Positive Peace in Action

To truly thrive, societies need to not only be free of violence, but to also support equality, justice, and peace in the long term. This state is called positive peace.

Positive peace is the absence of direct violence, as well as the structural violence (unequal systems and distribution of power and resources) and cultural violence (harmful social norms or beliefs) that legitimize and underpin it. Unfortunately, there are few resources to educate and inform citizens on how to actively cultivate positive peace.

To address this gap, PartnersGlobal teamed up with Rotary International and the Institute for Economics and Peace to develop a Positive Peace in Action curriculum, which provides tools and exercises for educators, community leaders, and others to teach positive peace.

The curriculum focuses on eight pillars of positive peace: good governance; an equal distribution of resources; free access to information; a stable business environment; high levels of human capital; the acceptance of women’s rights; low levels of corruption; and good relations among neighbors.

In 2019, PartnersGlobal and Rotary International rolled out the curriculum in Colombia, leading more than 200 youth from around the county in learning about positive peace, reflecting on positive peace in their communities, and designing actions to improve the situation. Following the workshops, these young leaders carried out 46 positive peace projects, touching all 8 pillars in 15 of Colombia’s 32 departments.