The Role of International Organizations in Peace and Reconciliation in Kenya

Abstract

The increased role of international organizations in the realm of conflict management and peacebuilding in Africa is a noteworthy development. The United Nations and other international organizations have taken different roles in mediation, peacekeeping and postconflict peacebuilding interventions. One example is the Kenyan peacebuilding/mediation process, led by the former Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Anan, after the postelection violence of 2007–2008. This chapter critically examines the role of international organizations in idea formation, norm and material dissemination to the extent that they become the yardstick for implementing peacebuilding. This contribution argues that the one-size-fits-all model cannot capture local conditions, capacities and specific political environments in the prevention, management and resolution of conflict.