On Monday, May 12, 2025 Search for Common Ground (SFCG), in collaboration with the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), launched the Common Ground Leadership Academy Curriculum Development Workshop, in Doha.
The five-day workshop brings together a diverse group of peacebuilding practitioners, educators, and program designers to co-create a transformational leadership curriculum under the Common Ground Leadership Academy (CGLA). The Academy is an SFCG global initiative aimed at developing inclusive, adaptive, and systems-thinking leaders equipped to promote peace and cooperation across conflict-affected regions.
The opening session featured welcoming remarks by Dr. Ghassan Elkahlout, Director of CHS, and a member of SFCG President's Leadership Council, who introduced the Center and emphasized the importance of partnerships with SFCG in strengthening humanitarian leadership and promoting evidence-based practice in peacebuilding. Dr. Elkahlout underscored CHS's commitment to supporting interdisciplinary, locally grounded approaches to conflict resolution and recovery.
As part of the workshop, CHS will host a 90-minute pilot training session for its researchers in addition to post-graduate students from the Conflict Management and Humanitarian Action program at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. The interactive session will provide a testing space for key curriculum elements and encourage cross-learning between experienced practitioners and emerging scholars.
Throughout the week, participants will collaboratively refine the Academy's structure, learning outcomes, and adaptation strategies for broader implementation across SFCG's global network and partner institutions.