Ten lessons for policymakers and practitioners
Drawing on over a decade of Mercy Corps research across conflict-affected contexts, this brief outlines ten key lessons for how to effectively design, implement, and evaluate social cohesion programs to prevent violence. It emphasizes that social cohesion is multidimensional—encompassing trust, belonging, inclusion, and collective action—and that strengthening horizontal and vertical cohesion together is critical for sustaining peace. The report highlights the importance of locally grounded program design, adaptive implementation, and interventions that combine intergroup contact, participatory governance, and accountable service delivery to address root drivers of division and violence.