Summary

The project fosters social cohesion through empowering communities to engage in dialogue and collaborative action for the common good, public trust, and resilience to harmful narratives and violence. The project will support institutions to respond to the results of the inclusive dialogues and design and enforce social cohesion policies and actions. 

Background

The implementation timeline for the project runs from January 2024 to January 2026. The project is implemented by UNDP, UNICEF, and UNESCO in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro and is funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund. The target groups for this initiative include women and men, children, adolescents and young people, educational staff, parents and caregivers, and community leaders. Key partners in the project encompass the Government, local self-governments, intersectoral thematic councils, the Parliament, the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, civil society organizations, schools, universities, media, and cultural institutions.

Project Outcome

The project will achieve its impact by supporting:

• Community dialogue on the common good;

• Community resilience to harmful narratives and violence;

• Social Cohesion Pledges and institutional commitments to implement the recommendations from community dialogues;

• Social Cohesion Innovation Lab - piloting innovative solutions generated through community dialogues;

• Culture and media as enablers of trust, positive narratives, and respect for diversity.

Key Interventions

CAPACITIES OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR DIALOGUE AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• Strengthened capacities of local communities to engage in dialogue and action on social cohesion.

• Improved resilience of local communities to divisive/harmful narratives, hate speech, and gender- based violence.

LOCAL DIALOGUES AND COLLABORATIVE ACTION

• Local communities discuss their vision for the common good through local dialogue platforms.

• Their recommendations are turned into Social Cohesion Pledges and selected ideas are supported through the Social Cohesion Innovation Lab.

INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES FOR ENHANCING TRUST AND COUNTERING DIVISIVE NARRATIVES

• Local self-governments and national institutions develop Social Cohesion Pledges and policy measures, based on the recommendations from local community dialogues.

• Institutional capacities built to uphold social cohesion and human rights.

CULTURE AND MEDIA AS ENABLERS OF SOCIAL COHESION

• Ethical and solution-oriented journalism and media reporting supported.

• Culture as space for dialogue and learning about diversity promoted.

• Trust in institutions, positive narratives and acceptance of diversity promoted.