On September 23rd, at 4 pm CEST, Samah Abdalrahman, Data Management Officer at Search for Common Ground (Search), will lead our M&E Thursday Talk discussion on “A Story of Resilience & Fragilities: The Impact of Covid-19 on Horizontal Cohesion in Conflict-Affected Countries.”
In the early stages of the pandemic, many anticipated the virus would have disastrous effects for conflict-affected countries – well beyond the immediate health implications. Yet, while larger, international calls for collaboration and peace in the face of the pandemic have seen uneven success, in their research countries, Search has seen relative resilience and stability at the community level in relation to horizontal cohesion. In many cases, their data shows that horizontal cohesion is actually increasing.
In this discussion, we will dive into Search’s ongoing, quarterly research addressing key themes across six conflicted-affected countries; Kenya, Nigeria, Palestine, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen. Samah will share the key opportunities around horizontal cohesion that this research has unearthed, which local actors, governments, and donors can tap into for improved pandemic response.
We will also discuss how strengthening horizontal cohesion throughout the pandemic and recovery periods, especially for conflict-affected communities, can avert longer-term crises and outbreaks of violence while ensuring diverse needs are being met.