Agency official at United Nations urges more funding for Peacebuilding Fund, cites $2 billion invested

An Agency official at the United Nations said the world faces "record level[s] of conflicts" and urged more donor support for the UN Peacebuilding Fund, which the official said "has now invested over $2 billion across the world since 2006."

The official told listeners that peacebuilding aims to address root causes of conflict by rebuilding institutions and livelihoods, advancing reconciliation and transitional justice, and supporting national ownership of recovery processes. "Peacebuilding is designed to try to help member states to address that," the official said.

As evidence of current need, the speaker cited an estimate that about "20,000 people a month" could lose their lives to violent conflict this year, and argued that the fund’s work spans the peace continuum — before, during and after conflict — to reduce that toll.

The official described how the Peacebuilding Fund channels support through the UN system, noting resources have reached 75 countries "through 24 UN entities" and involved "over 80 civil society organizations." The speaker named country examples where the Fund has supported implementation of peace agreements and dialogue processes, including Colombia, Guatemala, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

On coordination with peace operations, the official said the Fund works with UN peacekeeping missions to help preserve gains as missions transition, citing MINUSCA in the Central African Republic as an example where this coordination is important.

The official framed increased peacebuilding finance as a high-return investment, saying "the world is ripe for more peacebuilding funding" and characterizing investment in the Fund as "the smartest investment that we can make."

The briefing concluded with an appeal for donors to sustain and expand resources so the Fund can continue supporting Member States across the different stages of conflict and post-conflict recovery.