The Abyei Administrative Area (AAA) is a contested zone located on the central border between South Sudan and Sudan. Its status has remained unresolved since South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, and the governments failed to agree on the border division. A United Nations peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), has since monitored the situation. It is entrusted with overseeing demilitarisation and maintaining security in the area. Mistrust and lack of dialogue have been critical components of this conflict. FAO has played a key role in initiating and facilitating a process focused on dialogue and building social cohesion at grassroots level, contributing to wider sustaining peace initiatives. FAO identified a window of opportunity through the technical delivery of community-based animal health veterinary services (embedded in an agricultural livelihood support strategy), in an effort to improve inter-community relations and contribute to sustaining peace objectives.

This powerful case study underscoring the importance of sustaining peace and how that can be achieved by supporting livelihoods has been turned into a photography exhibition. The "Bridging the Divide" exhibit debuted in Brussels, made it's way to FAO HQ in Rome just in time for the International Day of Peace, and will be shown in Geneva for Peace Week.

To view the mobile-responsive version of this practice, click here.