Advocacy is one of our tools to transform the way institutions and decision-makers respond to conflict.
At Search, we recognize that to change the way the world addresses conflict and build healthy, just, and safe societies, key institutions must use and support peacebuilding as their preferred method of responding to conflict. However, peacebuilding is currently underemployed and under-resourced. To address this gap, Search uses advocacy at all levels of our work, from influencing local decision-makers to global institutions.
Policy & Advocacy Resources
Make Space for Peace at COP30: Lasting climate action requires lasting peace
Over the past five years, progress has been made to interlink the global concerns for peace and climate action in international climate fora. Ignoring peace and conflict risks at COP30 may jeopardise effective climate action. The first of its kind, the COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace called…
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Environmental peacebuilding as a climate-security priority for the EU – Examples from the Sahel
The Central Sahel faces interlinked crises of conflict, climate change and fragility, but responses have been fragmented. Environmental peacebuilding offers opportunities to promote cooperation between conflicting groups through climate-sensitive and mutually beneficial projects around natural resources. In this brief, we explore what the EU’s agenda means for environmental peacebuilding by…
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Rights Advance: Improving Fundamental Freedoms and Human Rights in Iraq
The Rights Advance: Improving Fundamental Freedoms and Human Rights in Iraq is a comprehensive 30-month project that will be implemented by the Arab Institute for Human Rights (AIHR), Search for Common Ground (Search), and the Iraqi al-Amal Association (IAA). This project aims to contribute to the improvement of the rights to…
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Strengthening an Iraqi Community of Practice in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance – (2023-2025)
The Iraqi Community of Practice (CoP) in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance is a 24-month project implemented by Search for Common Ground (Search) and funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). The CoP is a community of 37 organizations operating throughout Iraq.…
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Peace Isn’t Made on Paper
Peace doesn’t happen in conference rooms. It’s not built with signatures on treaties. It doesn’t live in legal agreements or policy documents. Real peace—the kind that lasts—happens in the everyday. It’s in the moments where neighbors show up for one another, where former enemies share a meal, where people choose…
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Turning Conflict into Progress in Divided Times: Five Keys to Effective Peacebuilding
Keynote: Shamil Idriss, Turning Conflict into Progress in Our Divided Times | SXSW EDU 2025, Austin, TX. Our world faces record-high political polarization. This isn’t just disagreement—it’s seeing others as existential threats, which often leads to violence. But conflict itself isn’t inherently destructive. Like friction, conflict is natural and inevitable—violence…
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Régulation du numérique au Sahel : État des lieux et perspectives pour un modèle centré sur l’humain
L’essor des technologies numériques a permis à des millions de personnes d’échanger et de s’engager sur des enjeux locaux et mondiaux. Dans les pays sahéliens, cette tendance est très visible avec un taux croissant de pénétration d’internet qui est de 33,1% au Mali, 19,9% au Burkina Faso et 16,9% au…
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Insider Mediation: lessons learnt and best practices for conflict resolution and prevention
Lessons from insider mediation in Burundi, Niger, and Zimbabwe At a Glance: This policy brief highlights key lessons learnt on enhancing both the strategic value and the effectiveness of insider mediation as a tool for conflict prevention and resolution in diverse fragile and conflict- affected contexts. The brief draws on…
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Addressing the DRC Conflict: A Path to Peace
Introduction The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has endured a prolonged and devastating conflict that has inflicted immense suffering on its population and stunted economic growth. Decades of violence, political instability, and human rights abuses have left millions displaced, impoverished, and vulnerable to exploitation. A sustainable path to peace requires…
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Taking a Stand without Taking a Side: Why Multipartiality is Essential for Peacebuilding
With conflicts all over the world dominating the headlines and social media, it’s easy to feel pressured to take a side. Yet, the notion that we must pick a camp—“you’re either with us or against us”—is not the path to peace. True, lasting peace emerges when we step away from…
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