We are proud to join a coalition of organisations working to build peace in setting out how the UK government can renew its ambition, vision and partnership to turn the tide against rising global conflict and its devastating humanitarian and economic impacts which are felt both in conflict zones and in the UK.
The ‘Peace Works’ report, published on 14 September outlines what the UK government can do to make a meaningful difference against global conflict, using a fresh and ambitious approach that makes the most of existing capabilities.
The report offers perspective on how NGOs and the government could work together. It highlights what we see as the defining trends in global conflict, from the new “world dis-order”, the undermining of global norms and agendas to the rapid advances in digital technologies.
It also offers some constructive proposals for how the UK might develop a new, forward-thinking approach; one that encourages ambitious policies to prevent conflicts, embraces new coalitions to uphold international law, harnesses the UK’s cutting edge peace capabilities, champions local peacebuilders in word and deed and spearheads a revolution in ‘PeaceTech’.
The British public want to see their government doing more to promote peace around the world. In a recent survey by More in Common, 70% of respondents agreed that it is important that the UK invests more resources into peacebuilding. A fifth of those surveyed said that the UK should play a leading role in foreign affairs.
The Peace Works report recommends the UK government should focus on:
We have invited Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and Kirsty McNeill, Minister of State for International Development to discuss the report and ways that their organisations can support the Government in its own efforts to prevent violent conflict.
After the outbreak of war in April 2023, peacebuilders in Sudan were able to broker an agreement among several tribes in the west of the country to stay out of the country’s civil war – the agreement still holds today. With support from diaspora communities, signatories agreed that no tribe will formally take sides and that any individual participation would be seen as a personal decision rather than a reflection of tribal allegiance. This concord proved critical in preventing cycles of retaliation and mistrust between the tribes – no violent conflicts between them have since been reported. Direct, flexible funding support to informal and unregistered peacebuilders was critical in enabling this outcome.
Peace provides the foundation for the world to thrive. It supports efforts to advance global health, grow economies, address inequality and poverty, tackle the climate crisis and expand access to justice, education and nutrition.
Participating NGOs: Conciliation Resources, The Halo Trust, War Child, Tearfund, Search for Common Ground, International Alert, Saferworld, Peace Direct, GAPS, Mines Advisory Group, Christian Aid.
Endorsing organisations: Cord, Concordis, Rethinking Security, Independent Diplomat, Protection Approaches, Bond, UNA-UK.
