From Nairobi to Tensta, building inclusive societies

Marginalization and exclusion are challenges in most societies around the world. These issues are pressing factors in fragile contexts, but also in developed nations. Exclusion and marginalization can particularly have a devastating impact on the youth of a society, who suffer from a lack of inclusivity, participation and opportunities of development in their context. In the discussion “Inclusive societies – a universal challenge, from Nairobi to Tensta”, organized by UNDP Sweden et Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation at Almedalen, Sweden’s yearly political gathering, these challenges were discussed by three panelists, paying particular attention to the growing threat of marginalization in countries in Africa and how this issue is also affecting countries like Sweden.

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Speakers at the event in Sweden: Mohamed Yahya, Development and Conflict Prevention Specialist of UNDP, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Lisa Sjöblom, Secretary General of Forum Syd; and Tomas Amanuel, Local Facilitator for Interpeace in Sweden. Photo credit: The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the principle of inclusivity is deliberately incorporated in several goals, including goal 16 for peaceful and inclusive societies. Sigrid Gruener, Programme Manager at the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, was moderator of the event and expressed that “peace is critical to development, and development is critical to peace.” She described that there is a growing and vital focus on inclusivity in global development policies, and indicated how this is particularly connected with the concept of local ownership.

A panelist at the event, Tomas Amanuel, Local Facilitator for Interpeace in Suède, works closely with marginalized youth in Tensta, one of the suburbs in the country. Tomas grew up in Tensta, a neighborhood that is home to a large immigrant population, and has dedicated his life to help young people in need. His work with Interpeace began in 2014, in a participatory research project to analyze the main issues facing the area, following a series of social unrests and protests in 2012 and 2013. Exclusion and marginalization were two of the main factors highlighted by the people interviewed, especially with regards to youth and how they are affected by a lack of participation in their community’s development and employment opportunities. Media has portrayed a negative image of this suburb, which has resulted in low economic investments and general negative perception of the area. Tomas Amanuel declared that: “people are not sufficiently involved in the solutions. They are affected by the problems but they are not part of the solutions and I think that it is a big mistake when we are working on issues of exclusion and marginalization.” Local ownership must be at the forefront of the strategies concerning inclusivity. Engaging communities and working from their perspectives is the only way to transform conflicts and ensure social cohesion and inclusion.

Tomas Amanuel, Local Facilitator for Interpeace in Sweden and Alice Bah, Swedish Minister of Culture and Democracy. Photo credit: Interpeace

“The issue of mismanagement of diversity is the foundation of problems. How do we manage diversity of age, diversity of gender, diversity of minority groups and larger groups?” questioned Mohamed Yahya, Development and Conflict Prevention Specialist of UNDP, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He mentioned that Africa has the largest levels of inequality and that many of the young people in the continent are politically and socially marginalized. This issue makes youth vulnerable and in many cases can prompt them to join terrorist groups. He believes that “the issue of mismanagement of diversity is a critical road block to achieving sustainable goals.” Therefore, policy makers and peacebuilders must work with the local actors to promote and celebrate cultural, political and economic diversity within their communities as a strategic method to build and promote inclusivity.

Lisa Sjöblom, Secretary General of Forum Syd, an organization that supports marginalized people around the world, believes that we can only reach the goals addressed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development if we work on strengthening pluralistic and independent societies. She believes there must be an effort to encourage civilians to have a voice, not only to hold decision makers accountable, but to tell their own stories and to be included in the solutions of the situations they are in. “A strong civil society when it works, that it contributes to what is called as a social capital, builds trust between groups and people, and it also provides networks between people. We think this helps avoid polarization and increases tolerance and the level of dialogue in a society.”

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Mohamed Yahya, Development and Conflict Prevention Specialist of UNDP, based in Ethiopia and Lisa Sjöblom, Secretary General of Forum Syd. Photo credit: The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

She went on to encourage each person, to ask him/herself if they are in fact inclusive in their personal lives, if they make their own voices heard and if they hear the voices of the people in their communities. Only with the contribution of every individual can society truly become more inclusive and provide equal opportunities for all. Moreover, reinforcing engagement amongst diverse groups, supporting youth and providing secure spaces of dialogue will pave the way in building inclusive societies.

For further information:

Watch the first 20 minutes of the discussion ici.

