Call for Submissions: "Local Voices at a Crossroads" Article Series

“Local Voices at a Crossroads” is an article series in which local actors of everyday peace share their insights into the fragilities and resilience of their societies in the face of conflict. Grassroots societies lie at the crossroads between local realities and national peacebuilding policies and practices. The series therefore aims to accelerate action at the local level by strengthening the voices of civil society at the policy level. “Local Voices at a Crossroads” is hosted by the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) and emerged from a collaboration with the Political Settlements Research Programme (PSRP), based at the University of Edinburgh.     

To date, we have published six articles as part of the “Local Voices at a Crossroads” series, zooming in on the reality of local actors striving towards a more resilient future in the Northwest of Syria. Please visit the dedicated section of our website for the articles as published thus far (these include: Local Reconciliation Committees in Northern Syria ; Delocalization and Uprooting ; The Politics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Syria ; Political Trust at a Time of Pandemic ; Art as a Tool for Local Peace ; Syrian Youth and the Violence of Exclusion). 

Join us and share your story! 

We believe it is now time to branch out and bring in the realities from other contexts. Both CSPPS and PSRP believe that this series represents great potential to help understand local realities and make the case for enhanced support to local actors and peacebuilders. In zooming out on a wider context, the growing collection of stories can potentially also have a spill-over effect in supporting our collective and collaborative advocacy, as well as identifying opportunities for cross-fertilisation. We feel it is critical to add new perspectives to the series, and to highlight experiences of vulnerability and resilience to conflict and efforts for peace. 

We invite interested stakeholders to share your stories and amplify the voices of local actors by featuring them in upcoming articles. Please contact the CSPPS Secretariat at info@cspps.org if you are interested.