Annual Conference (KPAC23) Report

On Wednesday November 7th, 2023, the Annual Conference of the Knowledge Platform for Security opened at the Heron Hotel in Nairobi with performances of spoken-word poetry and music, followed by three conference days in Nairobi and a follow-up event in The Hague on 7 December.

The Conference used the lens of ‘Margins | Centres’ to discuss the contribution of SRoL policy and programming to social contracts. It defined centres as spaces and actors that shape dominant interpretations of SRoL issues and control resources and authority to act on them. Margins, instead, are the spaces that must follow those interpretations.

In healthy ‘Margins | Centres’ dynamics, the centres are occupied by those with lived experiences of conflict and instability. The authorities, duty bearers, service providers, and allies respectfully retreat to the margins, ready to support. When dynamics are unhealthier, status, biases, privilege, or the threat of repression pushes those who stand to benefit from or are impacted by SRoL policies and programmes to the margins. In short, KPAC23 debated the question: “How can SRoL institutions and mechanisms contribute to heal these unhealthy dynamics?”

The KPSRL Secretariat shaped the Conference’s programme together with the KPSRL network, and the programme included:
1. A three-day Conference in Nairobi, spread over three days:

• a. During day one, music performances opened the programme, then network members shared experiences and insights in the format of market stands at a Marketplace of Ideas.
• b. During day two, eleven thematic and geographic sessions introduced and unpacked many forms of imbalances between centres and margins.
• c. During day three, participants drew implications from the preceding discussions.

2. A half-day Conference in the Hague, which continued the discussions initiated in Nairobi and responded to questions raised there.

Please click here to download the full report.