Tomas Amanuel, Local Facilitator for Interpeace in Sweden. Photo credit: Interpeace

Tomas Amanuel, Local Facilitator for Interpeace in Sweden. Photo credit: Interpeace

 

Overcoming exclusion in Sweden through dialogue

On 22 May, Interpeace’s Local Facilitator in Suède, Tomas Amanuel participated in a debate on Swedish Television’s Agenda program with Interior Minister Anders Ygeman and Centre Party Leader Annie Lööf to discuss the efforts needed to address increasing crime in Stockholm’s marginalized suburbs.

To reduce crime, the Government is seeking to put new resources in place by strengthening police presence in the suburbs. Minister Ygeman pointed to the need of getting better at crime prevention. Annie Lööf agreed that more police officers are needed but that crime prevention measures must be combined with investment in education, jobs and housing.

Tomas Amanuel from Interpeace stressed the importance of strengthening dialogue with those who live in the suburbs and people most affected by the problems. In order for any efforts to be effective and lasting, decision-makers need to understand the challenges from the perspective of the residents and involve them in the discussion on what solutions are needed. The police have an important role to play but in order to solve the problem of social exclusion in the long term, cooperation between local actors is critical, and major social investments in education and job opportunities for young people are needed.

When posed the question: “Do you think there is a plan today and that the politicians have a plan to overcome exclusion and criminality in these areas?” Tomas replied:

"I have lived in Tensta for 26 years and worked for over 5 years with young people in Tensta. […]What I think should be done is to involve people from these areas and find out what their real needs are."

Tomas is part of Interpeace’s team leading an initiative on the challenges to social inclusion in Sweden. The pilot, which started in the Stockholm suburb of Tensta in 2013 has now expanded to involve other areas in Stockholm, Malmö and Luleå. The dialogue and consultations that were carried out in these communities shed light on what inclusion means for different groups in Swedish society. Interpeace’s work in Sweden aims to bring the voices of local communities closer to the decision-makers and to the broader society. To that end, the project will be launching an awareness-raising campaign to highlight the importance of inclusive societies and the need to foster interactions between people and communities in Sweden.

Here you can watch the full interview with Tomas (in Swedish) starting 22:48 minutes into the program.

Tomas Amanuel was also interviewed by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in an inspiring Q&A about the power of dialogue when engaging youth. Read blog article ici.

 

 

Vikten av dialog för att motverka utanförskap i Sverige

Den 22a maj deltog Interpeace’s Tomas Amanuel i en debatt i SVTs Agenda tillsammans med Inrikesminister Anders Ygeman och Centerpartiets partiledare Annie Lööf för att diskutera vilka insatser som krävs för att bekämpa den växande kriminaliteten i Stockholms marginaliserade förorter.

För att minska brottsligheten satsar regeringen nu resurser på att stärka polisens närvaro i förorten. Anders Ygeman pekade på behovet av att bli bättre på arbeta med att förebygga brott i förorterna. Annie Lööf höll med om att det krävs fler poliser men att brottsförebyggande åtgärder måsta kombineras med satsningar på utbildning, jobb och bostäder.

Tomas Amanuel från Interpeace betonade vikten av att stärka dialogen med de som bor i förorten och de som drabbas hårdast av problemen. För att satsningarna ska vara effektiva och hållbara måste beslutsfattare förstå utmaningarna från de boendes perspektiv och involvera dem i diskussionen om vilka lösningar som behövs. Polisen har en viktig roll att spela men för att lösa det centrala problemet med socialt utanförskap på lång sikt krävs samarbete mellan lokala aktörer liksom stora sociala satsningar på utbildning och arbetstillfällen för unga.

På frågan: - Tycker du att det finns en plan idag och att politikerna har en plan för hur man ska bryta utanförskapet och kriminaliteten i de här områdena? Svarade Tomas:

”Jag har bott i Tensta i 26 år och jobbat i över 5 år med ungdomar i Tensta [...] Det jag tycker man ska göra är att involvera människor från dessa områden och ta reda på vad deras verkliga behov är.”

