With a Quarter of the World Directly Affected by Violent Conflict, a Surge in Investment in Prevention and Peacebuilding is a Must
To better prevent and address increasing geopolitical polarization and multi-layered conflicts, the Secretary-General stresses the need for national and cross-border peacebuilding strategies, coupled with increased financing for peace.
The Secretary-General’s latest report on peacebuilding and sustaining peace outlines the measures to be taken to support peacebuilding efforts against the current global surge in conflict, geopolitical polarization and militarization.
With two billion people living in places affected by conflict, the report calls for reinforced investment in fostering a culture of peace, with peacebuilding programmes at both national and international level, in line with the Secretary-General’s policy brief A New Agenda for Peace.
National and cross-border strategies
“National prevention strategies could help rally different national stakeholders — governments as well as civil society — around common priorities,” explained Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Elizabeth Spehar. “This would help promote social cohesion and strengthen national infrastructures for peace,” she added.
Alongside national frameworks, the report stresses the need for strategies with cross-border dimensions to address threats going beyond state borders. This is increasingly the case, for instance, for climate-related risks.
“National-level action alone is often insufficient to address the drivers of conflict and violence. We need regional frameworks and organizations that promote trust-building, transparency and détente,” the report reads.
“To be successful, these strategies should be genuinely inclusive and empower marginalized groups, youth and forcibly displaced people,” the report adds, stressing the importance of engaging civil society and boost women’s participation in peace and political processes.
Investing in peacebuilding
To be effective, peacebuilding strategies also require appropriate resources. “Funding peacebuilding is what translates commitment and strategies into impact on the ground,” ASG Spehar said.
Yet, investments remain scarce. Underfunding also affects UN tools for peacebuilding support. For instance, in recent years, voluntary contributions to the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) have been declining.
The Fund is the leading instrument to invest in prevention and peacebuilding projects across the UN system and in partnership with national and regional authorities, civil society and multilateral banks. One of its initiatives, the Women for Water and Peace (W4WP) project, recently trained 200 young women and 45 women leaders to manage water kiosks equipped with solar powered purification systems in Freetown.
Overall, as highlighted in the PBF annual report published in March last year, the Fund continues to receive more demand than it can support.
In recent years, UN mission drawdowns have also affected the UN capacity and funding for peacebuilding, while budget constraints have impacted the deployment of Peace and Development Advisors in UN Country Teams.
According to the report, increased investments as well as partnerships with International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the private sector could help address the financing gap and allow the UN to carry on supporting Member States at their request.
Strengthening capacity
To better measure the impact of peacebuilding efforts, the report also stresses the need for impartial and credible data sources, calling on Member States to strengthen the capacity of the Peacebuilding Impact Hub, a platform bringing together UN entities, governments, civil society, and other actors.
The Hub gathers data and evidence on peacebuilding and can support national efforts through operational, political, and strategic insights.
In the report, the Secretary-General also calls for more resources to support the work of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the entity supporting Member States’ prevention and peacebuilding strategies, and suggests increasing its advisory role to the Security Council.
“The United Nations, with its unique tools, expertise and networks can play a pivotal role in supporting prevention and peacebuilding efforts globally,” Spehar said. “Amidst increasing polarization, strengthening those tools is critical to achieving this mission.”
