Awa Dabo, Director and Deputy Head, Peacebuilding Support Office, DPPA

As 2024 draws to a close, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) reflects on a year marked by significant milestones and initiatives, amidst global efforts to promote peace and stability.

The Secretary-General’s report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, published last week, highlights a surge in conflicts, a growing climate crisis, social injustice and rising economic disparities – all of which disproportionally affect the most vulnerable and marginalized. It notes the increasing pressures on civic space, undermining and constraining human rights, reconciliation, and inclusive, and credible elections and political processes. Rapidly developing technologies that can positively transform society are also powerful communication tools for hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation, and further exposing the insufficiency of existing governance frameworks.

The report notes that a transition is underway to a new global order, with multipolarity as a defining trait. States increasingly seek to enhance their strategic independence, while trying to create avenues to engage across divisions. The adoption of the Pact for the Future provides renewed pathways for strengthened multilateralism, with the 2025 Review of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture (2025 PBAR) providing an opportunity to sustain this momentum.

2024 also marked the informal phase of the 2025 PBAR. In addition to supporting the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in organizing meetings on the Review, PBSO provided advice to Member States, UN entities and Civil Society Organizations on regional and thematic consultations. The outcome of these initiatives was considered in the report of the Secretary-General on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, of which PBSO was the penholder, and will serve as an input into the formal phase of the 2025 PBAR. The informal phase highlighted many priorities for the 2025 PBAR, including the importance of national ownership and prevention, inclusivity, sustained financing, and coherence within the UN and with key partners, especially in the context of transition settings. Further, it highlighted that human rights’ full realization protects against marginalization, discrimination and exclusion, and without which we can see early indicators of deteriorating situations, and the potential emergence of violence. Human rights can serve as a practical problem-solving tool to support efforts in prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace at all stages.

In 2024, the PBC Support Branch supported the PBC to address its priority areas, including broadening its geographical scope of work, fostering national ownership and inclusivity, promoting UN coherence and follow-up, building effective partnerships, advocating for peacebuilding financing, enhancing its advisory, bridging, and convening roles, and emphasizing accountability. Following a demand-driven and consultative process, new countries, namely São Tomé and Príncipe, Guatemala, and Mauritania, were engaged and considered during the PBC’s 2024 session. The PBC equally convened meetings on peacebuilding efforts in the Central African Republic, Colombia, and Liberia, and separately provided advice to the Security Council in relation to South Sudan and to the Great Lakes region of Africa.

In complement to country-specific and regionally focused meetings, the PBC further convened stakeholders on thematic matters to share experiences and best practices and deepen understanding of and momentum behind cross-cutting issues. In March, for example, the PBC invited Kenya, Norway, and Timor-Leste to brief on their respective strategies to build and sustain peace by addressing the root causes of conflict. In July and in December, the PBC discussed the crisis of forced displacement around the world. The PBC also issued advice to the Economic and Social Council on facilitating orderly transitions from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. It further remained actively seized of the WPS and YPS agendas, weaving regard for women and youth inclusion throughout its activities.

Furthermore, the PBC sought to deepen its partnership with international financial institutions and regional organization, such as with the African Union and its Peace and Security Council. These efforts included institutionalizing an annual joint implementation matrix on peacebuilding and sustaining peace outcomes, developing a multidisciplinary approach to conflict prevention, supporting national peacebuilding and prevention strategies, and investing in socio-economic development and resilience to prevent conflict relapse. This collaboration supports the advancement of the revised African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy. In May, the PBC agreed to issue a standing invitation to the AU to participate in all its meetings.

In 2024, the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) is set to approve over 40 projects across more than 20 countries and territories. Once again, over 30 percent of allocations will support gender-responsive peacebuilding, surpassing our target for the fifth consecutive year.

Overall, the PBF directed the largest shares of its investments to West Africa (34%), Latin America and the Caribbean (22%), and Central and Southern Africa (21%). A key focus remains the PBF’s efforts to support UN mission transitions settings, in which more than 30% of funds are allocated in 2024. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Fund is financing protection-related initiatives in South Kivu, where MONUSCO has withdrawn. In Somalia, programmes are focused on religious networks and newly recovered areas. Additionally, the PBF is planning a cross-border investment in the border areas of Mauritania, Mali, and Senegal, focusing on water management, climate security, and peacebuilding. And in Haiti, through the Immediate Response Facility (IRF), the Fund provided support to OHCHR to address the human rights dimensions of the Multinational Security Support (MSS).

