ABSTRACT
The nexus between development and peacebuilding has been highly contested, yet to conflate these two fields of practice is disingenuous. Building on a case study from South Africa, this essay explores the historical progression of these two domains of practice from the perspective of human needs theory and application. What emerges is a synergetic framework for the satisfaction of human needs that is foundational to both disciplines and offers development and peacebuilding practitioners an opportunity to enact a shared vision, an integrated set of ethics, and a ‘whole system’ approach to social cohesion and human wellbeing.
