Thank you for taking the time to fill-out this short survey! It is part of a study coordinated by the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) with support from UN Women, to reflect civil society’s work and perspectives on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and the meaning of “sustaining peace”. The survey will be open for responses between April 9th and August 31st.
The "Sustaining Peace" agenda emerged in response to the recommendations of the 2015 review of the UN peacebuilding, and aims to revise the UN’s approach to peacebuilding to ensure it is nationally and locally-owned and led. The Sustaining Peace agenda also calls for the involvement of different stakeholders; and views peace as a long-term goal that needs continued engagement, even when there is no conflict in the country at the moment. It emphasizes the importance of a broad approach to peacebuilding, encompassing all stages of peace, not only the immediate post-conflict reconstruction.
While the agenda is still being shaped, its key tenets can be defined as follows:
1. Universal application – sustaining peace encompasses activities aimed at preventing the outbreak, continuation, escalation and recurrence of violent conflict. As such, it applies to all countries, regardless of whether they experience conflict or not.
2. Inclusivity – the resolutions on sustaining peace include strong emphasis on the important role of women, youth and civil society in sustaining peace and the need to recognize them as agents of peace at all stages and in all aspects of sustaining peace.
3. Long-term vision – working to sustain peace by adapting institutions, norms, attitudes and capacities at all levels of society and continuously adapting them as the context changes.
4. Sustainability – continuous and consistent engagement of all groups of population and conflict actors is central to sustaining peace; sustainable peace also requires sustainable engagement of women throughout the whole cycle of conflict prevention, resolution, peacebuilding and long-term recovery.
5. Local ownership and leadership – the agenda highlights the importance of national ownership and local leadership to effectively sustain peace; ensuring local women and women’s civil society ownership and leadership is particularly important;
6. Comprehensive, coordinated and coherent approach – sustaining peace is a multisectoral task, which requires the breaking down of silos, within and outside the UN system, in governments and civil society. It also requires sustained coordination and engagement among UN agencies, UN intergovernmental bodies such as the General Assembly, Security Council and EcoSoc, national and local governments, women’s organizatins and other civil society actors.
As local leaders, activists and representatives of your local communities, we believe you are the experts and the pioneers in Sustaining Peace, and we want to ensure that your perspectives on sustainable peace, your voice, your work and your achievements shape this new agenda.