by Mena Ayazi and Rachel Walsh Taza
“I don’t feel protected. I don’t feel like if I disappeared today something would be said . . . It’s good to say that as young people we should continue to fight, but if we don’t start creating solutions to protect ourselves, then we are all going to end up dying, or going to choose between our own safety, stability, and families, or fighting for our own freedom,” says a young person in the recent “If I Disappear” report by the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth office.
by Shamil Idriss, CEO, Search for Common Ground
With NATO forces out and Taliban-appointed government officials now in place, every nation now faces a choice: whether or not to recognize the new government of Afghanistan.
My organization Search for Common Ground has supported locally led peacebuilding in volatile conflict settings and under oppressive political contexts for decades, and our experience leads us to this conclusion: all who are concerned with the rights and well-being of the Afghan people should understand the necessity of dealing with the Taliban.
Any provision of assistance to a population beset by ecological disasters and a…
By Hilde Deman, Kaila Harris and Samah Abdalrahman
As COVID-19 has ripped across the world, even the most developed nations have struggled to mount effective vaccination campaigns.
Challenges are even starker for countries amidst violent conflict. The World Bank estimates that by 2030, two-thirds of the world’s poorest will be living in settings defined by fragility, conflict, and violence, while violent conflict will drive 80% of humanitarian needs — sobering realities that complicate vaccine efforts.
At Search for Common Ground (Search), the world’s largest dedicated peacebuilding organization, we have been collecting data since the start of the pandemic in six…
By Kathy Sun, Senior Manager at Search for Common Ground
Starting at the age of five, I very seriously wanted to be a singer. I found solace in music, and I loved to perform.
By the time I turned twelve, I had abandoned this dream — not because I no longer wanted to be a singer, but because I figured it was impossible. I had never seen a famous singer of Asian descent in the U.S.
The world looks different today. BTS, a Korean band, just broke the record for most views of a YouTube video within 24 hours, a…
Interview with Rezha Alausy Fauzan and Vera Al-Mawla
On May 5, young peacebuilders, international donors, and supporters of the Youth, Peace & Security agenda will come together at the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development 2021. We reflected on the moment with two young peacebuilders: Rezha Alausy Fauzan, Advisor with Young Interfaith Peacemaker Community Indonesia, and Vera Al-Mawla, President and Co-Founder of the Lebanese NGO Peace of Art — both of whom have taken part in our Youth 360 pilot programs.
What motivated you to start working on peace and inclusion issues?
By Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Ground
There has never been a more promising, or more challenging, time to run an organization called Search for Common Ground.
In the past year, a chorus of voices has urged Americans to get over their differences and get along. President Biden struck this tone last night in his first nationally-televised address to Congress, ending with the words: “We can do whatever we set our mind to if we do it together. So let’s begin to get together.”
At Search for Common Ground, our ears perk up whenever we hear these calls…
Statement from Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Ground
Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on three counts: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
For millions of people in the United States and around the world, the news brings relief after months of fear and anticipation.
It should also spark our resolve — because although the verdict carries huge meaning, it cannot bring George Floyd back to life or resolve the deeper injustices of which his murder is not even the most recent example. Any hope that we feel is tempered by these realities.
By Kathy Sun, Senior Manager at Search for Common Ground
After the shock comes clarity. A whole week has passed since the shootings in Atlanta, and I — like many other Asian-Americans — feel more committed than ever to contribute to meaningful change. For me, this commitment is further amplified, because I work in the peacebuilding and conflict resolution field for a living.
These killings are the latest and most horrifying crime in an escalation of violence against Asian-Americans over the last year. While officials are debating whether the murders are a hate crime, there’s no question that they were…
By Shamil Idriss, CEO, Search for Common Ground
When the Boss is speaking, millions of Americans listen. After all, millions of us (including myself) love his music. And on Super Bowl Sunday, a vast audience was watching as Bruce Springsteen — as a disembodied voice in a Jeep commercial — called for people to come together.
“The middle has been a hard place to get to lately,” rasped Springsteen over images of diners and empty landscapes.
The commercial added to a cacophony of voices calling for Americans to get over their differences and get along. At Search for Common Ground…
In Burundi, as in all countries, peace requires economic security: a base of stability for people to support themselves and pursue their dreams. While everyone shares this need, we all go about it in different ways.
Enter the entrepreneurs from Nd’umu DG (I´m a boss).
In Dec. 2020, Search for Common Ground launched a 12-episode show in Burundi modeled off Shark Tank, the hit American show. Young entrepreneurs make pitches to a panel of judges, hoping to secure key funding. The show “seeks to bridge social divides in the country and generates opportunities for youth.”
The contestants show that everyone…
