Publication

Supporting civil society is considered to be a promising and uncontroversial peacebuilding strategy. This is based on the assumption that a society's active participation in peace processes is a crucial requirement for sustainable peace. During the past four years, swisspeace has been actively engaged in supporting Afghan civil society through the Afghan Civil Society Forum (ACSF), which was transferred into Afghan hands in early 2005. How can one assess the impact of ACSF on civil society in Afghanistan and its impact on the country's peace process? Which lessons can be learned for other civil society projects? At swisspeace's 2004 annual conference a group of international experts offered their thoughts on these questions. This conference paper features their revised and updated contributions.