A partnership agreement between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Guinea-Bissau and the University of Cambridge, facilitated by Cambridge Enterprise, was signed on 5th July to pilot an innovative initiative to improve inter-communal relationships affected by land conflicts in Guinea-Bissau.

The initiative called "Peace behind a Veil of Ignorance" is a pilot project that aims to increase social cohesion and trust between parties in conflicts by promoting the peaceful coexistence between local communities divided by land disputes. It is based on a methodology with the same name that seeks to systematically enable communities divided by violence to become pockets of peace.

This pilot initiative is funded the UN Peacebuilding Fund via the PBF Project on Political Stabilization and Reform through Confidence Building and Inclusive Dialogue, jointly implemented in Guinea-Bissau by UNDP (lead agency), WFP and UNFPA.

Under this agreement, a consultant has been hired to work with local authorities and civil society, under the guidance of UNDP, to identify the reasons behind the conflicts in the communities where land disputes are most recurrent, and to propose solutions that involve the peaceful resolution of problems.

The agreement will also allow rural communities in Guinea- Bissau suffering from land tensions to benefit from the adaptation of the VOI concept in a pioneering exercise to promote joint work at the community-level with a view to strengthening more equitable inter-communal relationships. Influenced by the progress of decades of peacebuilding literature and practice, the project will build on research on emotions, social justice, identity, and inter-group conflict, among others. Learn more on the VOI Concept in this video: https://lnkd.in/eiPw9K6

This initiative is intended to complement other ongoing initiatives in the country and to consistently contribute to greater local ownership, social cohesion, and sustaining peace in Guinea-Bissau.

UNDP Guinea-Bissau and the University of Cambridge look forward to improving the lives of individuals and communities by fostering social cohesion and reducing tensions.