The event will bring together policy makers, donors, influential leaders, academia, government and civil society to promote discussion on the impact of education and other social services on social division and violent conflict and raise awareness of how social services can make meaningful contributions to peacebuilding and the advancement of the concept of ‘shared societies’. Among the participants you will find key lnternational front runners in peacebuilding and social cohesion:
- Yoka Brandt – UNICEF Deputy Executive Director
- Joost Andriessen – Director, Peacebuilding and Stabilization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
- Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva – Former President of Kyrgyzstan and member of the Club de Madrid
- H.E. Maker Mwangu Famba – Minister of Education, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Mari Malek, model and activist, former refugee from South Sudan
- Ebrahim Rasool, former Premier of Western Cape in South Africa, Member of the Club de Madrid’s NetPLUSS
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The event links directly to UNICEF’s Strategic Plan to strengthen the resilience of children, caretakers and community systems through conflict-sensitive programming and peacebuilding. Lessons learned from two innovative peacebuilding initiatives – the Shared Societies Project from the Club de Madrid and UNICEF’s Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy programme – Learning for Peace – will be discussed and shared to inform future programming.
Conflict remains a feature of the lives of too many people around the world. We know that peace, stability and an inclusive shared society allow for economic progress and increased wellbeing. As world leaders work out the details of the Sustainable Development Goals – a roadmap for human progress over the next 15 years – we are at a critical moment to create momentum for innovative approaches to education and other social services designed to build more peaceful and resilient societies.