Sustaining Peace and Prevention

Under the new framework of sustaining peace, adopted in identical General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions (70/262 and 2282 respectively), prevention is central, particularly when it is conceived as a function of sustainable development and inclusive governance. However, under existing dominant paradigms, prevention continues to be defined negatively, largely by its symbiotic relationship to conflict. It is not conceived as a proactive, nationally owned and driven strategy for averting the outbreak of conflict and sustaining peace.

In order to bring about such a conceptual shift, IPI organizes a series of high-level, expert-level and local-level conversations to explore how to promote sustaining peace and prevention as a proactive, nationally owned and driven strategy for averting the outbreak of conflict and sustaining peace. These conversations take place at three levels:

Prevention for Sustaining Peace

As part of an ongoing effort to unpack the conceptual and practical contours of prevention for sustaining peace, IPI, with the support of the government of Germany, has developed a series entitled “Prevention for Sustaining Peace” which brings together ambassadors from member states and other key stakeholders in a series of closed door high-level conversations. These conversations seek to broaden the understanding of prevention as, not merely a tool for managing short-term crises, but rather an approach to sustaining peace in the long term. Seven conversations have been held thus far focusing on a series of topics (downloadable in English and French):

These conversations will continue in the Fall of 2017 and culminate in a final paper unpacking the key themes arising from these conversations over the year.

Applying Sustaining Peace

A second track of work is an expert level series entitled “Applying Sustaining Peace.” This is a series of workshops, conducted in partnership with the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and the NYU Center on International Cooperation, aim to support member states and the UN system to better understanding and implementing sustaining peace in practice. Part one of the series concluded in July 2017. In total, six workshops were held on

This series will continue in 2018 in the same manner with the same agenda to socialize the sustaining peace resolutions and assist in developing the understanding behind the resolutions.”

Local Voices for Sustaining Peace

Across the United Nations system, there is a common agreement that sustaining peace is a shared task and responsibility that needs to be fulfilled by governments and all other national stakeholders, including local actors. National ownership should not be solely understood as concerning the government but a broad range of stakeholders including local individuals, whether they are part of an NGO, belong to a community-based organization, or are unaffiliated citizens. The impact of inclusive processes is considerable; establishing close partnerships with local actors on the ground allows for a better understanding of key concerns and needs. Rather than external actors imposing peacebuilding plans and actions, the main focus should be on supporting national ownership, particularly through strengthening the capacities of national and local actors for more inclusive engagement in the development and implementation of peacebuilding plans and activities.

This initiative to bring local voices to New York, in partnership with Peace Direct, aims to unpack the details of what ‘sustaining peace’ looks like in different parts of the world by hearing from local peacebuilding working toward to sustain peace on the ground. Through a series of workshops and publication, this this initiative aims to unpack views of local peacebuilders around the world and connect that to the policy discussions underway in New York.

To enrich civil society’s contributions to the sustaining peace conversation, IPI is also seeking contributions to its Sustaining Peace Stories Facebook page.

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