Embracing Concurrent Realities: Revisiting the relationship between human rights and conflict resolution

This study focuses on the interplay of human rights and conflict resolution in the practice of civil society organisations and independent state institutions, to enhance understanding of the relationship between these fields and contribute to improved practice. While it has been recognised for some time that human rights, justice, conflict and peace are closely linked, thus far the domains of human rights and conflict resolution have remained rather separate in conceptual, institutional and practical terms. Organisations and people working in these domains seldom consider whether and how their respective efforts interact and what the implications are of operating in the same context. At times, they have been known to be oblivious of one another’s initiatives - or to perceive them as hampering their own. Rights activists and conflict resolution practitioners have occasionally strongly disagreed about the most suitable course of action in specific instances.
This study counteracts this on-going disconnect by examining how the human rights/conflict resolution-relationship plays out in concrete situations experienced by specific actors in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Nepal and Zimbabwe. It shows that the boundaries between these fields are far less distinct in practice than has been recognised thus far; considerable fluidity exists. It also highlights the dynamic and contingent nature of the relationship between human rights and conflict resolution, noting how various factors affect actors’ ability to combine aspects of the two fields. It is based on some eighteen years of personal practical experience, a review of relevant literature and 26 key informant interviews.