Prototypes for Peace: Shifting Power and Reimagining Aid at Peace Connect 2025

Reflec­tions on Peace Con­nect 2025, by Charles Kojo Vandy­ck (West Africa Civ­il Soci­ety Insti­tute (WACSI) / RINGO)

Attend­ing Peace Con­nect 2025 was an inspir­ing and ener­gis­ing expe­ri­ence. As a rep­re­sen­ta­tive of WACSI and a core team mem­ber of RINGO, I left deeply encour­aged by the grow­ing move­ment for local lead­er­ship and the col­lec­tive deter­mi­na­tion to reshape the glob­al aid sys­tem.

Host­ed by Peace Direct, the con­fer­ence brought togeth­er peace­builders, activists, and change­mak­ers from across the world between 13–17 Octo­ber 2025. It was more than a typ­i­cal gath­er­ing, it was a space for gen­uine con­nec­tion, shared learn­ing, and reflec­tion. I par­tic­u­lar­ly appre­ci­at­ed how the organ­is­ers bal­anced mean­ing­ful engage­ment with well-being, includ­ing a mid­week rest day fea­tur­ing guid­ed for­est walks and vis­its to a giraffe sanc­tu­ary.

Co-Designing the Future: WACSI and RINGO’s Prototype Lab

One of the high­lights of my expe­ri­ence was co-host­ing a ses­sion with col­leagues from WACSI and RINGO titled: Pro­to­types in Prac­tice: Test­ing Ideas and Co-Cre­at­ing the Future of Devel­op­ment.

This was not just anoth­er pan­el, it was an inter­ac­tive Pro­to­type Lab where par­tic­i­pants explored bold new mod­els for trans­form­ing how aid and peace­build­ing are done.

We intro­duced two inno­v­a­tive pro­to­types that cen­tre equi­ty, trust, and com­mu­ni­ty pow­er:

1. The Reverse Call for Pro­pos­als, a bold idea that flips the tra­di­tion­al fund­ing mod­el, allow­ing local actors to set pri­or­i­ties and invite fun­ders to respond.
2. The Pledge for Change Account­abil­i­ty and Learn­ing Mech­a­nism (PALM), a prac­ti­cal tool for ensur­ing that com­mit­ments to equi­ty and sol­i­dar­i­ty are backed by action and learn­ing.

Togeth­er, we reflect­ed on what’s work­ing, what’s not, and what needs to shift for these pro­to­types to thrive in real-world con­texts. The room was alive with ideas and courage, proof that col­lec­tive imag­i­na­tion can lead to real change.

Reimagining International Cooperation in a Post-Aid World

Lat­er in the week, I joined the ses­sion “Reimag­in­ing Inter­na­tion­al Coop­er­a­tion in a Post-Aid World,” co-facil­i­tat­ed with col­leagues from ACAPACA and Peace Direct.

We explored how civ­il soci­ety can adapt to a future where tra­di­tion­al aid is declin­ing, and how new forms of part­ner­ship between the Major­i­ty World and the Minor­i­ty World can be more equal and respect­ful. The dia­logue reaf­firmed a shared truth: the future of inter­na­tion­al coop­er­a­tion depends on sol­i­dar­i­ty, not depen­den­cy.

Key Takeaways: Solidarity, Resilience, and Renewal

Across the week, sev­er­al themes stood out for me:

• Civic Space and Aid Col­lapse: We explored the chal­lenges of shrink­ing civic space and fund­ing, and how local organ­i­sa­tions are find­ing cre­ative ways to stay resilient.
• Alter­na­tive Resourc­ing: The rise of com­mu­ni­ty phil­an­thropy, mutu­al aid, and sol­i­dar­i­ty economies emerged as vital tools for inde­pen­dence and sus­tain­abil­i­ty.
• Well-being and Care: Peace­builders often car­ry heavy emo­tion­al bur­dens. The con­fer­ence pri­ori­tised care, from morn­ing Tai Chi and heal­ing work­shops to sol­i­dar­i­ty spaces for those work­ing under repres­sive regimes. It was a pow­er­ful reminder that care is not a lux­u­ry, it is a strat­e­gy for resilience.

Looking Ahead

Peace Con­nect 2025 was more than a con­fer­ence, it was a move­ment in motion. It strength­ened my belief that when local actors lead, trans­for­ma­tion is pos­si­ble.

At WACSI and RINGO, we will con­tin­ue to devel­op and test the Reverse Call for Pro­pos­als and PALM mod­els as prac­ti­cal path­ways for shift­ing pow­er, pro­mot­ing account­abil­i­ty, and advanc­ing jus­tice in devel­op­ment and peace­build­ing.

The spir­it of sol­i­dar­i­ty, courage, and cre­ativ­i­ty that filled the halls of Peace Con­nect will con­tin­ue to guide us as we build toward the 2026 Africa Con­ven­ing on Decolonis­ing Devel­op­ment, and beyond.

Gratitude

Deep appre­ci­a­tion to the team at Peace Direct and all the par­tic­i­pants who made this con­ven­ing such a mean­ing­ful expe­ri­ence. The con­ver­sa­tions, con­nec­tions, and col­lec­tive com­mit­ments remind me that peace­build­ing begins with peo­ple, and peo­ple are ready for change.

Fea­ture image, left to right: Eng­wase Mwale (Zam­bian Gov­er­nance Foun­da­tion), Charles Kojo Vandy­ck (WACSI / RINGO), Nan­cy Kankam Kusi (WACSI / RINGO), Jen­nie Rich­mond (Impact Works Asso­ciates), Janet Mawiy­oo (Gal­vanis­ing Africa / RINGO), Lour­des Huan­ca Aten­cio (Nation­al Fed­er­a­tion of Female Peas­ants, Arti­sans, Indige­nous, Native and Salaried Work­ers of Peru / ACAPACA)  and Asi­er Her­nan­do Malax-Echevar­ria (ACAPACA)