On 27 April diplomats and UN officials will gather for a High-Level meeting at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing financing for peacebuilding. This meeting provides an opportunity for Member States to take action to address the widely known funding gaps and make firm commitments to sustainably financing peace. Throughout 2021, the Quaker UN Office carried out research exploring the interface between peace approaches and crisis response, culminating in our report, Building Peace in Times of Crisis. Through over 50 conversations with UN colleagues, diplomats and fellow NGO partners a reoccurring message came through loud and clear – there is an urgent need for sustained and flexible funding of the “P” in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to strengthen UN capacities to contribute to peace in crisis situations, and to work across these fields. In her piece, UN Representative, Megan Schmidt, brings forward the learning and messages from her report that relate to peacebuilding financing across the peace continuum. This includes: ensuring sustainable and flexible UN capacities through funding across the “nexus;” incentivizing financing for programming that is inclusive and meets the needs of communities; and having funding mechanisms that allow staff the flexibility needed to be responsive in complex environments.

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