Quarterly Report Q3 FY2022: Mali Peacebuilding, Stabilization and Reconciliation

The program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is being implemented by Creative Associates International. Between April 1 and June 30, 2022, Mali PSR completed several key activities within the program's objectives. Under Objective One, the program signed a Partnership Protocol with Mali's National Early Warning Center (CNAP) in April and coordinated efforts on trainings for the operationalization of CNAP's new Early Warning and Early Response system, dubbed "Mali Alert". The program also finalized 12 local grievance response plans, documented three Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) cases, and organized dialogues between Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and host communities in seven communes to strengthen social trust and facilitate the reintegration of the IDPs. Under Objective Two, Mali PSR organized workshops in Segou and Gao that focused on the development of financial resource mobilization plans with elected and commune officials, including the general secretary, finance, expenditure, and/or revenue managers, tax and fee collectors, regional state financial services, CSOs/CBOs, and traditional and customary leaders. The program also made progress on the development of two white papers: one on Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) in Mali, and one on the effects of climate change on conflict. Under Objective Three, Mali PSR focused its interventions on strengthening the resilience of youth and their families to violent extremist ideology. The program developed a partnership with Creative Learning's Aid to Artisans team to implement a pilot project, "Artisans for Peace," aimed at reinforcing the ability of youth living in Ségou, Mopti, Timbuktu, and Menaka to resist recruitment by armed groups as a result of their productive employment. The program organized a participatory meeting between professional artisans and the youth selected in the pilot regions to prepare them for artisanal and entrepreneurship training, and to expose them to the potential of the artisanal sector. Subsequently, these youth were trained on artisanal entrepreneurship and market readiness. Under Objective Four, the program organized a workshop in Bamako with the mayors, secretaries general, and members of the Community Engagement Committee (CEC) of eight communes in Gao to discuss the community development priorities identified in their Plans de Development Social, Economique et Culturel (PDESCs). In the workshop, Mali PSR reviewed the community plans and goals and prioritized the key projects for funding by Mali PSR. Mali PSR continued its operations despite the volatile security situation in the northern and central regions of the country during this quarter. The program's activities were focused on strengthening the resilience of youth and their families to violent extremist ideology, promoting peace, stability, and reconciliation, and supporting the reintegration of IDPs. The program's efforts were aimed at addressing the economic stressors of young people and introducing them to the potential of a career in the artisan sector.