Center for Research & Dialogue (CRD)
Xarunta Cilmi Baarista iyo Wadatashiga
Overview
The Centre for Research & Dialogue (CRD) is an independent not-for-profit corporation aimed to promote the social, economic & political rebuilding of Somalia. The Centre utilises Participatory Research as a means to facilitate processes of dialogue, consensus building, policy development and institutional capacity building at the national and local levels.
CRD programs bring together actors form local and international institutions, civil society groups, private sector, community leaders, local and international NGOs, and external assistance partners in a consensus-based process for the identification and prioritisation of reconstruction and development need, action-oriented research and problem solving, and development of recommendations for improved policies and practices.
CRD is committed to promoting consensus decision-making at the policy and community level by encouraging and supporting the participation of citizens in the affairs affecting their lives. Beneficiaries of this consensus decision-making processes are the most vulnerable among the society i.e. women and children.
The Center also provides a neutral forum for dialogue and to create opportunities to discuss and address development & reconstruction issues of common concern to the Somali Society.
CRD AV Unit
CRD has advanced Audio Visual Unit that produces documentary films on the contemporary issues of rebuilding Somalia. These documentary films decipher peacebuilding messages receptive to the Somali people. It has extensive archives dating back to 15 years.
Research Unit
CRD has developed a unique research unit with experienced Somali Researchers. This unit is coordinated by highly dedicated Somali Professors. The research Unit has produced number of publications; reports in partnership with UN agencies, World Bank, local universities and some prominent international and local institutions.
Training Center
CRD training unit can utilize over 15 trainers specializing in areas such local governance, capacity building, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, local leadership training, media and human rights, arts for peace etc. The Unit has also produced number of training manuals utilized by a number of agencies.
Partnership
One of the key strengths of the Center is its capacity to develop close partnership with international institutions and higher education institutions and local NGOs. The Centre has successfully implemented a number of projects in partnership with a number of international Institutions. Too numerous to list here.
Approach and methodology
CRD employs a unique variant of Participatory Action research (PAR) methodology. Researchers and social actors join forces in collective research and analysis forming a true partnership. The social actors contribute their knowledge of the issues at stake and the researchers help systematize this knowledge, carry out targeted investigations to complete it, and lead the collective analysis exercise. Social actors, who traditionally are the objects of research, become - at the same time - the active subjects of research.
Building from bottom-up
One of the major strengths of the Centre is local community based peace-building initiative. CRD Participatory Approach brings together key actors from the political, social and economic spectrum, and offers them an informal, relatively private space in which to negotiate critical community issues. As a part of its commitment to peace building, CRD established a venue and a neutral ground for communities in Somalia, particularly the south-central regions, where - for the first time - a local community dialogue was initiated. At the same time, “a bottom-up” approach by CRD encourages an inclusive, a community ownership to problem solving without directly challenging established power relations, by ensuring the participation of a broad cross-section of Somali society, including women and children, in the articulation of peace-building efforts.