Title: Civil Peace Service Special Initiative on Displacement: Promoting conflict resolution mechanisms and creating prospects for vulnerable groups and regions in Jordan.
Commissioned by: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Jordan
Lead executing agency: Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Overall term: 2017 to 2026
Since 1946, Jordan has been a safe haven for refugees from Palestine Syria, and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In only 76 years, the population has gone from around 500,000 to more than 11 million. As Jordan has suffered from resource scarcity and structural challenges, a population increase of these dimensions can lead to a rise in socio-economic frustrations.
The population of Jordan is strengthening social cohesion by participating increasingly in processes of social change to deal with tensions and to resolve conflicts peacefully.
GIZ Civil Peace Service (CPS) has been operating in Jordan since 2018. The team of national and international advisors cooperate closely with local partner organisations. They operate in often marginalised areas, where social friction and economic disparities threaten to trigger violent conflicts. The jointly developed change processes contribute towards strengthening the resilience of vulnerable groups, especially women and youth in refugee and host communities. Hard-to-reach urban neighbourhoods and remote rural areas receive special attention.
Activities such as theatre, music and sports along with other socio-cultural activities and approaches serve as youth-friendly tools for conflict transformation. Opportunities for meeting and communicating are created and offered in safe spaces such as youth centres and non-formal learning environments. Disadvantaged and vulnerable young people are empowered to express themselves and find entry points to work for social change in their local environments. By doing so, interpersonal and social tensions are reduced in favour of trust building and community development.
Last update: October 2022
