UNITED NATIONS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDELINES ON PEACEBUILDING AND SUSTAINING PEACE

Local civil society actors, including women and youth, are often primary agents of peacebuilding, playing key roles in conflict-affected societies and in situations of extreme fragility or transition. They are critical in promoting confidence and trust, encouraging cooperation, creating incentives for
collective action and ensuring that efforts are adapted to local and national contexts. Their contributions range from providing basic services to enhancing cohesion and stability; from enabling communities to influence social norms to mediating relationships between the government and
people through dialogue or mechanisms for state accountability.