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Mercy Corps, Civil Society and Conflict Management Team Contact: Ruth Allen, Senior Program Officer rallen@bos.mercycorps.org Civil Society—Definitions and Principles Mercy Corps defines civil society programming as “the process by which people voluntarily act together to promote their common goals, values and interests.” Civil society programming focuses on the processes by which civil society organisations interact with and influence the whole society in which they live. We believe that civil society programming is the key to alleviating suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, peaceful and just communities. The principles of participation, accountability and peaceful change are at the heart of our definition of civil society. Participation: We strive to reach out to disenfranchised members and groups within different societies in order to support their ability to become self-reliant as well as understand, advocate for and realise their rights. Accountability: We support civil society efforts to be responsive to the communities they represent. In addition, we strive to strengthen their capacity to advocate for those communities with local governments and to monitor the activities undertaken by government. We also work with local government to devise ways to make government’s work more open and transparent to its constituencies. Peaceful Change: We work through local partners to ensure the activities we initiate lead to secure and sustainable communities. Moreover, we develop the communication skills of partner organisations to improve their ability to work for peaceful change. These principles guide our approach to all Mercy Corps programmes, including partnerships with local government, partnerships with local CSOs, community mobilisation, capacity assessments and capacity building, negotiation training and mediation. Conflict Management—Definition and Principles For Mercy Corps, conflict management is dealing productively and effectively with differences. We recognize that some level of conflict exists in every society and that a healthy, vibrant civil society has mechanisms for managing change and conflict without resorting to violence. This belief is the basis of our principle of peaceful change, supporting people to work in collaboration to address tensions through non-violent means, in a manner which satisfies the key interests of all groups and increases security. Mercy Corps takes a practical approach to supporting peaceful change through our relief and development programmes. We work with local partners to ensure our activities “do no harm” and lead programmes to build the negotiation and problem-solving skills of influential actors in societies in transition. In addition, we facilitate the creation of cross-sector networks so that efforts have a larger, more sustainable impact. We also help partner organisations strengthen their capacity to work for peaceful change. Our recent merger (2004) with Conflict Management Group (CMG), a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based NGO founded by Roger Fisher (Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School and co-author of Getting to Yes), increases our capacity to implement these initiatives and support the societies in which we work in new and creative ways.
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