Learn about how the peacebuilding fund operates and how grassroots peacebuilders can get involved in UN peacebuilding efforts.
by Taylor O’Connor and Mustapha Ali | 20 November 2024
Photo by Meizhi Lang on Unsplash
“Peacebuilding must address not only the symptoms but the root causes of conflict, including inequality, exclusion, and the denial of human rights.” – Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Having worked for many years with grassroots peacebuilders and civil society groups, I now how large a space in our minds the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) can occupy. In my early days back about ten or fifteen years back, the peacebuilding fund and all associated mechanisms of UN peacebuilding architecture were newer entities. For those at the grassroots level it was hard to understand how it operates. It was even harder to understand how grassroots peacebuilders could access the large amounts of funds it allocated or how the fund would impact dynamics of peace and conflict on the ground.
Since then, I’ve encountered many grassroots peacebuilders and civil society groups seeking to understand the same thing. It seems it hasn’t gotten much clearer. Just last year, I was asked by one group to help them get a grant from the UN Peacebuilding Fund and specifically they wanted me to help them with their proposal. With a general understanding that it is hard (if not impossible!) for grassroots groups to access these funds directly, I advised them to follow the flows of money to UN agencies, then try to apply to those agencies for projects in country.
Seeing as how this is rightfully of continual interest to grassroots peacebuilders and civil society groups, I thought I’d look into it a bit so I could provide better advice to my peacebuilder friends and our Everyday Peacebuilding network members. So in this blog post I want to help you learn about how the peacebuilding fund fits within the wider UN peacebuilding systems, how the peacebuilding fund operates, challenges and limitations to the PBF and UN peacebuilding, the PBF’s strategic priority areas, and finally some tips for those interested in the peacebuilding fund.
This blog post covers the PBF and UN peacebuilding. It is part of a series of blog posts I’m writing on peace, politics and structures. Check out other blog posts in this series like the one mapping global peacebuilding networks or the one mapping peacebuilding think tanks and peace research groups. I’ll have other blog posts out shortly that cover peacebuilding infrastructure and others about local, national and regional peacebuilding networks.
Understanding peacebuilding architecture
So to understand how the UN Peacebuilding Fund works, you must first understand peacebuilding architecture. I’ve included a mapping of UN peacebuilding architecture in the next section, but first, let’s cover what peacebuilding architecture is.
Basically, peacebuilding architecture is a fancy way of describing all systems and structures within the UN that are dedicated to peacebuilding. The concept of peacebuilding architecture was first introduced by then Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in his “Agenda for Peace” in 1992. The actual systems and departments that make up what we know of as the UN’s peacebuilding architecture weren’t put in to place until the early 2000s.
A proper definition of peacebuilding architecture below:
Peacebuilding architecture: Peacebuilding architecture refers to the organizational structures, institutions, and frameworks that are put in place to support and facilitate global peacebuilding efforts. It encompasses the coordination, collaboration, and allocation of resources among various actors involved in peacebuilding, including international organizations, national governments, civil society organizations, and local communities. The United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) is a framework developed to support sustainable peace in conflict-affected areas. It includes institutional structures, principles, and practices aimed at preventing relapse into conflict and fostering resilience in fragile states.
Mapping UN peacebuilding architecture
The key elements of the UN’s Peacebuilding Architecture are covered below.
Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) is a core component of the United Nations’ efforts to prevent violent conflict and build sustainable peace. Established in 1992, DPPA’s mandate includes monitoring global political developments to detect crises, supporting the Secretary-General’s peace initiatives, and providing rapid crisis response through mediators and expertise. Its key functions include activities in service to the UN Security Council, coordinating UN electoral assistance, and overseeing global peacebuilding efforts of the UN. They also have activities that promote the rights of the Palestinian People and Decolonization. The DPPA provides oversight and coordination support to a broad array of peacebuilding initiatives, also supported by agencies below and implemented by a wide array of UN agencies are coordinated through the DPPA.
Peacebuilding Commission
Established in 2005, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is an intergovernmental advisory body composed of 31 Member States, founded to support peace efforts in conflict-affected countries. It plays a central role in fostering integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery, institution-building, and sustainable development by bringing together a wide range of actors, including Member States, UN entities, civil society, and international organizations. The PBC also serves as a platform for political advocacy, resource mobilization, and strategic guidance, bridging UN organs and promoting coherent, long-term approaches to sustaining peace.
