Social Cohesion

Social cohesion is the extent of trust in government and within society and the willingness to participate collectively toward a shared vision of sustainable peace and common development goals. Social cohesion is the glue that holds societies together. Although the Covid-19 virus does not discriminate, its impacts do. The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating the underlying roots of conflict, particularly inequality. Lack of or weakened social cohesion affects a country’s fragility or resilience to crises and shocks. In the case of the pandemic, trust in government and within society and the willingness to participate collectively toward sustainable peace and common development goals may influence response and recovery efforts. The unequal impacts of the crisis risk fraying the delicate social fabric of our societies, vertically and horizontally. To stay ahead of the crisis, efforts to strengthen social cohesion will need to be adapted, extended, and scaled-up to ensure that long-term goals of sustaining peace are met alongside efforts to build resilience and equitable opportunities.