‘Pakistan has over 65% of it’s population under the age of 25 years. It is also a country riddled with socio economic problems aggravated by an international image of terrorism, rights violation and poverty. In several instances, the problems have been seen as a catalyst for further grave issues affecting development including but not limited to a mass immigration of professionals to foreign countries and a brain grain amongst the student populations.
This calls for a joint action by the state and non state actors to promote continued peacebuilding efforts for the youth to mimimize the effects of political instabilities within the country in order to overcome the issue of brain drain by creating opportunities, engaging the youth in dialogue and healthy debates, making them aware of their potential and ability to become non state actors in the pursuit of peace within their country etc.’– Malik A.F.,Peacebuilding in Urban Pakistan: Challenges & Solutions, 2012, Lahore, SEPLAA Research Papers, No. 14.
Whereas typically peacebuilding has been seen in post conflict situations, its need has been advocated by various academics in preconflict situations aswell. The SEPLAA Foundation believes in preconflict as well as post conflict dialogue as a method of peacebuilding that has the desired impact of nation building. We reiterate the need for capacity building of the youth of the country to be better equipped for international dialogue on peace.
We have worked with the New York University’s (NYU) Center for Global Affairs, School of 
Continuing and Professional Studies which teaches the M.S. in Global Affairs Program, since April 2011 to develop our resources for youth capacity building and peacebuilding initiatives.
SEPLAA Foundation Pilot Peacebuilding Project 2011:
Our pilot project was conducted in September 2011, where the SEPLAA Foundation President Ms. Ammara Farooq Malik conducted the ‘Workshop on Applied Peacebuilding & Conflict Management’ from the SEPLAA UK Chapter in London through skype along with NYU Consulting Intern Ms. Katarzyna Szutkowski from New York through skype, with our audience comprising of SEPLAA members present in Lahore, Pakistan.
Variations of the same workshop are now going to be offered in Lahore as workshops and short courses on Peacebuilding and Conflict Management for capacity building. Findings of these workshops are going to be archived as the resource base for further research and implementation in this area.
International SEPLAA Workshop on Peacebuilding (May 2013)
A Partnership project with MSc. Global Affairs at New York University, Wyne Malik Consultants and JUS & REM Attorneys & Corporate
Counsellors.
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More information about our peacebuilding initiatives can be seen here.