Peacebuilding Support Office
The Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) was established in 2005 to enhance system-wide coherence and collaboration across the UN and with partners in support of peacebuilding efforts implemented with national partners within countries. It comprises three key components: the Peacebuilding Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund, and the Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships Branch. The PBSO provides strategic advice to the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), manages the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), and develops policies and partnerships to foster an integrated and inclusive approach to sustaining peace.
The Peacebuilding Fund
Established in 2006, the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is the UN’s primary financial instrument for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It works with UN entities, governments, civil society, and multilateral partners to provide comprehenisve financial support to peacebuilding initiatives. To date, the PBF has invested over $1.9 billion to support peacebuilding efforts in more than 60 countries.
Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships Branch
Established in 2018, the Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships Branch is a newer initiative in the UN’s peacebuilding architecture. It works closely with peacebuilding and civil society organizations to strengthening UN capacities for peace by fostering coherence across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus and advancing partnerships with civil society, international organizations, and the private sector. It has led the development of community engagement guidelines through extensive consultations with UN entities and local peacebuilders worldwide. The Branch coordinates key initiatives like the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda and promotes inclusive, collaborative approaches to in peacebuilding.
Department of Peace Operations (United Nations Peacekeeping)
The Department of Peace Operations (DPO), was established in 1992 to maintaining international peace and security through the operation of peacekeeping missions. DPO integrates military, police, and rule of law components, providing operational guidance and fostering collaboration among UN and external entities to implement Security Council mandates. DPO works with the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) across eight regional divisions that cover the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. For the purposes of this blog post, the DBO is less important as its peacekeeping activities are distinct from peacebuilding. A deeper analysis of DPO and peacekeeping will be provided in a separate blog post.
Understand how the Peacebuilding Fund operates
The Peacebuilding Fund is designed to provide rapid, flexible, and targeted funding for peacebuilding initiatives to respond quickly to fast-moving conflict dynamics. They also provide funding to bridge gaps between humanitarian aid, development assistance, and peace efforts. The PBF focuses on projects that address immediate priorities, strengthen national and local capacities for peace, and foster long-term stability in peace efforts. It works closely with governments, civil society, and UN entities to align its funding with national peacebuilding strategies and global UN peace objectives.
The PBF’s funding priorities are guided by UN global strategy and priorities and informed by national level conflict analyses and consultations with key stakeholders. Special emphasis is placed on promoting inclusive peace processes, addressing the root causes of conflict, and fostering social cohesion. It also prioritizes gender-sensitive and youth-focused initiatives, recognizing the vital roles women and young people play in sustaining peace. The PBF operates through two main funding mechanisms: the Immediate Response Facility (IRF), which provides rapid funding for urgent needs, and the Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility (PRF), which supports longer-term, more comprehensive peacebuilding programs.
The PBF delivers funds to UN agencies, governments, and local organizations to implement projects on the ground. It emphasizes joint programming and collaboration among multiple actors to maximize impact and ensure sustainability. The fund incentivizes partnerships and innovative approaches, often stepping in where traditional funding mechanisms are unavailable or too slow to respond. Civil society groups that seek to access PBF funds may often more easily access them through partnerships and applying for grants from key UN agencies that manage peacebuilding efforts funded by the PBF. UNDP by far receives the highest amount of funding from PBF (58.9 million USD in 2023), followed by IOM (at 22.4 million) and UNFPA (at 16.5 million). UN Women, OHCHR, UNICEF, FAO, UNESCO, UNOPS and UNHCR also receive funds from the PBF.
Challenges and limitations of the Peacebuilding Fund and UN Peacebuilding Architecture
Throughout years since the PBF began (2006), local peacebuilding groups have raised concerns about significant challenges and limitations in how the Fund operates, particularly its ability to meet the needs of communities directly affected by conflict. While playing a critical role in financing peacebuilding initiatives, while managing peacebuilding efforts worldwide the Fund often overlooks the priorities of civil society groups in favor of larger, more visible projects led by international NGOs and government partners. For local organizations, this resource gap creates significant barriers to accessing the support needed to address pressing peacebuilding challenges at the community level.
