Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development - SeeD

08/06/2026

How does weak social cohesion shape the risk of electoral violence?

SeeD is pleased to share that Dr. Bertrand Baldet (Director General), and Dr. Serge Gbagbeu Kando (Data Analyst), contributed a chapter to the Routledge Handbook of Social Cohesion in Africa.

Their chapter, "Elections on the Edge: How Lack of Social Cohesion Fuels Political Violence in Côte d’Ivoire,” examines how weakened social bonds can increase the risk of political violence during electoral periods.

Drawing on a large-scale survey of more than 7,000 respondents across eight districts in Côte d’Ivoire, the chapter applies the SCORE methodology to explore the links between intergroup tensions, community withdrawal, gender inequalities, ethnocentric attitudes, unresolved disputes, and violent electoral behaviour.

The chapter reinforces a central message in SeeD’s work: strengthening social cohesion is key to preventing violence, reducing polarisation, and building long-term peace.

Read more about the book here:

Routledge Handbook of Social Cohesion in Africa explores the meaning of social cohesion in an African context, comparing and historicizing empirical findings from across the continent as well as prioritizing African knowledges in interrogating institutional actors and policy environments. Social coh...

25/05/2026

New report out: Understanding Social Tensions in Moldova: An Expert Assessment of Community Dynamics Wave II 2025.

Developed by SeeD under the Social Tensions Monitoring Mechanism for Moldova, the report presents findings from the 2025 ECoST wave across 20 urban and rural localities, drawing on the insights of 259 local experts.

The findings point to strong local services, resilient community relations, and continued trust in local institutions, alongside persistent pressures linked to economic opportunities, future confidence, national-level support, and readiness for EU reforms.

Read the full report to explore what local evidence tells us about community dynamics, social cohesion, and priority areas for policy and programming in Moldova.

https://api.scoreforpeace.org/storage/pdfs/PUB_STMM25_Report-ECoST_FINAL.pdf

22/05/2026

SeeD joined partners in Fiji for a series of engagements around the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE) Index, led by the Fiji Government and supported by UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, UN Women Pacific, UN Human Rights Pacific, and UN partners.

Together with Fiji National University , SeeD shared findings with government representatives, media actors, youth participants, and women leaders, opening discussions on trust, inclusion, youth participation, women’s leadership, gender norms, and social cohesion.

The mission included engagements with Hon. Sashi Kiran, Fiji’s Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, UNDP Pacific Resident Representative Munkhtuya Altangerel, and the wider research and UN teams.

Read more on LinkedIn about the mission and what the SCORE findings reveal for Fiji. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7463577552960331778

Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection - Fiji

14/05/2026

On 29th April, the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2026 Regional Conversation for Canada & Europe brought together civil society participants from the United Kingdom, Canada, Malta, and Cyprus to discuss civic space and climate justice.

The conversation highlighted shared challenges, practical recommendations, and opportunities to strengthen inclusion, participation, accountability, and climate resilience.

🌿 Across the discussions, one message stood out clearly: civil society must be heard directly, supported meaningfully, and engaged early in shaping decisions that affect communities, rights, climate action, and sustainable futures.

Please see the infographic below for details on what happened during the event.

12/05/2026

New SCORE findings presented in Sarajevo offer an evidence-based picture of social cohesion, trust, and everyday coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 🇧🇦📊

The event took place on at the European House of Culture and National Minorities in Sarajevo, where the findings of the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index, SCORE, were presented.

The event featured Mr. Renaud Meyer, Resident Representative of UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina, who highlighted SCORE as an important tool for reading the real state of trust, relations, and citizens’ willingness to cooperate in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The findings suggest that Bosnia and Herzegovina is more socially resilient than dominant public narratives often suggest. They point to moderate social cohesion, above-average interethnic harmony, strong cooperation in local communities, and a stable sense of shared belonging. 🤝

At the same time, the data highlights a clear gap between relatively functional everyday coexistence and widespread pessimism about the country’s future direction.

For SeeD, this is where SCORE’s value lies: turning data into practical evidence for better policy, responsible public reporting, and concrete community-level action. 📍

The findings were presented within the project “Bridges of Trust: Improving Social Cohesion and Resilience in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark and implemented by UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development, SeeD.

The executive summary of the social cohesion “big picture” findings can be found here:https://api.scoreforpeace.org/storage/pdfs/SCORE-BosniaHerzegovina_2025-Social-Cohesion-Trends_executive_summary.pdf

For more about SCORE and the Bridges of Trust project, see here:
https://www.undp.org/bosnia-herzegovina/news/what-score-survey-and-how-read-upcoming-results

27/04/2026

Proud to have led and implemented this research in partnership with UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina. The findings highlight an important contrast between relatively strong everyday coexistence and broader pessimism about the country’s direction.

The executive summary of the social cohesion ‘big picture’ findings can be found here: https://www.scoreforpeace.org/en/publications?cId=15&lId=1&tId

Stay tuned for more analysis on vulnerabilities and needs of different groups, progressive attitudes, gender and intersectionality, as well as the challenges and hopes of young people.

07/04/2026

📰 Fiji’s newspapers are bringing new attention to the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index following the National Social Cohesion Stakeholder Conference held on 30 March 2026 in Suva. Officially opened by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, the event brought together government officials, civil society, faith based organisations, development partners to share the key findings and insights from the SCORE Fiji study implemented by SeeD in close partnership with UNDP.

