BRUXELLES – On Monday, February 12th, 2018 the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs will present to Search for Common Ground its prestigious Intercultural Achievement Award for the project Communicating for Peace in South Sudan. The ceremony will be held at 6 pm at the Austrian Residence, Avenue des Gaulois 11, 1040 Etterbek, Belgium.
Established in 2014, the Intercultural Achievement Award recognizes successful, solution-oriented dialogue initiatives worldwide. It honours innovative projects that aim at establishing dialogue between cultures, communities of faith, and political groups.
Search for Common Ground is the world’s largest dedicated peacebuilding NGO. Its project in conflict-torn South Sudan connected young people, religious leaders, journalists, and citizens across dividing lines, in the midst of a brutal Civil War. Search used radio talk shows, participatory theatre sessions, and community workshops to foster tolerance, promote diversity, and reinforce social cohesion. Two short documentaries on this project are available on YouTube.
After only 12 months, the project achieved groundbreaking results. Independent evaluators measured a staggering 200% growth in interactions between tribes, 90% of which were positive, in areas targeted by the project. Intertribal trust has also increased by 63%, reducing the risk of ethnic violence. Search’s radio talk show Hiwar al-Shabab (“Youth Discussions”) has become a key platform for young South Sudanese to discuss triggers of conflict and find common ground regardless of their ethnic, political, or religious background.
This award is shared with Search’s partners in the project – the Catholic Radio Network in South Sudan and UNICEF – and with the multiple actors with whom Search works every day to build healthier, safer, more just societies.