One of the main frustrations for local groups is the difficulty in accessing PBF funding due to bureaucratic hurdles and top-down decision-making processes. Most of the Fund’s resources are channeled through UN agencies or government partners, leaving local actors marginalized in designing and implementing initiatives. This system undermines local ownership and risks creating programs that fail to address the needs of the communities they aim to serve. Local groups also point out that their exclusion from funding limits their capacity to sustain ongoing grassroots peacebuilding efforts, despite their deep understanding of the local context and trust within their communities.
Local peacebuilders and grassroots peacebuilding groups and networks advocate for the PBF to prioritize localization by making direct funding accessible to grassroots organizations and ensuring local voices are central to decision-making. They argue that true peacebuilding happens at the community level and requires empowering those most affected by conflict to lead. Localization would mean simplifying funding processes, creating space for local actors in planning and implementation, and ensuring that resources are directed to community-driven solutions. These changes, local peacebuilders believe, are essential for making the PBF more effective, sustainable, and accountable to the people it aims to support.
Responding to challenges
In response to civil society advocacy the Peacebuilding Fund has made efforts to address some of these abovementioned challenges. It seems that the Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships Branch is a response to this advocacy as civil society groups like the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), the International Peace Institute (IPI) and the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) are all part of its working group. Also, a big part of this branch is strengthening the fund’s efforts to bringing together peace, humanitarian, and development groups to ensure that their efforts are aligned and work together, helping to make lasting progress in conflict-affected areas.
In addition, recent resolutions by the UN have called for a comprehensive review of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture which is set to take place in 2025. The review will evaluate how the UN has been working to build and maintain peace around the world, through this peacebuilding architecture. It will look at what has been achieved so far, especially in areas where peacebuilding efforts are happening on the ground. The review will also focus on finding ways to make the UN’s peacebuilding work more effective in preventing and addressing conflicts.
Understand the UN Peacebuilding Fund’s strategy
Understanding the PBF’s strategy is key for grassroots peacebuilders and civil society organizations interested to access grants from the fund and/or to collaborate with UN agencies carrying out programming in support of the fund’s strategy.
So the current strategy of 2020 – 2024 allocates funding in support of the four focus areas outlined below:
- Implementing Peace Agreements: The fund supports inclusive political processes, local mediation efforts, and women’s participation to sustain peace agreements and complement UN Missions.
- Dialogue and Coexistence: The fund promotes reconciliation, inclusion, and resilience to address conflict drivers and build peaceful governance.
- Peace Dividends: The fund facilitates equitable access to jobs and services, targeting marginalized groups and fostering partnerships for economic inclusion.
- Basic Services: The fund strengthens state capacity and local governance to extend services, build trust, and scale peacebuilding initiatives.
Understanding these is key to finding ways your organization can collaborate with UN peacebuilding efforts. I expect a new strategy should come out soon for 2025, and I’ll try to update this when it does, but for now, I hope this is helpful.
Tips for those interested in the peacebuilding fund
Here’s a condensed version of the key lessons for civil society groups seeking funding from PBF:
- Learn about the PBF Funding Mechanisms: Understand the Immediate Response Facility (IRF) for urgent needs and the Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility (PRF) for long-term programs to see which is appropriate for your organization.
- Ensure that PBF funds projects in your country: The fund supports projects in approximately 40 conflict-affected countries. Check their website for updated information about which countries will receive funding.
- Ensure that your efforts align with PBF priorities: Check PBF’s strategic plan and review their priority funding areas to see if your peace efforts are aligned.
- Partner with UN Agencies in your country: Collaborate with key UN entities like UNDP, IOM, or UNFPA, as most PBF funding flows through these agencies.
- Advocate for Localization and highlight your local expertise: Support campaigns for simplified funding processes and direct access for grassroots organizations. And when you apply for PBF funds, highlight your local networks, relationships and knowlede of conflcit dynamics. And stress the importance of community-driven solutions for peacebuidling sustainability.
- Engage in peacebuilding networks and platforms: Join consultations and partnerships led by the Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships Branch to influence funding priorities and learn about opportunities. And try to get connected when the 2025 review is happening. Get your organization registered in GPPAC’s peace portal.
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