FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
|
Massimiliano Colonna |
Eoin O’Leary |
BRUSSELS, 27 JULY 2021— Search for Common Ground, the world’s largest peacebuilding NGO and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has been designated by the Government of Belgium as an official development partner.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with the Government of Belgium,” said Charline Burton, Search for Common Ground’s Executive Director in Brussels. “Concretely, we have already identified two key priorities for our work together: transforming conflict in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and promoting a better understanding of the links between conflict and development issues that are dear to Belgium.”
Search for Common Ground and the Government of Belgium have worked together since 2006 on transforming conflict worldwide. The Belgian Government has generously supported Search’s pioneering peacebuilding work in Angola, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, Tanzania,and elsewhere. Search has been present in Brussels since 1994. Today, the Brussels office hosts 30 staff supporting Search’s work around the world.
The new partnership further cements this important relationship, and is evidence of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ commitment to conflict prevention and its focus on conflict-affected countries. The partnership also represents an important step for the peacebuilding sector, which is increasingly being recognised as a vital field of intervention alongside long-standing sectors such as development and humanitarian aid.
“With this accreditation, the Government of Belgium recognises the importance of conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding as key tools to tackle today’s most pressing challenges, and Search for Common Ground as a global leader with a long track record of success,” said Sandra Melone, Chairwoman of the organization’s Board of Directors in Brussels.
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