Connecters for Peace leverages the power of Connecters to combat polarization, and unite people and societies.
The Connecters are a wide and diverse range of sectors of activity that reach massive audiences and bring people and communities together, regardless of their values, beliefs and identity, around a shared purpose or experience.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
Today, societies throughout the world are plagued by polarization.
People are clashing over values, identity, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs…
According to the UNESCO, 75% of the world’s conflicts today have a cultural dimension.
The issues at stake are increasingly prone to extreme views. In fact, we witness major divides between globalists on one end and localists on the other – the “anywheres” vs. the “somewheres”- ; religion vs. secularism; facts vs. fake news; traditional values vs. modernity, to name just a few.
The voices we hear most are precisely those of the extremes who monopolize public discourse, often fired by social media.
OUR CONVICTION
The reality of our societies is that a silent majority of the moderates is out there. A silent majority that does not recognize itself in polarized discourses and is willing to combine various perspectives and make them compatible.
To prevent our societies from clashing and becoming even more fractured, the voice of the silent majority of the moderates must be strengthened.
The role of governments in preventing this is crucial, but insufficient. Intolerance, hate and divides cannot be combated solely through legislative norms. We, at Connecters for Peace, are convinced that you cannot combat hate only with a law against hate, but by touching people’s minds and hearts.
WHO ARE THE CONNECTERS ?
This is where the Connecters come into play. Active across industries, the Connecters thrive in connecting people and engaging massive audiences, regardless of their values, belief, race, identity and culture.
This is where the Connecters come into play. Active across industries, the Connecters thrive in connecting people and engaging massive audiences, regardless of their values, belief, race, identity and culture.
Connecters can become meaningful Peace agents, using their unique convening power to foster respect and peaceful coexistence among people and cultures.
We, at Connecters for Peace, believe and act in support of the United Nations’ SDG 16 which calls to promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
A number of Connecters are already meaningfully engaged in breaking down barriers :
- In 2020, American Express, in partnership with the French Paris Saint Germain football club, launched a massive media campaign celebrating diversity and inclusion.
- As protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement swept the United States, Netflix launched a new “Black Lives Matter” collection to U.S. subscribers, featuring over 45 titles about racial injustice and the experience of Black Americans.
- In the spring of 2021, Uber France launched its campaign “Ni dehors, ni à bord” (« Neither outside, nor on board”), with DDB Agency, against all forms of violence and discrimination.
- Composed of an equal number of Israelis and Palestinian musicians, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has been promoting coexistence and intercultural dialogue for 20 years.
- The movie Invictus (2009), directed by Clint Eastwood, illustrates how sports contributed to unite the fractured South Africa country. It is also an example of the film industry’s ability to raise awareness and convey messages.
Sports, music, the arts, tourism, entertainment, fashion, airlines, telecoms, digital platforms, are part of these industries that can connect people and therefore can play a key role in combating polarization and uniting people and societies.
HOW WE DO WHAT WE DO
We leverage the power of the Connecters to combat polarization and unite people and societies in two ways:
- By identifying, incubating, replicating and scaling up existing Connecters’ actions, and creating a world movement to combat polarization through concrete initiatives.
- By proposing specific and tailored initiatives and campaigns to becoming Connecters.
Connecters for Peace is deliberately an action oriented initiative: no talks; no conferences; no research; no indicators…. ACTION ONLY !