MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

The report examines the role of the private sector in peacebuilding, arguing that while businesses are primarily profit-driven, they can contribute positively through conflict-sensitive standard practices and proactive externally targeted steps. Using case studies from Kenya, Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland, Nepal, El Salvador, and Somalia, it highlights how business alliances and specific industry competencies (such as telecommunications) can influence peace processes. It concludes that the private sector is most effective as a supporting actor to governments and international organizations, provided they adopt a 'higher business purpose' of societal value creation.

• The economic cost of conflict is immense, with the annual cost of conflict calculated at $1.02 trillion in 2017, representing a significant 'trillion dollar opportunity' for businesses if peace is achieved.
• Private sector contributions to peace are categorized into a spectrum: 'peace-negative' (exacerbating conflict), 'peace-positive' standard business practices (conflict-sensitive operations), and 'peace-positive' externally targeted proactive steps (direct engagement in peace processes).
• Standard business practices contribute to 'positive peace' through the provision of basic services, principled job creation, and the integration of disadvantaged groups into the workforce.
• Business alliances are more effective than individual companies at exerting political pressure and influencing national peace conversations, as seen with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the Group of Seven (GoS) in Northern Ireland.
• Different industries have varying capacities for peacebuilding; human-centered industries like tourism and retail are suited for grassroots peace-strengthening, while automated industries (e.g., offshore drilling) are more likely to take proactive steps only after high costs of protection become unsustainable.
• Local actors are generally better suited for peacebuilding than multinationals because they have immediate ground-level information and fewer alternative livelihood options, increasing their incentive to restore peace.
• Private sector actors can inadvertently reinforce conflict by paying 'protection fees' to militias or creating grievances through discriminatory employment and resource distribution.
• The report recommends that the public sector move toward long-term, sustained collaboration with the private sector rather than project-based interventions, and that governments lead the integration of businesses into peacebuilding strategies.

APA

Amadiegwu, A., Kihiu, M., Simon, M., & Amadiegwu, A. M. (2020). MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Mobilizing_the_Private_Sector_Report_2020.pdf

Chicago

Amadiegwu, Amara, Maya Kihiu, Manuel Simon, and Amara Miriam Amadiegwu. MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION. World Economic Forum, 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Mobilizing_the_Private_Sector_Report_2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Amadiegwu |first1=Amara |last2=Kihiu |first2=Maya |last3=Simon |first3=Manuel |last4=Amadiegwu |first4=Amara Miriam |title=MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=March 2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Mobilizing_the_Private_Sector_Report_2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{amadiegwu2020mobilizing, author = {Amadiegwu, Amara and Kihiu, Maya and Simon, Manuel and Amadiegwu, Amara Miriam}, title = {{MOBILIZING THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Mobilizing_the_Private_Sector_Report_2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }