EVENT
Dealing or healing?
Trauma-responsive approaches in times of transactional peacemaking
Join our online event on 13 May to explore the relevance of trauma-responsive approaches for fostering sustainable peace.
In recent years, peacemaking processes have become increasingly reliant on elite-based approaches and driven by political constraints and the pressure to demonstrate rapid progress. While such transactional peace deals can be crucial to address immediate violence, they often fail to deliver sustainable peace, as deeper societal wounds, legacies of violence, and underlying drivers of conflict remain unaddressed.
Collective trauma – reflected in the long-term psychological, relational, and societal impacts of conflict – constitutes an important yet frequently overlooked dimension of both conflict and peace. It shapes perceptions of victimhood, blame, and guilt, narratives of the past, levels of trust, and societies’ capacity for coexistence.
This event will examine the implications of transactional peace deals for long-term peace. By bringing together experts in transitional justice, psychology, and community dialogue, it will explore the relevance of trauma-responsive approaches for fostering sustainable peace. The event will also identify concrete entry points for strengthening the long-term impact of peace processes in the face of current political constraints.
Dealing or healing?
Trauma-responsive approaches in times of transactional peacemaking
13 May 2026
11:00 - 12:00 CEST
Online event via Zoom.
This event will be held in English.
Welcome remarks by Andri-van Mens, Head of Peacebuilding and Protection Division, Department for Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Speakers:
- Dr Annah Moyo, Executive Director, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, South Africa
- Dr Cordula Reimann, Head and Founder, core
- Dr Sara Clarke-Habibi, Peacebuilding Liaison Officer, United Nations University Centre for Policy Research
- Misha Jakhua, Chairman and Co-founder, Peace Development Center
Moderated by Stefanie Gaumert, Advisor for MHPSS and Peace, Berghof Foundation.
Please note that the event will be recorded using the cloud-based recording tool within the Zoom.us platform (using cloud servers based in the U.S.), to be published on the Berghof Foundation’s website and social media channels for external communications purposes. You can find the Berghof Foundation’s data protection notice here. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Berghof Foundation's Data Protection Officer (data.protection@berghof-foundation.org).
Media contact
You can reach the press team at:
+49 (0) 177 7052758
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