About

forumZFD is an International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO), established in 1996. We are working in the field of conflict transformation in eleven countries in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. Get more detailed information about our organisation.

We support communities going through change

Processes of societal change, such as demographic and structural change or the effects of immigration, mean that municipal communities are facing immense challenges today. They bear great responsibility, especially with regard to the reception and integration of refugees, because local communities are living environments in which newly-arrived immigrants and long-established residents coexist and live together. Immigration transforms these local environments, and this may lead to social tension and conflicts that need to be dealt with in a proactive manner.
We support local communities in their attempts to successfully handle processes of change and integration, and to manage tension-riddled situations and conflicts in a sustainable and nonviolent fashion. Hereby, we draw on over twenty years of experience in the fields of peacebuilding and conflict management at home and abroad, as well as our efforts to provide qualification for people working in the field of nonviolent conflict management.

Our “Local Conflict Counselling” approach

With our approach, which we call local conflict counselling, we have been supporting local decision-makers in the development of constructive conflict management since 2006. Local conflict counselling is a process-oriented approach, which incorporates essential elements of systemic counselling and instruments of conflict management and transformation. We look at the challenges on the ground and consider them in their respective, complex contexts. This also involves taking an external perspective and a multi-partial attitude, which create acceptance for suggestions and enable sustainable (re)solutions supported by all parties involved.
We developed the local conflict counselling approach to support municipalities, cities and other local and regional authorities in becoming aware of potential for conflicts, preventing the escalation into violence and discover prospects for the future development of local communities.
 

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Conflicts are part of social coexistence. They pose challenges to local communities but they also offer the chance to actively shape the way we want to live together. Local Conflict Counselling is a tool that helps municipalities address common local conflicts in a process-oriented and sustainable way.

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Contact

forumZFD

Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e. V.

Am Kölner Brett 8

50825 Köln

Team