SFCG Côte d'Ivoire

NEWS: The U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State Announce Reconciliation Programs in Côte d'Ivoire

The United States Government has provided $2.2 million USD to Search for Common Ground to implement two reconciliation programs in Côte d'Ivoire. Click here for the details.

Click here for more on the announcement ceremony (en français).

	US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently visited our Youth Program in Abidjan. Click here for full details!

SFCG started its operations in Côte d’Ivoire during mid-2005 when it opened offices andstudios in both Abidjan and Daloa. SFCG’s primary goal for Côte d’Ivoire is to reduce tensions among communities and groups, to facilitate reconciliation, and to strengthen social cohesion. SFCG works towards two main objectives in support of this goal:

• To strengthen local capacity to transform conflict non-violently; and

• To enhance social dialogue on key issues and constructive cooperation at the community level.

SFCG’s unique two-pronged approach to peacebuilding couples media work with community outreach, including local capacity building, networking, and dialogue. This approach directly addresses some of the key problems in Côte d’Ivoire: the politicization of social dialogue, the marginalization of moderate voices, deepening ethnic, political, and regional cleavages, and the preponderance of misinformation and rumors. SFCG's programmes extend into the north, west, southeast, and central regions of the country, focusing on locations with high intercommunity tensions or that are at risk for violent conflict. Target populations include community members, local authorities, IDPs (internally displaced persons), youth, and women. As with all of SFCG’s programmes, activities are implemented and tailored to the needs of the local community.