Our priorities
In a world where conflicts are becoming more protracted, complicated and common, existing frameworks for peacemaking are no longer capable of delivering lasting, inclusive peace. A new approach is needed.
| BRIDGING THE GAPS
PRIORITY AREA 1 | EFFECTIVENESS
The Principles for Peace (P4P) Foundation provides the missing strategic middle in the peacemaking ecosystem, bridging two key gaps in the field – between what is known and what is done and in measuring the quality and the trajectory of peace engagements and their outcomes..
We co-produce data-driven metrics to inform policy developments and to influence financing decisions, including sense-making exercises and contextualised Participatory Periodic Reviews for Peace (PPR).
The P4P feedback loop is an evidence-based and actionable guidance for decision-makers to course correct and show return of their investment in peace. Designed to support effective policy decisions, it can also influence the multilateral system, as well as national, regional, and international actors, including specific constituencies and communities of practice (e.g., stabilisation actors, business actors, parliamentarians, and donors). The P4P feedback loop is an approach that includes a variety of evidence-generating activities, according to the needs of the contexts and the shared analysis of our partners, including multi-stakeholder convenings, peacegaming, shared metrics and analysis, and simulation and sense-making exercises
A guidance for decision-makers to course correct and show return of their investment peace
Co-create a comprehensive understanding of
the peace landscape, catalyse global dialogue, and plan for joint advocacy.
At the global level, the feedback loop is a strategic capability to conduct trend reviews and shared analysis using both existing datasets and the Principles for Peace as a lens to assess on the state and the trajectory of peace processes and the outcomes of peacebuilding and peacemaking efforts over time. The P4P Global Trend Review also simplifies complex data and distils it in policy-oriented advice to influence high level decision-making, policy, financing and peace and security strategies. The review involves partners’ collaboration to co-create a comprehensive understanding of the peace landscape, catalyse global dialogue, and plan for joint advocacy.
At the national level, the feedback loop is a diagnostic tool rooted in the Principles that helps our partners to assess the quality and the trajectory of specific peace engagements and to generate both horizontal and vertical accountability. We facilitate sense-making for our partners and course correction for decision-makers to ensure sustainable peace outcomes. We convene partners to co-develop shared analysis and metrics and catalyse a common understanding of the state of peace processes to allow decision-makers to course correct, learn in real time, and adapt their peace strategies.
Assess the quality and the trajectory of specific peace engagements
We bridge the gap between data, relevant and actionable knowledge, and decision-making. This allows decision-makers to assess both the trajectory and the quality of peace engage-ments and the efficacy of their plans and scenarios and to change course as appropriate or to demonstrate return on their invest-ment in peace processes. We aim at enabling continuous learning and evaluation of progress at the global, regional, and country le-vel and moving beyond current approaches focusing on project-level and end-of-cycle approaches. We do this in a collaborative way, drawing on our broad alliance of partners and engaging with a multitude of actors from government, civil society, academia.
| OUTCOME
OUTPUTS |
| STANDARD SETTING AND CONVENING POWER
PRIORITY AREA 2 | SYSTEM CHANGE
The Principles for Peace (P4P) Foundation is a catalyst and synergist of partnerships. We work to advance the peace eco-system and promote greater solidarity, humility, and subsidiarity in peace actions, approaches, and strategies. We ensure that voices from outside the traditional centres of power are at the forefront.
We promote unity of vision and purpose around the new approach and narrative en-shrined in the Principles for Peace and their associated tools and metrics.
We build awareness and recognition and advocate for adop-tion of the Principles among key target audiences through political advocacy and joint action with our partners, inclu-ding high-level gatherings.
We catalyse and expand the community of practice and a glo-bal alliance around the Principles, through building authentic and equitable partnerships.
We embrace an ecosystems approach, promoting collective action around peace among actors representing diverse sec-tors based on the framework of the Principles for Peace.
To build awareness and adoption of the Principles for Peace, we work to anchor them in the global system by engaging UN bodies, including the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Peacebuilding Commission and Support Office. We organise bilateral meetings and brie-fings, facilitate targeted convenings, produce policy briefs, and contribute to consultative processes to demonstrate the relevance and practical applications of the Principles to advance global policy agendas. To bolster these efforts, we mobilise a core group of member states, including countries in conflict, post-conflict, or prevention settings, along with peace and security donors, to form cross-regio-nal alliances and jointly promote the Principles within the intergovernmental space. We ensure that this represents a global and inclusive movement and that diverse perspec-tives are represented.
