Fostering community engagement for resilience and peace
The objective of the third webinar was to review the achievements, potential and challenges of community engagement for empowerment approaches in rural development and humanitarian interventions.
On Thursday 22 March 2021, the third of a series of five webinars called “Community Engagement Days” was held. Organized by the Dimitra Clubs Team of the Rural Institutions, Services and Empowerment (RISE) team of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of FAO, in collaboration with the governments of Belgium and with the support of Resource Partners from the Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism (FMM), the objective of the series is to review the achievements, potential and challenges of community engagement for empowerment approaches in rural development and humanitarian interventions. The third webinar aimed at examining the role of community engagement approaches in strengthening resilience and facilitating peacebuilding in conflict-affected and fragile contexts. Additionally, it sought to discuss the importance of integrating such approaches in development and humanitarian programmes and strategies.
Read more about the previous webinar
Moderated by Ms Coumba Sow, FAO Resilience Coordinator for West Africa, the opening remark was delivered by Mr Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva and Director in Charge of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience. In his speech, Mr Burgeon discussed FAO's experience in engaging with communities to link humanitarian and development efforts and contribute to local peace processes. In his concluding remarks, he affirmed that the Dimitra Clubs are a perfect example of community engagement and the reinforcement of women’s empowerment.