The Fund prioritized youth empowerment in its 2024 initiatives. In Sierra Leone, for example, Okada bike (taxi) riders were supported to become agents of peace through skills-building to engage constructively with police and authorities, and promote peace within their communities, particularly during electoral periods.

Other key achievements for PBSO’s stewardship of the Peacebuilding Fund included publishing in partnership with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Switzerland, a PBF Thematic Review on the Synergies between Human Rights and Peacebuilding in PBF-supported programming; portfolio evaluations in five countries (the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)); the planning of the first round of $50 million core contribution from assessed contributions to the PBF in 2025, revision of the Terms of Reference;  and appointment by the Secretary-General of the  Eighth Advisory Group of Fund.

PBSO continued to play its critical “hinge” role between the UN’s peace and security, development, humanitarian and human rights pillars. PBSO chaired monthly meetings of the Peacebuilding Contact and Strategy Groups, providing a platform for strategic alignment between Secretariat entities and agencies, funds and programs. PBSO, on behalf of DPPA, co-chaired the newly established Joint Steering Committee on humanitarian and development coordination and developed joint work plans with 16 other UN entities for greater policy and operational synergies on Peacebuilding.

On December 12-13, DPPA/PBSO and Interpeace co-hosted the 2024 Civil Society Organization (CSO)-UN Dialogue on Peacebuilding at UN Headquarters. This second annual Dialogue contributed to preparations for the 2025 PBAR and to the operationalization of the Pact for the Future, highlighting conflict prevention as the overarching theme. More than 160 civil society representatives from all region - over 50% women and almost 20% youth—actively participated in person, with regional representation as follows: 37% Africa, 23% Asia-Pacific, 7% Eastern Europe, 14% Latin America and the Caribbean, and 19% Western Europe and others.

PBSO scale up its advocacy efforts to support the YPS agenda, on behalf of DPPA. PBSO co-drafted the third Report of the Secretary General on YPS with UNFPA and the UN Youth Office which was published in February and provided key updates on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015). The reported highlighted progress on the institutionalization of the agenda with many Member States and regional organizations developing new youth inclusion strategies and initiatives. PBSO drafted DPPA’s first YPS Strategy in 2024, aiming to support youth inclusion in political and peacebuilding initiatives globally, including organizing two Security Council debates focused on youth in April and May.

In a new initiative, DPPA/PBSO and the World Bank’s Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group jointly reviewed progress in national prevention and transition plans in four pilot contexts (Benin, Burundi Chad and The Gambia) eligible for renewal of financing through the IDA20 Prevention and Resilience Allocation (PRA) and its sister instrument the Turn Around Allocation (TAA).

Meanwhile, PBSO expanded its partnerships with international and financial institutions, concluding joint workplans with fragility teams at the African, Asian and Islamic Development Banks. We look forward to the Inter-American Bank briefing the PBC in January on its new fragility framework.

The Investing for Peace (I4P) initiative, in partnership with the German Federal Foreign Office and UN Capital Development Fund, successfully completed Phase one of operationalization in this first year – which includes development of a donor engagement strategy for DFIs, impact investors, and foundations. 

Following DPPA’s first participation as key a stakeholder at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum and joining the Steering Committee on Solutions to Internal Displacement in early 2024, PBSO led advocacy efforts for more focused attention to the peace and security dimensions of forced displacement. PBSO co-drafted the third Report of the Secretary General on Youth, Peace and Security, published in February, and provided key updates on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015).

As we close 2024, the Peacebuilding Impact Hub marks its one-year anniversary since launching in December 2023. This year, the Hub has developed a working draft of the inaugural Global Overview Report on peacebuilding – with strategic inputs from a diverse, high-level editorial board including Interpeace, World Bank, CCCPA, Inclusive Peace, ZIP, UN Women, Amani Africa with inputs from within the UN system, IFIs and civil society. The hub has established a dedicated communications task force to support strategic communication efforts on peacebuilding. The hub convened UN, Member States and other partners for two events to better measure peacebuilding impact: launch of the impact evaluation for Sudan in April, and on exploring new ways to understand and measure risks of violence with a presentation by CIC on new research on protective and risk factors. Alongside, the Hub also developed an initial concept note for a dedicated data platform on peacebuilding. A “national spotlight” deep-dive exercise has been launched in partnership with the Gambia government and RCO with a focus on transitional justice efforts.

As we look ahead to 2025, we remain steadfast in our commitment to foster collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation to address the complex challenges of peacebuilding and sustain momentum towards a more peaceful and equitable world.