Building peace from the ground up: ICO’s model for sustainable change

ICO is engaged in a different kind of peacebuilding.

Our projects aim to create lasting peace by addressing actual needs instead of perceived ones and fostering local resilience through economic opportunity and inclusive governance. We prioritise community voices and emphasise the empowerment of youth and women, economic revitalisation and capacity building.

ICO’s model is shaped by four core principles:

1. Bottom-up approaches: ICO listens to communities, bringing their insights into the process.
2. Empowering young people and women: ICO supports the emergence of future leaders in their societies, by equipping young people and women with tools and skills.
3. Economic revitalisation and job creation: ICO believes that sustainable peace must be built on economic stability.
4. Diplomatic continuity: ICO often picks up where others have left off, filling gaps left by previous peacebuilding efforts.

Through efforts grounded in these principles, we are supporting communities in countries such as Cameroon and Cyprus to work toward self-sustained, peaceful futures. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in ICO’s recent and ongoing projects, which demonstrate the power of this impact-driven and participatory model.

Revitalising hope in Cyprus

Since 2022, ICO has worked with the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Center (CPDC), led by Dr Onurkan Samani, to address the complex Cyprus conflict. The main objective is simple but profound: to support a Cyprus-led solution that reflects the interests and aspirations of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

As part of this work, the CPDC Policy Working Group has fostered strategic discussions among key Cypriot figures. This has encouraged dialogue and mapped out potential areas of alignment in ongoing negotiations. ICO and CPDC’s joint efforts aim to stimulate innovative thinking, engaging voices from both sides of the island. Through partnerships with organisations like the Interdisciplinary Centre for Law, Alternative and Innovative Methods (ICLAIM), ICO is also leading projects to address human rights violations exacerbated by the Cyrus conflict, which is essential for building trust and laying the foundations for reconciliation.

Recognising the UN’s significant peacebuilding work in Cyprus, ICO has collaborated directly with the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus on initiatives like the Building Bridges Project. This brought together Cypriot entrepreneurs to explore opportunities for cross-island investment. It also created dialogue spaces where business professionals could have discussions across community lines, offering a real-world platform for connection and trust-building.

Citizen-led peace

Building on this work, CPDC, ICO’s local partner, has launched the Civic Initiative for an Updated Cyprus Peace Process Design (C-Up), which introduces deliberative democracy to peacebuilding. Supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), this project seeks to engage ordinary Cypriots in shaping solutions to the conflict, placing citizens at the heart of negotiations rather than leaving decisions to political leaders alone. In an inaugural workshop in Nicosia, political stakeholders, civil society members and peace advocates discussed new approaches to citizen engagement. The initiative will continue through focus groups and public consultations, providing a platform for Cypriots to voice their visions for peace.

Elevating women’s voices

The Cyprus Women Bicommunal Coalition (CWBC) brings together women from different communities to advocate for a peace process that reflects the interests and voices of Cypriot women. Working within the UN framework, the CWBC ensures women have a seat at the negotiating table and a prominent role in the peacebuilding process. At its launch event, the coalition underscored the need for urgency in resuming talks and called for a renewed negotiation structure that prioritises inclusivity, particularly the inclusion of female, youth and rural voices.

ICO’s work in Cyprus has been recognised in a UN Security Council report, demonstrating its significance in advancing bi-communal understanding.

Dialogue in Cameroon: building a foundation for peace

ICO’s approach in Cameroon reflects similar values. Through the Capacity Reinforcement to Local Anglophone Councils Programme (CAP), ICO has brought together councils from the north-west and south-west regions for workshops on governance, financial management and transparency. Gender Coordination Committees (GCCs) were established in each council to address issues specific to women and girls, who have been particularly vulnerable to harm in these conflict-affected areas. ICO’s efforts ensure that these councils are not only equipped to govern effectively but are also prepared to engage with and protect their most marginalised constituents.

ICO has also partnered with the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator (PIC) in Cameroon to promote  citizens’ rights in disputes with local and regional authorities. PIC’s complaint procedures have been refined through this collaboration, and support has been provided for community consultations which aim to reinforce trust in government institutions.

Empowering the next generation: education and economic opportunity

Education is a critical component of ICO’s peacebuilding model. In partnership with Management International University (MIU), ICO offers free hybrid courses in entrepreneurship, business and leadership to students in Cameroon. More than 100 students from Cosendai Adventists University have already benefited, and there are plans to expand these opportunities in 2025. By providing accessible, quality education, ICO equips young people with the skills necessary to drive their communities’ economic growth and stability.

Lessons for peacebuilding

ICO’s peacebuilding approach exemplifies how sustainable peace is possible when initiatives are grounded in community involvement, inclusivity and economic opportunity. Its projects show that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of social and economic resilience, where each community member has a stake in their future. By empowering local councils, supporting women-led initiatives, and bridging divides, ICO demonstrates a model of peacebuilding that values cultural understanding, economic growth and genuine community representation.

Sustainable peace can only emerge when communities build it together, addressing their needs and aspirations. By staying true to this vision, ICO sets a precedent for future peacebuilding efforts worldwide – where people are not just recipients of peace but active creators of it.

For more information on ICO, visit internationalcommunities.org.