [Lebanon, Nepal and Sierra Leone], with a particular emphasis on the work of UNICEF. Rather than selecting cases for similarities, we sought to select for variety, drawing out the wide disparities between cases to enable a sense of the types of education programming taking place in very different conflict environments. During the fieldwork, interviews and consultation meetings were held with a wide range of national and international stakeholders in each country, including UN representatives, government officials, INGO and NGO representatives, UNICEF staff members and teachers. This report is a synthesis derived from both phases.