The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) is pleased to announce the launch of the Depolarization Community of Practice (DCP): a distinguished cross-disciplinary group of more than 40 global experts coming from sectors as diverse as journalism, technology, diplomacy, religion, science, academia and politics.

IFIT created the DCP out of deep concern at the global rise of polarization and the multiple threats it presents to societies and political systems. It is a phenomenon we describe as a ‘hyper-problem’: the type of problem that makes the solution to every other problem harder. With this concern in mind, the DCP is meant to serve as a catalytic global platform to incubate new research agendas and practice collaborations on depolarization; develop training materials and peer support programs; and facilitate the promotion of field-relevant lessons through online exchanges and presentations.

The DCP is also directly connected to the IFIT Global Forum on Depolarization. This new annual flagship event is a first of its kind and uses a combined knowledge-sharing and problem-solving format, seeking to function as a ‘conveyor belt’ for innovative new practice and research. The first edition of the Global Forum on Depolarization is being held at IFIT HQ in Barcelona later this month.

Together, the DCP and the Global Forum on Depolarization represent the newest phase of the Global Initiative on Polarization: a multiyear collaboration launched in 2022 by IFIT and the Ford Foundation and now expanding to include additional funding partners, such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Templeton World Charity Foundation and Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.

Meet the DCP members

“Polarization is arguably one of the defining challenges of our time, cutting across regions, sectors, and political systems. Yet, the depth and gravity of the challenge are often misunderstood or underestimated, and the solution set remains underdeveloped,” says IFIT founder and executive director Mark Freeman. “Through the Depolarization Community of Practice and accompanying Global Forum, we hope to make important strides in changing the situation, since we know from our global work that unchecked polarization can come to threaten everything – from the ideal of a tolerant society, to the practice of ordinary politics and law-making, to the prospects for peaceful coexistence and basic liberties.”