Taking a Stand without Taking a Side: Why Multipartiality is Essential for Peacebuilding

Home / Taking a Stand without Taking a Side: Why Multipartiality is Essential for Peacebuilding
January 17, 2025

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 divisive thinking and recognize the shared humanity of all involved. At Search for Common Ground, we are unwavering in our commitment to human dignity and firmly believe that multipartiality, not partisanship, is essential to peacebuilding. As the world’s largest peacebuilding organization, we work across the globe, in 35 countries including Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mexico, Sudan, and the United States, building bridges, not walls.

What is Multipartiality?

Much like “Love Anyway,” which is an invitation to discover the more beautiful world on the front lines where you live, Multipartiality is the practice of bringing together diverse perspectives across divides to work toward a shared goal. At Search for Common Ground, our staff and partners come from the communities directly affected by conflict. Their lived experience provides them with a deep, multipartial understanding that enables them to navigate even the most complex situations and facilitate cooperation among diverse groups. This unique perspective is at the heart of our work to transform conflict into lasting peace.

A powerful saying reflects this approach: “The people who need to build peace are the people who need to build peace.” This reminds us that sustainable peace is achieved when the peacebuilding process is inclusive—when all parties in conflict have a seat at the table. 

What’s the Difference Between Multipartiality and Neutrality?

While both neutrality and multipartiality involve a non-violent approach to conflict, they are fundamentally different in how they engage with the parties involved.

Neutrality implies detachment—it suggests that a party remains uninvolved in the conflict, avoiding any emotional or ideological investment. This can create a sense of distance between the neutral party and the communities involved in the conflict.

Multipartiality, on the other hand, is rooted in active involvement, empathy, and the belief that we can take a stand without taking a side. At Search for Common Ground, we stand for human dignity, solutions that benefit everyone, and a justice that is whole and for all society. Our team members are from the very communities torn apart by conflict, which means they experience firsthand the human toll of violence. Their work is driven not by detachment but by a deep, personal commitment to ending conflict and restoring human dignity for all involved.

Multipartiality Derives from Empathy

Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, describes empathy as the ability to understand another person’s experience from their point of view, rather than simply imagining how we would feel in their situation. In the midst of violent conflict, this kind of empathy can be challenging, as communities often grow increasingly polarized. However, because our teams come from all sides of a conflict, they offer a diversity of perspectives that foster empathy across divisions.

While our team members may not always share the same opinions on a given issue, they are united in their ability to empathize with one another’s experiences. By placing human dignity at the center of every interaction, we create space for dialogue, understanding, and, ultimately, peace. In doing so, we reject the binary logic of “us vs. them” and instead champion a world where everyone’s voice matters—because peace is not about taking sides, but about standing together.

Join the Movement

At Search for Common Ground, we believe that peace is possible—but only if we work for it together. Whether it’s by supporting multipartiality, amplifying the voices of those most affected by conflict, or simply holding space for difficult conversations, there’s a role for everyone in the pursuit of peace.

Together, we can build a more peaceful world.

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