{"id":9428,"date":"2025-10-21T09:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T09:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peace.no\/trust-dialogue\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T13:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T13:37:21","slug":"trust-dialogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/trust-dialogue\/","title":{"rendered":"Trust – the Critical Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chronicle in newspaper El Pais July 18th 2025<\/p>

Henrik Jarholm<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Just as roads, hospitals, water systems, and communication networks are critical infrastructures that guarantee human well-being, trust is the critical infrastructure that enables collaboration between institutions and people. Sometimes, trust also acts as a social and emotional engine, seeking to find hope where it may not be immediately visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The critical infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to recognize that trust is a critical infrastructure, indispensable for institutions to function and to address today\u2019s and tomorrow\u2019s problems. The World Economic Forum, in a recent \u201cFuture of Jobs Report,\u201d states that the world is facing multiple complex crises\u2014or \u201cpolycrises\u201d\u2014and that immediate societal changes are needed to tackle them. People don\u2019t just need to know things to do their jobs; they must also be able to adapt when everything changes, when mistakes are made, or when it\u2019s time to start over. Trust is the sum of emotions that allows us to live without fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all understand the importance of the structures that support our societies, but we don\u2019t always see how deeply interconnected they are and how much they rely on information, collaboration, and trust. Protocols, controls, sanctions, and limits can be created, but a regulatory system on its own cannot enable everyone to collaborate at their full potential. A frightened society cannot be innovative, because it doesn\u2019t dare to explore new paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three pillars of change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To generate the necessary changes, three pillars are required: knowledge, institutions, and will. In Chile, we have institutions and a great deal of knowledge, but in some cases, the will is scattered or absent. Sometimes, what we need is not more diagnostics, but the courage to ask: if we know so much, why don\u2019t we do what needs to be done? A big part of the answer has to do with the lack of trust and collaboration between institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People often ask us, \u201cWhat\u2019s the point of dialogue if we don\u2019t see immediate results?\u201d They\u2019re a bit disappointed when we explain that a dialogue process is not quick\u2014it follows its own rhythm. Rushing doesn\u2019t always lead to results. \u201cI don\u2019t need answers\u2014I need you to listen,\u201d is something we frequently hear between groups with different points of view. Taking the time to engage in dialogue is an investment in that invisible fabric that sustains collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who should we be listening to? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we transform this archipelago of distant people into a more collaborative, more humane, more inclusive country? There\u2019s no doubt we need urgent solutions to problems like corruption, crime, poverty, and others. While it may be tempting to tell your own group that from your shore you can see the whole picture\u2014and that other perspectives don\u2019t matter\u2014none of these islands hold all the answers. When you don\u2019t know the path, it is wise to ask: Where do we want to go, and who should we be listening to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy, but it is possible to build with those who have different pasts. It always starts with some point of connection. \u201cI never thought I\u2019d find myself with someone like you,\u201d we\u2019ve heard in the dialogue workshops we\u2019ve held across the country – and sometimes, there\u2019s an embrace where just before there were opposing sides. Hope lives in those emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeking common ground<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not about all agreeing – our diversity means we experience life in different ways – but what if we built a \u201ccommunity of disagreements,\u201d where thinking differently doesn\u2019t frighten us, and where keeping our differences isn\u2019t the same as living in separate worlds? To put it simply: not all of us support the same football team, but we can agree it\u2019s a beautiful sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the ashes of the most devastating crises, ideas for peace can blossom. One example is the Treaty of Paris, signed in April 1951, which created the European Coal and Steel Community. Among its signatories were the Federal Republic of Germany and France. The Second World War had ended just six years earlier. The pain had not been forgotten; it was still present when they signed an agreement that changed the course of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encounter, not confrontation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges we face are not in the distant future – they\u2019re knocking on the door right now. There is real fear, deep fatigue, and yet we know that within many hearts lives the stubborn hope that we can listen to one another, and that things can get better. Every generation has its turning point, and preparing for peace is an inevitable step. Amid these tectonic shifts, with declining trust in democracy, this is a good moment to ask: Do we keep going as we are, or do we do something different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We sometimes forget that many of the most lasting solutions don\u2019t come from confrontation, but from encounter. As Mahatma Gandhi said: \u201cThe best way to resolve any political or social issue is for the protagonists of opposing views to meet and speak with sincerity and honesty.\u201d Just as we invest in traditional infrastructures, it may be truly visionary to ask: What would happen if we multiplied spaces for dialogue and became a more dialogic society?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Chile, we need to create a permanent meeting point\u2014a reference for dialogue and trust\u2014and why not, one with a regional outlook as well. The urgency is clear. Preparing for peace must be a state policy. It is an inevitable step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alfredo Zamudio is the director of the mission in Chile at the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a translation of the original article published in El Pa\u00eds, on July 18, 2025. The original Spanish version can be found here: https:\/\/elpais.com\/chile\/2025-07-18\/la-infraestructura-critica.html<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the Dialogue project in Chile<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To generate the necessary changes, three pillars are required: knowledge, institutions, and will. In Chile, we have institutions and a great deal of knowledge, but in some cases, the will is scattered or absent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9430,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9428\/revisions\/9430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peace.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}