United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office
UN PBSO supports the development of UN policies on peacebuilding and finances peacebuilding programmes in over 40 countries. PeaceNexus has provided UN PBSO with technical support to design programmes and develop new UN policy.
The Partner
The UN Peacebuilding Support Office (since January 2019 part of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs), fosters international support for nationally-led peacebuilding efforts. It supports the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), which encourages coherence among UN peacebuilding efforts and advises the UN Security Council on peacebuilding priorities. On behalf of the UN Secretary-General, it manages also the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The Fund currently supports peacebuilding initiatives in 40 countries. PBSO supports the Secretary-General in developing UN system-wide peacebuilding policies and strategies.
Our Support
We have worked with the UN PBSO since 2012, providing expertise to strengthen their in-country programmes as well as their role in developing policy guidance for the UN system.
Our programmatic support strengthens the design and monitoring of programmes that are supported by the Peacebuilding Fund. For example, we have facilitated consultations and analysis resulting in the agreement of peacebuilding priority plans in seven countries. The processes engaged government, civil society and UN representatives. We also assisted UN country teams in developing innovative programmes, in setting-up mechanisms for local communities to monitor their impact, and for adapting programmes based on these monitoring results and feedback from beneficiaries.
Our policy support has focused on a few emerging themes in which PBSO has played a leading role in providing evidence-based policy guidance for the UN system. This has included research and implementation support for new UN policies and strategies, notably on how to support the contribution of youth in peacebuilding and how to engage the private sector in peacebuilding.
The Results
Since 2012 UN member states have more than doubled their investments in the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund. The Fund aims to approve at least USD $200 million in 2019. Based on lessons learned from our support in 2018, PBSO has institutionalised additional programming support to further improve the timeliness and quality of programmes. It created a new programme support team consisting of experts that are deployed to support the design, monitoring and evaluation of PBF-funded programmes.
The Fund’s growth reflects the priority given by the Secretary General and member states to the UN’s sustaining peace agenda, and also its reputation as an effective instrument to align and integrate UN action around national peacebuilding priorities. As a result of our support and PBSO’s commitment to learning and adapting, the PBF now uses a broader range of funding modalities that enable it to work directly with governments, UN agencies or civil society organisations, and to promote collaboration between agencies and other actors. For example, it has pioneered cross-border programmes to reduce conflict risks linked to competition over natural resources in Central Asia and increased community resilience to cross-border recruitment efforts by militia and jihadist groups in the Sahel.
Our collaboration has also contributed to collecting the evidence and building support for the Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, and to guidance on how to translate policies into action. In line with this guidance, PBSO now has dedicated funding for NGOs that empower youth to play a role in reducing and preventing conflict in some of the most high risk regions.