We ensure that this represents a global and inclusive move-ment and that diver-se perspectives are represented.
To build awareness and adoption of the Principles for Peace, we work to anchor them in the global system by engaging UN bodies, including the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Peacebuilding Commission and Support Office. We organise bilateral meetings and brie-fings, facilitate targeted convenings, produce policy briefs, and contribute to consultative processes to demonstrate the relevance and practical applications of the Principles to advance global policy agendas. To bolster these efforts, we mobilise a core group of member states, including countries in conflict, post-conflict, or prevention settings, along with peace and security donors, to form cross-regio-nal alliances and jointly promote the Principles within the intergovernmental space. We ensure that this represents a global and inclusive movement and that diverse perspec-tives are represented.
We also work to increase our visibility, awareness and uptake of the Principles at regional and coun-try level through bilateral and multilateral engagement with member states and regional organisa-tions. Such work includes targeted advocacy through briefings and convenings, accompaniment of government partners in strategic reflections and planning on their peace and security approa-ches, as well as participation in high-level international events. Targeted actors at regional level
include the African Union, East African Commission, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the European Union. At country level, we engage and mobilise a diverse group of states involved in peace and security initiatives, to recognise and adopt the Principles for Peace as part of their own policy and practice.
Our efforts to strengthen and expand the global alliance around the Principles and to catalyse collective action draw on our robust global network that spans diplomatic, political, security, and development sectors. The multi-stake-holder coalition at the core of our mission enables us to act as a connective tissue, linking partners and networks across different levels around a shared set of standards, promoting equitable partnerships between local and international actors, and bridging the gap between realpolitik and real society and between academia and practice. We build on the work of the Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agendas, and advance their implementation through our advocacy and alliance building.
The P4P Stakeholder Platform is a key element of our strategic approach to systemic change. Composed of a broad network of key stakeholders from local, regional, and international organisations and networks, research institutes, think tanks, academia, and UN agencies, it played a foundational role in the development of the Peacemaking Covenant and the Principles for Peace, informing both the process and outputs. The
We encourage collective action for advocacy around the Principles at the global, regional, and national levels, as well as nurture partnerships to im-plement and measure the Principles in particular contexts or among par-ticular constituencies (see priority areas 1 and 3). We remain committed to
All of our work to increase knowledge and acceptance of the Principles is reinforced by strategic communications out-puts that showcase their relevance and application to emerging global, regional and national peace and security debates and developments.
Our strategy is built on continuous engagement with a broad range of actors, including the usual and unusual suspects, to build unity of vision and purpose. As an adaptive and nimble organisation, we will update our advocacy strategy and target stakeholders in light of emerging opportunities and peace and conflict dynamics, with particular attention to di-versity and representation in our partnerships. Our advocacy and external engagement will also support institutional de-velopment, through generating interest, support and financing for the Foundation from diverse actors, including donor countries, the private sector, and philanthropic institutions.
| ROLLOUTS AND PRACTICAL TOOLS
PRIORITY AREA 3 | ACCOMPANIMENT
The Principles for Peace (P4P) Foundation supports peace processes at different stages of implementation, by accompanying initiatives led by our partners at the country-level (rollouts) as well as specific constituencies involved in peacemaking efforts, including institutional peacebuilding partners, mediators,
security actors, parliamentarians, the
diplomatic community, and civil
society organisations, women
and youth peacebuilders and
civil society organisations.
We enable international and national peacebuilding actors to reach a common reading of the challenges to peace and to converge towards common analysis, shared methodologies, and joint plans of action.
We co-create institutional tools for uptake by our partners’ staffers worldwide that are innovative, adaptable, and tailored to different constituencies and contexts to support decision-making at crucial forks in the road.
We lead the development of practical tools, including playbooks, peacegaming, horizon scanning, training, and simulation exercises to enhance decision-making capabilities and test and refine peace-making strategies and plans.
