An article entitled "Societal peace and security: Towards a national strategy in times of turmoil"

 Written by Dr. Muhammad Mamdouh Abdullah 

Head of the NGO Development Sector at Misr El Kheir Foundation 

 

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In light of the state of turmoil and instability that the world is witnessing today, the effects of which have extended to affect the entire world, the urgent need emerges to launch a comprehensive national strategy for societal peace and security. The concepts of security are no longer limited to traditional military or security protection, but rather mainly include the societal, psychological and cultural dimensions that constitute the immunity of societies in the face of contemporary challenges. The importance of this strategy lies in its ability to provide an effective response to the accelerating global cultural and social challenges and their local repercussions, through a proactive framework that works To establish community peace and build internal resilience, this strategy also represents a vital link linking a number of national strategies that were issued before, such as the youth strategy, human rights, population control, etc., and other national strategies, as this proposed strategy works to coordinate efforts and fill the gaps that may exist between national strategies, to ensure integration of visions and maximize impact..

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The call to adopt a national strategy for community peace and security is consistent with a number of sustainable development goals set by the United Nations within the 2030 Agenda, most notably the sixteenth goal (justice, peace, and strong institutions), which emphasizes the importance of building effective and comprehensive institutions capable of promoting peace and stability within societies.

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The importance of this strategy comes from the fact that it will address fundamental issues that are often overlooked or do not receive sufficient attention in traditional plans, despite being the basis for true social peace. It is proposed that this strategy focus on strengthening the concepts of active citizenship and belonging, and work to spread a culture of tolerance and reject hate speech in all its forms. It also aims to strengthen local identity. Authentic values in confronting the effects of sweeping cultural globalization, preserving the cohesion of the societal fabric and protecting it from fragmentation factors. The vision of the proposed strategy extends to include transforming the media into a constructive development tool, and enhancing the effective societal participation of citizens in decisions that affect their lives. It does not stop there, but rather deals with modern and complex phenomena such as the effects of technology and digital transformation on social cohesion. It seeks to bridge the gaps between generations and build a constructive dialogue between them, and pays special attention to addressing the psychological and social challenges facing the current generations, especially young people, in light of the accelerating pressures and changes that the world is witnessing..

 

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In order to cover these comprehensive issues, we propose that the strategy work across several interconnected axes. The legislative and institutional axis includes developing legal frameworks that support social peace and establishing a national coordinating body, while the educational axis focuses on integrating the values of peace and tolerance into curricula and preparing cadres capable of transmitting these values. The cultural and social axis is concerned with supporting community initiatives and reviving positive values, while the media axis works to develop a responsible media discourse and create platforms for national dialogue. The economic and development axis comes to link social stability with achieving justice in opportunities and reducing social gaps. Finally, the psychological and social support axis is concerned with providing a psychological and societal safety network through specialized centers and support programs..

 

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">To come up with this strategy, we propose the following mechanism, which is to follow a precise participatory path that begins with the stage of comprehensive diagnosis of societal reality, followed by the stage of broad community consultation with all groups, then the stage of technical formulation with the participation of experts, then the stage of official approval, and then developing realistic implementation plans with clear measurement indicators, and ending with mechanisms for follow-up and periodic evaluation to constantly develop the strategy.

 

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In this way, the National Strategy for Community Peace and Security can form a cornerstone in building a cohesive society capable of resilience in a world full of challenges and dangerous transformations that threaten the safety of societies..