Peace and conflict

In South Sudan, our efforts focus on enhancing media Pluralism and empowering local journalists and communicators to play a crucial role in conflict prevention and reconciliation. Through 2024, we successfully conducted two intensive training sessions, engaging over 30 journalists from diverse regions of the country. These sessions emphasized the importance of Pluralism in media and how media actors can actively contribute to mitigating conflicts and fostering reconciliation.

We developed the comprehensive toolkit “Media for Pluralism.” This resource provides a conceptual framework, insightful case studies, and practical guidance on the relevance of Pluralism in media work, particularly within the context of conflict. Our toolkit serves as a vital tool for journalists, enabling them to create unbiased, accurate, and fair content that helps reduce animosities among divided communities. Additionally, we have produced a video course based on this toolkit, further facilitating the adoption and integration of Pluralism into media programming.

Our work in South Sudan is conducted in collaboration with a USAID-funded consortium, partnering with local media organizations to ensure our initiatives are grounded in the realities and needs of the communities we serve.

In Sudan, we support civil society organizations based in the region, including Uganda and Kenya. Our initiatives involve training and dialogue sessions that highlight the significance of Pluralism for civic participation. Many of our partners taking part in these initiatives focus on critical issues such as youth and women empowerment, as well as combating hate speech and misinformation. In 2024, we held a workshop in Kampala for Sudanese civil society leaders, addressing the polarization among civil society organizations and fostering dialogue and collaboration

We are also working closely with Sudanese media organizations, both within Sudan and in exile across East Africa. Our training programs incorporate insights from GCP’s Global Pluralism Monitor research, equipping media actors with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the challenges of armed conflict. Supporting Sudanese media actors in exile, we facilitate discussions about the war’s impact and the rise of divisive narratives, including hate speech.

In Colombia, we work alongside a network of Indigenous and Afro-Colombian women-led organizations to monitor the implementation of the 2016 Peace Accords, specifically focusing on the Ethnic Chapter. Our partners have launched an innovative pilot project designed for grassroots-level engagement with communities on implementation of the peace agreement. This initiative emerged from an assessment of existing mechanisms, revealing a critical need for tools that actively engage marginalized communities and incorporate Indigenous perspectives. The second phase of this pilot is currently underway, targeting indigenous communities in the country’s Pacific region.

In Afghanistan, we are collaborating with a local partner to conduct dialogues with rural communities regarding local dispute resolution processes. This project aims to strengthen local mechanisms for resolving conflicts, particularly those related to resources and land at the village level.

Through our work in these diverse regions, we aim to promote Pluralism and working together with communities to empower them to engage in constructive dialogue, so the voices of the ones in the margins have the same relevance in fostering peace and reconciliation in some of the world’s most challenging environments. We believe that by investing in local voices and enhancing the media and civil society’s role in conflict resolution, we can create a more inclusive and peaceful future.