We disseminate the lessons learnt on what works in peacemaking and peacebuilding through applying the Principles in specific contexts.
each context. From there, we inform approaches that are fit for
purpose while serving more actors and making the peace field more participatory.
We articulate the Principles into concrete accompaniment strategies for national and international partners to enhance the effectiveness of specific peace processes.
We support and guide in-country processes or specific constituencies and offer the Principles as a framework, a set of standards, and a diagnostic tool to ad-vance peace in their context, and plan for into joint action and programming. We integrate elements of collaborative learning, risk assessment, joint manage-ment, and exchange among partners, including South-to-South and local co-operation.
We develop context-specific, constituency-tailored,
practical tools for the different stakeholders in our network. Our com-prehensive support encompasses a range of tools, innovative methodologies, and practical measures, such as peacegaming, scenario simulations, playbooks for staffers and practitioners, and independent convenings to catalyse dialogue and training.
The uptake of the Principles is voluntary and a large group of peace actors are already adopting them and seeking to infuse their practices with them. Our next objective is for multilateral institutions and donors to adopt the Principles and tie their procedures, funding, program design, implementation, and ac-countability strategies to this framework (e.g., WPS funding guidelines).
in different contexts
the principles
for peace
The Principles for Peace are at the core of our work and serve as a common set of standards, a reference framework, and diagnostic and accountability tool. Like the humanitarian principles, the Principles for Peace provide a set of collective norms, a shared frame-work for action, and the basis for common approaches and practice to unify the peace sector’s diverse ecosystem of actors around a common vision, reshape peace processes, foster greater accountability, and facilitate joint assessment, planning, action, and measurement.
The Principles for Peace offer us the possibility of a shared grammar, a common language, and a reference system for better prac-tice and better decision-making at crucial forks in the road. They provide a lens through which different actors can challenge their assumptions, identify gaps, evaluate, and identify areas of progress, make informed decisions, and recognise challenges and oppor-tunities to improve peace efforts. They can catalyse and guide joint analysis, assessment, action, and learning, and support a shared understanding of the state, the quality, and the trajectory of peace processes and peace engagements. They can also provide a framework for analysing and understanding peace-related data, trends, and dynamics.
THE PRINCIPLES ARE ANCHORED IN THREE SOURCES OF LEARNING:
Lived experience of those affected by conflict –through consultations.
Research – through evidence review by a Research Committee of leading academics.
Realpolitik and operational challenges – through the involvement of practitioners and decision-makers and
a focus on practical dilemmas.
The Principles can help us achieve lasting peace, but they need to be put into practice, contextualised into localised and concrete processes, and be owned by those who are most affected by armed conflict. They can therefore serve as a diagnostic and accoun-tability tool to support our partners in achieving more effective and durable approaches to peace by assessing how peace actors, individually and collectively, can better contribute to positive peacemaking trajectories.1
foundation
Enhancing legitimacy
Building the legitimacy govern-ments, institutions and processes is essential for creating
sustainable peace.
Accountable security
There is no peace without security – Accountable, people-centred security and justice provision is required to end hostili-ties and reduce risk of cyclical violence
practical
action
Hybrid and integrated solutions
Peacemakers should be open to using a variety of approaches and methods, including traditional and non-tradi-tional approaches, to build peace.
Subsidiarity
Decisions and actions should be taken at the most local level possible, with higher levels of government and international organisations only stepping in when necessary.
Pluralism
Peacebuilding must be inclusive and responsive to the diversity of socie-ties and cultures.
moral
compass
Humility
Peacemakers must approach their work with humility, recognising that they do not have all the answers and that local communities and actors often have the best solutions.
Solidarity
Peacemakers must work in solidarity with local communities and actors to build peace from the ground up.
Dignity
Peacebuilding must respect the dignity of all people and must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of marginali-sed groups.
1 It is useful to recall that the humanitarian principles were developed formally codified in 1991, long after the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law had been widely established, but at a time of crisis for the humanitarian field. A proliferation of actors proclaiming themselves humanitarian while their practice did not always reflect the conventions. The Humanitarian Principles professionalised the field by capturing the essence of the Conventions and IHL in a digestible way. They were then operationalised through organisational codes of conduct (most famously ICRC’s).