Interpeace was created 20 years ago to develop innovative solutions to build peace. Interpeace and its partner organizations continue to push the boundaries of peacebuilding work and continue to develop new peacebuilding tools. The Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE) Index that is being launched today by Interpeace's partner in Cyprus, the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD), is such an innovative tool.

The SCORE Index is designed to measure the state of peace in societies around the world. SCORE examines two main components of peace: social cohesion and reconciliation. This tool is targeted at decision-makers at the national and international level. With the help of SCORE, policy-makers will be able to make better decisions in countries facing peacebuilding and statebuilding challenges. The SCORE Index has been developed in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme Action for Cooperation & Trust (UNDP-ACT)la US Agency for International Development (USAID) and SeeD.

The SCORE findings will be launched in the presence of high-level policy-makers, representatives of the international community and bi-communal activists. The event entitled “Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are Growing Apart: Is it time to Step out of the Comfort Zone? Analysis of SCORE Index findings” will continue with a panel discussion. Two female peacebuilders, Erato Kozakou Marcoullis, former Greek Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Emine Colak, Head of Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation, will share their experiences and relate them to the SCORE Index findings.

The SCORE Index utilizes a participatory methodology to measure social cohesion and reconciliation. A representative sample of people is being interviewed using a structured questionnaire. SCORE also looks at other variables such as readiness for political compromise between opposing groups, levels of interaction between these groups, and levels of civic engagement.

In the case of Cyprus, the findings from the survey reveal factors that can influence the chances of finding a political solution to the conflict in Cyprus. The SCORE team also used the data to develop policy recommendations on how to prepare the ground for a political settlement.

In addition to Cyprus, the SCORE Index has also been implemented in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nepal.

Lire le  Executive Brief on the SCORE Index.