Peace from the Ground Up: Civil Society in Regional Interventions in the Horn of Africa report provides a thoughtful analysis of how civil society actors can strengthen their strategic engagement with the AU and IGAD to gain effective roles in their multilateral peace initiatives and preventive diplomacy work in the Horn of Africa. The report outlines challenges and opportunities for this type of engagement, based on views and experiences of the envoys and officials of the AU and IGAD respectively, combined with the voices of civil society leaders who have been engaged in various forms of conflict mediation in this deeply troubled region of Africa.

The report builds on the understanding that several CSOs in the Horn of Africa already possess comparative advantages, such as expertise, knowledge, proximity to conflict actors, flexible on-theground operations and other capabilities that could complement and strengthen the peace interventions of the AU and IGAD at a crucial historical juncture.