Moving Zambia from symbol of peace to an active architect of dialogue

The Centre for Peacebuilding and Transformative Leadership (CPTL) is being established to operate at the intersection of local community needs and continental peace frameworks. Our work will be structured around five interlinked pillars designed to connect national action with African peace architecture.

As Zambia stands at a defining moment facing political polarization, governance pressures, and climate-induced resource competition. CPTL seeks to contribute to long-term, institutionalized systems for dialogue and conflict prevention.

1: National Dialogue Capacity

CPTL aims to support the development of a sustainable infrastructure for peace in Zambia.

National Framework Development:

We are working toward contributing to a formal Zambian framework for structured dialogue and conflict prevention.

Early Warning Systems:

We seek to promote permanent capacities for identifying emerging social and political tensions.

Mediation Infrastructure:

We intend to support the institutionalization of professional mediation and preventive diplomacy mechanisms.

2: Dialogue Practice and Mediation Support

CPTL seeks to position Zambia as an active architect of peace across the African continent.

Regional Technical Hub:

We serve as a technical backstop and mediation practice hub to support Zambia’s contributions to continental peace efforts.

We aim to serve as a future mediation practice hub supporting Zambia’s contributions to continental peace efforts.

We plan to collaborate with institutions such as the Southern African Development Community, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

We aspire to contribute to Zambia’s emergence as a regional hub for dialogue and peace support operations.

3: Women, Peace & Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace & Security (YPS)

CPTL is committed to advancing inclusive, participation-based peace systems.

We will align our work with African Union and SADC commitments on women and youth in peace and security. We plan to support leadership development initiatives for women and youth in mediation and community resilience.

4: Training and Leadership Development

We aim to develop accredited programs in dialogue facilitation and peacebuilding.

Through a proposed Peace and Leadership Academy, CPTL intends to promote ethical and transformative leadership.

We aim to develop accredited programs in dialogue facilitation and peacebuilding. Our future training will target government, civil society, traditional leaders, and security actors.

5: Advocacy, Research, and Thought Leadership

CPTL will be guided by research and policy analysis through a proposed Peace and Dialogue Research Observatory.

We anchor Zambia's peace narrative in rigorous research, ensuring all interventions are evidence-backed.

We intend to produce evidence-based policy briefs and research outputs. A flagship initiative under development is the 2026 Conference on Zambian Peace Diplomacy Since Independence.