🌍One striking big picture finding from SCORE is that on the surface, everyday interactions in Fiji remain largely peaceful, and trust between communities is high, but while this is functionally positive, there are latent deeper running tensions.

📊 The findings note that 43% of iTaukei respondents believe only indigenous Fijians should hold high political office, and 60% of Indo-Fijians feel iTaukei dominance is holding the country back. This points to a gap between peaceful day to day coexistence and the political and structural grievances, researchers noted that this is driven less by direct hostility and more by perceived scarcity, competition, and weak governance.

Read more from Fiji’s newspapers as the dialogue continues:
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/new-data-reveals-hidden-social-divides-in-fiji
https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/survey-reveals-deep-tensions/
https://fijisun.com.fj/news/nation/23-of-fijis-youth-not-in-school-or-work

New research is highlighting long-standing social divides in Fiji, raising concerns about national unity, inclusion, and equality.

31/03/2026

On 26 March 2026, the Social Cohesion Forum took place in Chișinău, Moldova, bringing together policymakers, practitioners, and community actors to reflect on the state of social cohesion in Moldova and what comes next.

The event was hosted by United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, and Swisspeace, convening national and international stakeholders.

Opening remarks were delivered by:

* Guido Beltrani, Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova
* Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Moldova Resident Representative
* Karina Nersesyan, UNFPA Representative in Moldova

The high-level panel featured:

* Dumitru Pîslaru, General Secretary Ministry of Labour and Social Protection
* Gal Harmat, swisspeace
* Ilke Dagli Hustings, Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development
* Alex Petrov, Director of the National Youth Agency

The forum included presentations and discussions drawing on findings from SeeD’s SCORE and STMM tools, alongside reflections from community and institutional stakeholders.

A key message that emerged:
Moldova’s main fault lines are not ethnic or linguistic. They sit in the relationship between citizens and the state.

Across the evidence:

* Intergroup relations remain relatively strong and stable
* Political positions and orientations are the deepest cleavages between people abd groups
* Confidence in institutions, and that they are responsive, accountable an care for common good remain low
* Economic hardship and corruption continue to be ranked as the main sources of societal tensions

Further, panel discussions placed strong emphasis on stereotypes, not just as perceptions, but as forces that shape behaviours, reinforce divisions, and influence policy choices.

One major core takeaway from the forum:
Measurement is what keeps cohesion work grounded and actionable.

Without continuous measurement, responses risk targeting outdated risks and missing emerging drivers. Repeated measurements keep the discussion anchored in evidence, trends, and specific localities or groups rather than in impressions, intuitions or politicized narratives. Given scarce resources, narrow windows of opportunity for real positive change, and prevalent fatigue, disappointment and cynicism among the people, we cannot afford not being ‘precise’.

The conversation also explored youth engagement. Online spaces can expand access, connection, and participation. At the same time, they can amplify polarisation, misinformation, and grievance as the SCORE previously found out. So the answer is not to treat youth online presence as inherently good or bad. The real issue is whether young people also have critical media literacy, spaces for structured dialogue, and attractive offline avenues for meaningful participation. The question is not whether youth are online, but whether the surrounding ecosystem turns that exposure into participation or division.

Looking ahead, priorities include:

* inclusive and participatory governance
* economic security and service delivery
* structured civic engagement
* critical media literacy

Read more here: https://www.scoreforpeace.org/en/moldova/datasets
Stay tuned for the latest ECoST analytical reports coming soon.

UNDP Moldova UNFPA UNFPA Moldova swisspeace

26/03/2026

Civic Assemblies & the Cyprus Issue

Join us tomorrow at 17:00 at the University of Cyprus Library (LRC 012) for a focused discussion on civic assemblies as a way forward.

Presentations by: İlke Dağlı‑Hustings, Erol Kaymak, Neophytos Loizides, Fiona Mullen, Meltem Onurkan Samani, Charis Psaltis

Commentaries from:
Katerina Antoniou, Hubert Faustmann, Gül M. Gür, Yeshim Harris, Mete Hatay, Elena Ioannidou, Anastasia Karatzia, Karina Korostelina, Stephanie Laulhe Shaelou, Haris Shekeris, Harry Tzimitras, Zenonas Tziarras

University of Cyprus

A Zoom link is available for online participation: https://ucy.zoom.us/j/61371880164?pwd=H5y9qypN4XioG2XyvJUep7Bh5GDaJE.1

15/03/2026

📩 SeeD Newsletter – March 2026 (Issue 07) is out now!

Our latest newsletter shares updates from SeeD’s ongoing work to generate actionable evidence and support social cohesion across multiple regions.

This issue features reflections from a high-level dialogue held at United Nations Plaza in New York on prevention and community-centred peacebuilding, updates from the civic participation forum in Cyprus, and new publications drawing on reSCORE Ukraine evidence examining recovery challenges and youth perspectives.

You will also find updates from projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fiji, Ghana, and Cyprus, along with upcoming engagements including the Social Cohesion Forum in Chisinau, Moldova.

Read the full newsletter here:https://api.scoreforpeace.org/storage/pdfs/SeeD-Newsletter-Issue-07-March-2026.pdf