Why a New Peace Initiative?

Creating Gateways to Stability and Growth

Violence now affects 60 countries and is more widespread than at any point in the post-World War II period.

Across many societies, local leaders, civil society groups, researchers, educators, journalists, and private sector actors are already building community strengths that foster peace. Yet the cumulative effect of these efforts has not been decisive enough. In many countries, local peacebuilding remains fragmented and is not sufficiently connected to national institutions, public policies, research, or capable people working on peace systemically.

The International Fund for Peace is based on a clear hypothesis: when local resilience is strengthened and connected to effective national peace systems, countries will be better able to prevent violence, manage conflict, and create the conditions for stability and growth.

The Fund will bring together talent, financial resources, local knowledge, and strong research to help countries build resilient national peace systems. These systems will leverage the strengths of local initiatives while strengthening the institutions, policies, and leadership needed to address peace nationally and systematically. Over time, national peace strengths should become a normal part of governance.

Well-functioning national peace systems will be a key gateway to many desirable outcomes:

• Governance will be strengthened, enabling line ministries to address challenges to peace earlier and more effectively;

• Local officials and civil society leaders will have greater influence on national peace policies, while national policies will better support local resilience;

• The human security dimensions of climate change will be more clearly recognized and acted upon;

• Private sector investment policies and resources will be encouraged in less secure parts of a country, helping to bolster stability;

• Technologies for peace will be developed to counter misinformation and support truth-seeking on issues of importance to citizens; and

• Formal and informal education, along with journalism, will have new ways to tell the story of practical, win-win solutions.

In sum, the International Fund for Peace will help countries build the national systems needed to make security, stability, and growth more achievable.

A strong group of advisers from around the world, together with a well-placed board and staff, is working to plan, establish, and launch the Fund.