Regional programme “Dialogue for the Future” spotlights importance of social cohesion

I would like to thank to all participants for a very dynamic and meaningful two-day work, but special thanks to participants of the DFF programme and colleagues who worked hard on DFF in previous two years.

Last two days were a unique opportunity to sum up key results of the programme, achieved jointly by the United Nations and national authorities in Montenegro, Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I believe we all can take pride in a programme which managed to mobilize so much of capacity among people in three countries to work together for common good and development, and to join efforts on capacity building, dialogue and on boosting trust between people – all collectively contributing to social cohesion.

We are more than proud that over 7,500 people were directly involved in project activities. It was truly delightful to see young people, women, journalists, teachers, CSOs, institutions on a joint mission of learning, discussing and truly progressing in overcoming and accepting differences, broadening the specter of connectedness and boosting social cohesion.

Partnership of UN and governments is especially important. Our lasting, committed partnerships have enabled this programme, and have facilitated policy mainstreaming of 40 recommendations solicited form youth, citizens, women, NGOs. The DFF programme is an exemplary model of convening and facilitating dialogue of various stakeholders, but also on sustaining and follow up on the dialogue results through joint work and partnerships among all actors.

It is only through open dialogue and collective action for common good that societies can progress and leave no one behind.

With sincere gratitude to national counterparts in all three countries for excellent cooperation on this important initiative, we in the United Nations remain fully committed to keep this energy, to build up on this momentum and to continue enabling platforms for cooperation and development in the region.

Social cohesion is powerful concept that we should use to remind us to make individual and collective efforts daily, to communicate and collaborate with each other, to use our differences as strengths and to improve accountability and responsiveness of all in our work for and with citizens. Participants of the programme said sena a clear message: “We need to jointly agree on the vision of the society we want to live in and collectively work on achieving that vision.”

Covid-19 crisis has painfully reminded us on the importance of solidarity, working for common good, trust in each other and also in institutions. Social cohesion is therefore critical for communities’ resilience to shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

This crisis has for the most part, unearthed a human spirit, a level of solidarity, a new unity of purpose that has ebbed in this 21st century – within countries and communities and across our diverse world. The post-COVID world needs to take that spirit and energy forward. It needs to become the zeitgeist of our times. Not because it is preferable to unilateralism or isolationism, but because it is the only way we can stay together in this world – safe, free, healthy, prosperous and in harmony with the planet.

As one of young participants of the project said: ‘’Every task seems difficult until you start working on it’’. I believe this was essence of the Dialogue for the Future – convening people to identify common challenges and collaboratively work on their solutions. This generates enormous potential which can lead the region towards substantive transformation for cohesive, sustainable and prosperous future for all.