Leadership and Cooperation

Photo: Vilhelm Stokstad

When a country is hit by violent conflict, many different actors are normally engaged in order to stop the violence. Good leadership and cooperation skills are decisive factors for all actors’ ability to contribute to solving the conflict.

When war breaks out within a country, the government may decide to invite an international actor such as the UN, EU or OSCE to establish a peace operation in the crisis area.

Such an operation is staffed with personnel of various nationalities and from different professional backgrounds. For example, there might be military staff tasked with protecting civilians from violence, police staff tasked with maintaining law and order, and civilian staff in leadership positions or tasked with supporting the leadership. All actors involved need solid understanding of each other’s roles, and training in cooperation.

Moreover, the peace operation staff must be able to coordinate their work with outside actors, such as local authorities. Good leadership, at all levels in all organizations involved in the efforts for peace, is key for effective coordination, cooperation, and sustainable results.

What does the FBA do?

Training and advice
FBA offers training and advice on leadership and cooperation in international efforts for peace. Click here to read more about our leadership training and support. FBA also co-arranges Viking together with the Swedish Armed Forces. Viking is one of the world’s largest international staff exercises, held approximately every fourth year with military, police and civilian participants practicing cooperation in a fictional peace operation.
Research
FBA conducts and supports international research on leadership and cooperation in international efforts for peace.
Secondments
FBA seconds personnel working within the field of leadership and cooperation to international peace operations that Sweden contributes to, led by the EU, UN and OSCE. Click here to see a map of where our personnel is currently deployed.
Our partner countries
Within the framework of Sweden’s international development aid, FBA carries out projects concerning leadership and cooperation in efforts for peace. Click here to read more.
Support to civil society
FBA grants yearly funds to Swedish civil society organizations working to promote dialogue and debate and to spread knowledge about peace and security related issues, for example issues concerning leadership and cooperation in international efforts for peace.

Long way to go before women are fully involved in peacebuilding

Twenty years after the UN Security Council resolution 1325 established that women have a right to participate on equal terms in every aspect of the work to prevent and manage conflicts, women’s participation in efforts for peace and security is not yet indisputable.

2020-07-03 10:34

IN THE FIELD

Kristian Edqvist

Training manager in Brussels

Linnéa Lindberg

Adviser to the UN in Myanmar

Johan Chytraeus

Monitoring officer in Ukraine

Julia Kempny

Political adviser in Somalia

Vanda Dahlbom

Analyst in Iraq

Björn Tedeman

Election observer

Karolina Riedel

Statistician in election observation missions

Read our publications

An Introduction to Human Rights and Security Sector Reform

Successful security sector reform (SSR) must be guided by the understanding of people as rights-holders and the state, including core security actors, as duty-bearers in providing security as a service to the people.

Documents

An Introduction to Human Rights and Security Sector Reform

More Publications

THE FBA BLOG

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Posted by Randolph Rhea
The evolution of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs – from programs to processes

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South Sudan 2013
The prop-plane bounces through turbulence and I am awoken. I gaze out the window at the landing strip. From high above it looks busy, with many aircraft on the tarmac. When we land I realize that all of the cargo planes, troop carriers, and small aircraft are actually all destroyed and the fuselages have merely been pushed to the side of the mortar-potted runway. The wounds of war are still fresh here.

After several hours ... Read entire post »
2020-07-08 08:37
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Posted by Anna-Linn Ekenstierna
Stories of partners and colleagues are what I bring with me

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“Your facilitation brought us to a safe space and process where we shared our stories, really listened to each other and learned from each other.”

These are words that I bring with me as I say goodbye to partners and colleagues at the FBA this time around, heading for a new adventure.

The feedback means a lot to me since it indicates that we achieved what we had set out to do. I and my colleagues at the ... Read entire post »
2020-06-26 13:29
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Posted by Susanna Rudehill
20 years of women, peace and security – what do we have to celebrate?

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This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), a groundbreaking step for gender equality in international peace and security. Nine resolutions have followed and together they make up what we today call the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda.

It’s not the first international framework for women’s rights and gender equality. So why is it called groundbreaking? Because the agenda for the first time recognized inequalities between women and men ... Read entire post »
2020-06-10 10:23