PGO - Resilient Communities

OVERVIEW

Resilient Communities (or Somos Comunidad in Spanish) improves community safety and resilience to crime and violence.  The activity builds trust among neighbors, increases confidence in police, and promotes citizen-responsive security to meet the needs of communities.  Resilient Communities also strengthens relational policing methods to build trust between communities and police, and facilitates dialogue between police, communities, and local authorities to respond to local security needs more effectively.  The activity works in 35 violence-affected municipalities in Antioquia, Bolívar, Cauca, Córdoba, Nariño, Norte de Santander, and Sucre.  It runs from October 2020 to September 2025.

GOALS

ENHANCE SOCIAL COHESION

Resilient Communities increases the capacity of civil society organizations, including community councils and traditional Afro-Colombian and indigenous governance structures, to engage state security actors, improve trust, and prevent and respond to crime and violence together.  The activity provides psychosocial support and equips organizations with self-care and self-protection strategies to help communities overcome past violence and mitigate future security risks.  Resilient Communities seeks to elevate and reduce stigma against social leaders and human rights defenders, who play essential leadership roles in communities, often at great personal peril. 

STRENGTHEN CITIZEN-RESPONSIVE SECURITY SYSTEMS

Resilient Communities promotes collaboration between police, communities, and local authorities to effectively prevent, protect, and respond to crime and violence.  The activity assists in the development of citizen-responsive, participatory security plans and crime prevention strategies.  Resilient Communities promotes policing strategies that are inclusive, evidence-based, and responsive to the needs of citizens in target municipalities.  The activity strengthens citizen-responsive security systems to address types of crime and violence most concerning to citizens.

ANTICIPATED RESULTS 

• Design and implement evidence-based crime and violence prevention strategies;
• Help civil society organizations improve their communication and networking capacities; 
• Strengthen psychosocial capacities and self-protection mechanisms in conflict-affected communities;
• Collaborate with the Inspector General’s Office to organize regional spaces to promote social leaders’ human rights;
• Help communities review their security systems and identify risk-factors and prevention strategies through Resilience Dialogues;
• Partner with youth and civil society organizations to host Hablemos de Policía dialogues in the framework of police transformation efforts;
• Design and implement community projects using the Positive Balance Initiative methodology to enhance social cohesion and promote risk-prevention; 
• Support local governments to implement Comprehensive Coexistence and Citizen Security Plans (PISCC) through training and implementation plan reviews; and
• Develop organizational strengthening plans for civil society organizations that include evidence-based strategies to improve Organizational Performance Index scores.