Conflicts—whether armed wars, political strife, ethnic tensions or social unrest—deeply affect civil society, disrupting economies, governance, and daily life. Civil society plays a crucial role in promoting identity, stability, humanitarian aid, and rebuilding efforts. However, conflicts weaken social structures, erode trust, and create long-term instability. Civilians often face displacement, casualities, and limited access to healthcare and education. Refugee crises overwhelmes neighboring countries and infrastructure destruction further isolates affected communities, making recovery difficult. Conflicts also undermine governance and the rule of law. In war-torn regions, state institutions weaken, leading to corruption, lawlessness, and power vacuums that extremist groups or warlords exploit. Economically, conflicts disrupt trade, destroy industries, and reduce employment opportunities, increasing poverty and social inequality.
While conflicts bring destruction, they also highlight the resilience of civil society in promoting recovery, reconciliation, and long-term stability, perhaps experiences which incite not to repeat history. This panel adresses how civil society and regimes recover or not from conflicts.
