U.S. Institute for Peace funds action-research to learn from Afghanistan's successful communities

Kabul – With a recent grant from the United States Institute of Peace, Future Generations will identify and learn from communities across Afghanistan that have successfully managed their security and development needs in the midst of conflict.  Using an action-research approach centered on the concept of Positive Deviance, the findings will be applied with communities, policymakers, and international actors in order to improve peacebuilding policy and practice. 

The project--Engaging Community Resilience for Security, Development, and Peace in Afghanistan--is based upon the observation that throughout insecure areas of Afghanistan some communities have managed to maintain their peace and development needs. These are cases of positive deviance that offer examples of best practice for wider application. Of particular interest are how relations with insurgents and external actors have been managed.

Certain communities remain oases of peace despite insurgent activities, in come cases relying upon strong traditions of tribal solidarity and social cohesion as a bulwark against insurgent infiltration and co-optation by international military forces. These instances of “positive deviance” deserve to be better understood.

The advantage of the positive deviance approach to complex social problems is that it illuminates contextually- and culturally- relevant strategies and therefore avoids the traditional pitfalls associated with externally conceived solutions. The project will begin with a research phase to identify and learn from 12 successful communities, followed by an implementation phase that will apply new methods and approaches.

To succeed, this project will be designed and implemented as a collaborative learning project of Future Generations Afghanistan and the Future Generations Graduate School. This project will be supported by the Graduate School's Engaging Citizens and Communities in Peacebuilding Research Project, a multiyear initiative with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Research Director, Jason Calder, points out, "Much research focuses on what is not working in Afghanistan and then prescribes a solution, whereas this approach will find and build from local capacities for peace.  There is much strength and resilience within Afghan society that is being underutilized in the pursuit of peace and stability."

A project steering committee consisting of Afghan public sector and nongovernmental organizations will be established to broaden participation in learning activities and facilitate community-level relationships. Other partners include The Positive Deviance Initiative of Tufts University.

Future Generations Afghanistan Country Director, Aziz Hakimi states that: “The 'clear, hold and build' paradigm of counterinsurgency is meeting stiff resistance, whereas building from local strengths is largely untried. With this opportunity, we are in a unique position to change the nature of the development and peacebuilding debate in Afghanistan.”

Future Generations Afghanistan is a registered non-profit organization in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Its mission is to strengthen the resourcefulness of communities, ensure community ownership, and promote partnerships with government for a secure, equitable, and sustainable future. Afghanistan Country Director, Aziz Hakimi, provides distinguished experience and strong leadership bridging the realms of government, media, business, and development.

Future Generations Graduate School is a 501(c)3 non-profit institution of higher education accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools of the Higher Education Policy Commission. The Graduate School offers a Master’s Degree in Applied Community Change and Conservation and supports applied research on community-based approaches to peacebuilding, health, and nature conservation.

For more information:
Future Generations Director of Communications
Traci Hickson, traci@future.org
ph. 304-358-2000

Future Generations Afghanistan Country Director
Aziz Hakimi aziz@future.org

Research Director, Engaging Citizens and Communities in Peace
Future Generations Graduate School
Jason Calder, jason@future.org