UN Photo Youth forum in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. WE EXPLAIN | What does the UN Peacebuilding Fund do and why is it important? Peace and Security
Wars regularly become the center of attention of the world community, while their prevention almost never becomes news.
Over the past twenty years, the UN Peacebuilding Fund has consistently helped countries avoid violence, recover from conflict and build a more peaceful future. Today, it is the UN’s main mechanism for investing in the world before crises get out of control. As the first-ever UN Peacebuilding Week begins on Monday, it is especially important to understand what this innovative fund is all about. It is often called the “financial instrument of first resort” – essentially, the UN emergency fund created to strengthen peace.
Who does the fund support
The fund was established by UN member states in 2005. It provides emergency funding to countries facing the threat of conflict or trying to recover from it. Unlike traditional aid programs that can take years to launch, the fund is designed to act quickly when a window of opportunity for peace arises. Its principles have remained unchanged for two decades: it must serve as a fast and flexible tool capable of accelerating change and working under national leadership. UN Photo Indigenous women are involved in peacebuilding in Peru. The Foundation works with governments, local communities, civil society organizations, women’s groups, youth networks and more than twenty UN agencies. His work spans the globe: over the past twenty years he has worked in 75 countries and territories, from Sierra Leone and Colombia to Papua New Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Haiti. Ultimately, its main beneficiaries are ordinary people: communities recovering from war, youth seeking new opportunities, women mediating disputes, and families hoping for a more stable future. The Foundation supports initiatives that help people move toward peace. This includes promoting peace agreements, promoting dialogue and reconciliation among divided communities, restoring basic services and local institutions, creating jobs and economic opportunities in post-conflict areas, and increasing the participation of women and youth in peacebuilding. In other words, it invests in the foundation on which a sustainable world rests. The Fund occupies a unique niche in the UN system: it is risk-taking, willing to act quickly, and supports initiatives that other donors are unable or unwilling to fund. Peacebuilding is not only about ending wars, but also about creating inclusive communities. The foundation’s work covers all regions of the world. In Sierra Leone, he helped secure peaceful elections and strengthen institutions after a devastating civil war. In Papua New Guinea, he supported preparations for the historic Bougainville referendum, in which the people were able to peacefully express their political positions. UN Photo/J. Clark Women in Kadugli, Sudan, have launched a local savings fund as part of an effort to improve the resilience of their community. On the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, the fund helped communities turn disputes over land and water into cooperation and joint development. In Guatemala, he supported indigenous women seeking justice in cases involving wartime sexual violence, leading to a landmark court decision. In the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries, the fund has supported the return of former combatants to civilian life, supported women mediators and strengthened community resilience. Over two decades, the fund has invested nearly $2 billion, funded more than 1,100 projects and supported the work of more than 120 organizations. Demand for its support is growing not only because there are more conflicts, but also because more countries are committed to preventing violence. For twenty years, the Peacebuilding Fund has operated on a simple truth: investing in people and in peace is cheaper, smarter and more humane than reacting after a conflict has already broken out. His work may not make headlines, but for millions of people it means a chance for a more peaceful future.
How and where a fund strengthens peace
