Challenges & Proposals

Participation

Due to the homogeneous structure of the decision-making mechanisms and the lack of a functional knowledge sharing process, the participation of marginal groups in the transformation is observed to be considerably obstructed.

Creating a common language takes time and the interest of decision-makers in more macro issues slow down the process at the local level as they ignore the positive results and solutions that may come from around them.

This means dominant structures do not allow the marginalised communities to implement their solutions directly. 

Gender equality

Internal conflicts due to gender inequality are on the rise.

Thinking innovatively at the intersection of gender equality is priceless for social innovation because many control mechanisms such as clothing, social interaction, freedom of movement, education, work and marriage prevent women from proving their existence.

This can only be made possible if the male-dominated decision-making structures are made to open up the new spaces for women –especially for the representatives of marginalised groups. 

Social injustices

There is little interest in analysing and resolving the root causes of social injustices for sustainable policy recommendations.

According to Ecocity World Summit held between the 22nd and 24th of February 2022, the life expectancy of male people in cities are different from each other according to their class structure. 

Data indicates that the people living in the natural areas of the cities live eight years longer than the people living in the inner-areas of urban spaces. Those in urban areas are mostly representatives of vulnerable and marginalised groups. 

Observations show us that these communities stay out of the green areas because of ghettoization and injustice infrastructures. Furthermore, sustainability projects are also carried out politically, financially etc. by the educated, white and upper middle-class local groups, which are concentrated mostly on high-tech energy transitions or utopian ideas.

Interdisciplinary approach

To find solutions for the root-cause of the problems in the cities, we need help from multiple scientific disciplines (interdisciplinarity), and involve non-academic actors (transdisciplinary) to frame and address these problems.

This may be a chance to co-work together to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies free from fear and violence, which follows the United Nations (UN) 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal No. 11 and climate-action target 13.1 and building peace.

Micro-level peacebuilding methods

We propose micro-level peacebuilding methods from a point of new peace architecture. In this creation process peace within and between persons, within society, between societies, to the mega level within the world is important period.

We may need to propose certain new micro-changes period for example, like building micro peace among neighbours, and within neighbourhoods and cities, which means a call for a contemporary transformative approach like open spaces in the 21st century while understanding and tackling issues. 

Inclusiveness

The success of any peace process from science to practice depends not only on devising a scientific design in which the conflicting interests of all parties can be negotiated and reconciled without violence.

It also depends on a setting that triggers systems-innovation and invites all divergent ideas in which individuals and communities are actively participating rather than a process in which unfit organisational structures still continue to dominate the others. It is important to be inclusive and hear diverse voices and ask questions like; where do privileged and unprivileged people meet and make decisions during the implementation process? 

Transparency

According to UN’s 2020 economic and social session, a transformative change which aims at reducing barriers to participation for specific groups like marginalised segments and the worker class towards achieving the sustainable development goals and building transparent, accountable and inclusive institutions, has the potential to change indifference to interest.

It is important to share resources and knowledge and invite communities to find solutions for themselves by themselves about sustainable consumption behaviours and attitudes for human-wellbeing.