Tomas är en av dem som lett Interpaces initiativ kring utmaningarna för social integration i Sverige. Pilotprojektet som startade i Stockholmsförorten Tensta 2013 har nu utvidgats till att involvera fler områden i Stockholm, Malmö och Luleå. Dialog och konsultationer som genomförts med allmänheten i dessa områden har belyst vad inkludering innebär för olika grupper i det svenska samhället. Interpeace arbete i Sverige syftar till att föra allmänhetens röster närmare politiker och beslutsfattare. För detta ändamål kommer projektet att lansera en informationskampanj som betonar vikten av ett inkluderande samhälle och behovet av att främja möten i samspelet mellan människor och lokalsamhällen i Sverige.

Här kan du se hela intervjun med Tomas som startar 22.48 minuter in i programmet.

Tomas Amanuel har också intervjuats av Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation i Uppsala. Det blev ett inspirerande blogginlägg om kraften av dialog som ett verktyg för att engagera ungdomar i frågor som rör inkludering och social förändring. Här kan du läsa hela intervjun med Tomas.

Overcoming exclusion in Sweden through dialogue

On 22 May, Interpeace’s Local Facilitator in Sweden, Tomas Amanuel participated in a debate on Swedish Television’s Agenda program with Interior Minister Anders Ygeman and Centre Party Leader Annie Lööf to discuss the efforts needed to address increasing crime in Stockholm’s marginalized suburbs.

Tomas is part of Interpeace’s team leading an initiative on the challenges to social inclusion in Suède. The pilot, which started in the Stockholm suburb of Tensta in 2013 has now expanded to involve other areas in Stockholm, Malmö and Luleå.

Watch the full interview with Tomas (in Swedish) starting 22:48 minutes into the program.

“No one can build peace alone”: Learning from Tunisia at the Noble Peace Prize seminar

On 15 December, our Director-General Scott Weber took the stage alongside representatives of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, who received the prize for their role in Tunisia in the aftermath of the Jasmine Revolution.

You can watch the full webcast of the event ici.

The day’s discussion focused on the role of civil society in peacebuilding. Panelists were asked whether Tunisia can point the way as an example of successful peacebuilding.

The Tunisian Quartet was formed in 2013, at a precarious point in Tunisia’s democratization process. The Quarter includes the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. It took the intervention of the four civil society organizations, with deep roots in the social structures and the fabric of society, to reinvigorate the political process and reintroduce a sense of legitimacy.

“The success was achieved through acceptance, dialogue and listening to each other,” Ouided Bouchamaoui, President of UTICA, said. “We had the trust of the people behind us and we had the support of other civil society organizations.”

“The Tunisian approach can be a model for others,” she continued.

In a pre-event article on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, Weber stated that despite there being no cookie cutter solution to peace, and that “every context is different and requires home-grown solutions,” important lessons can be still learned from the Quartet.

At the event Weber emphasized that “participation and inclusion are central to peacebuilding and must become the way societies deal with their problems” and that no one can build peace alone. “Successful peacebuilding requires different actors working together as a group to ensure effective collaboration, and the Tunisian quartet is an example of that.”

“The journey towards peace is never finished,” he concluded and stated that lessons must continue to be shared among peacebuilders across the world.

Other panelists included Isabella Lövin, Minister for International Development and Cooperation, Karin Enström, Foreign Policy Spokesperson of the Moderate Party, Mats Karlsson, Director for the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Fanny Härgestam, a journalist who has reported extensively on Tunisia. The event was moderated by Henrik Hammargren, executive Director of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and opened by Urban Ahlin, speaker of the Swedish Parliament.

We would like to thank the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundationla Swedish Parliament et Swedish Institute of International Affairs for organizing the event and for welcoming our Director-General.

Can peacebuilding practice help build more inclusive societies in Europe?

Over the last decade, several European cities have witnessed an increasing number of social protests and riots, particularly by young people. Their growing grievances, at times resulting in violent unrest in urban suburbs, are being attributed to social, economic and political exclusion. In this article, published in the Dag Hammerskjöld Foundation's Development Dialogue, Christelle Mestre and Renée Larivière, discuss how Interpeace’s work in Sweden is helping to build more inclusive societies, forging a path to peace.

Read the full article ici.

Can peacebuilding practice help build more inclusive societies in Europe?

This report discusses how peacebuilding in the Swedish community of Tensta has helped to foster inclusion among youth who faced with the challenge of being excluded from wider society. It provides an example of how peacebuilding principles can be used closer to 'home'.