AGO has been engaged locally in Iraq with efforts to prevent conflict and
sustain peace through integrated, conflict-sensitive development programming.
AGO’s work on community resilience programs and peacebuilding activities speaks
directly to social cohesion. That agenda cuts across the organization’s
programmes and initiatives in conflict prevention, preventing violent
extremism, working with youth. AGO’s portfolio of activities in conflict
prevention and management, facilitation and dialogue, and consensus-building
has been focused on a strategic perspective. That is, strengthening social
cohesion, defined as the extent of trust in government and within society and
the willingness to participate collectively toward a shared vision of
sustainable peace and common development goals. AGO initiatives to support
infrastructures for peace, prevent violent extremism and support responsive,
inclusive and resilient institutions all relate directly to the goal of
strengthening social cohesion.Achieving this goal is a prerequisite for
sustainable development and peaceful societies. Programmes and projects that
seek to achieve it have become an important feature of AGO’s efforts to address
the distrust and challenges of managing difference and diversity. They range
from launching dialogue projects to developing local government capacities for
consultation and building bridges across communities that focus on common
values and common destinies. AGO’s social cohesion-related programmes and
projects aim to provide a basis for conflict prevention and peacebuilding
through deeper understanding, dialogue, interaction and interdependency. When
societies are more cohesive and channels of dialogue, cooperation and
interaction are multiple and multi-layered, efforts to promote hate and highlight
differences will not succeed. Thus, building social cohesion also strengthens
the resilience of states and societies so that they can change and adapt to
21st century challenges. AGO core Social cohesion intervention:
•
Peacebuilding
•
Preventing violence extremism (PVE/ PCVE)
•
Capacity and resilience building
