Infosegura and Ministry of the Interior and Police join efforts for culture of peace the Dominican Republic

The InfoSegura Regional Project, carried out by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and with the Ministry of the Interior and Police (MIP) held a strategic training workshop to help the government in its effort to promote peaceful coexistence and constructive conflict resolution in the Dominican Republic.

The Citizen Security Data Analysis Centre (CADSECI) at the MIP notes that a high percentage of homicides are due to interpersonal conflicts that escalate into altercations and disputes. These account for 47.6 per cent of cases in the Dominican Republic, making the promotion of a culture of peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts an urgent matter in the country.

The Practical Tools for Community Mediation workshop was held as part of the My Safe Country Comprehensive Citizen Security Strategy, with the aim of reinforcing capabilities in strategic stakeholders involved in promoting peaceful coexistence and conflict resolution in the communities.

The initiative provided 18 representatives from institutions, organizations and the community in the Cristo Rey sector of Distrito Nacional with practical community mediation tools and approaches that will enable them to promote discussion, respect and collaboration in cases of conflict, helping to build societies that are more just, peaceful and inclusive.

The workshop also sought to open a space for learning and practising the essential skills participants acquired in mediation, notably, conflict identification, differentiating between conflict and violence, understanding the principles of mediation, and putting theoretical knowledge into practice.