About Partners in Humanity

Mission

The Partners in Humanity programme addresses feelings of mutual fear and suspicion between Western and Muslim societies (including Muslims in the West) that have arisen because of perceived and real injustices, extreme inequality in political and economic opportunity, and pervasive stereotypes. Partners in Humanity seeks to cultivate a sense of shared destiny and serve as a catalyst for Muslim-Western partnerships that reflect mutual respect, a shared commitment to addressing problems and meeting needs, and an ongoing process of mutual learning and challenging of stereotypes. We believe this attitude and approach reflects the most effective means for creating long-term progress and security.

Origin

Partners in Humanity originated in 2003 at a meeting of over 60 non-governmental organizations, media professionals, government agencies, and international organizations - all catalysts and facilitators of Muslim-Western dialogue. Convened in Amman, Jordan in July 2003 under the joint auspices of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Search for Common Ground (SFCG), the meeting generated an action plan to improve understanding and cooperation between the West and the Muslim world. This plan formed the basis of the existing Partners in Humanity programme.

Programme Philosophy & Tools

Partners in Humanity aims, through its projects, to change the way individuals think and feel about the issues, stereotypes and tensions that face Muslim-Western relations, facilitating action.

Partners in Humanity approaches this aim by striving towards four long-term goals:

• Mutual Respect
• Constructive Action
• Shared Destiny
• Goodwill

Correspondingly, the programme’s key objectives are to:

• Rectify Misconceptions
• Reframe Issues
• Highlight Commonalities
• Underscore Positives

Partners in Humanity leverages the following tools or vehicles, building on the core strengths of Search for Common Ground’s Conflict Prevention techniques:

• Media
• Cooperation on Joint Interests
• Education, Training and Awareness Building
• Dialogue

Partners

Partners in Humanity works with organisations and individuals around the world, benefiting from their unique skills and expertise to enhance the impact of its projects. In addition, the programme relies heavily on the institutional knowledge of other programmes at Search for Common Ground. Past and present partners include:

• Search for Common Ground Regional Offices in Rabat, Jakarta, and Jerusalem
• World Economic Forum Council of 100
• Search for Common Ground-USA
• Search for Common Ground Iran program
• Search for Common Ground -Youth & Gender Divisions
• The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
• Soliya – The Connect Program
• The Institute for Interfaith Dialogue in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Support

Current and past supporters of this programme include:

• The Norwegian Foreign Ministry
• The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• The National Endowment for Democracy
• HRH Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, Kingdom Holdings
• The United States Institute of Peace
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund
• The Compton Foundation
• Individual donors

Please click here if you would like to make a donation to support our projects.