Our vision

Tayyaba and Shakeel sitting in a community space they co-created in Pakistan.

We believe peace is possible through the work of local peacebuilders around the world.

Peace is possible. Our vision is of a world free from violent conflict. A world where every human being has safety, freedom from oppression, equality and access to justice.

But peace is not passive, or easy. It takes active, dangerous work from a global movement of people committed to a non-violent future. Our mission is to champion those people – local peacebuilders – and campaign for the world to stand with them.

We work closely with like-minded organisations and individuals to provide practical solidarity to peacebuilders, and transform the world’s understanding of what it takes to make peace a reality.

Discover our 2025-2030 strategy, which builds on 20 years of experience in local peacebuilding:

The four goals will frame our work over the next 10 years, and the objectives reflect a five-year ambition. Download a visual guide to our new strategy.

Goal 1: POWER

Power in the peacebuilding and wider system shifts to local actors.

Local civil society actors:

We will support local civil society actors to lead the discussions on how to decolonise and shift power in the sector.
We will support local peacebuilders to create and claim space in the peacebuilding system, through their own convenings, advocacy, networking and collective action.

Peace Direct:

We will mobilise each part of Peace Direct, and the collective power of our allies to decolonise ourselves and the wider sector.
We will convene peacebuilders and their allies to explore solutions to problems in their sector and context.

Goal 2: VOICE

The voices of local peacebuilders will be consistently heard and respected in the corridors of power, across the sector and among their own communities, supported by a strong consistent voice from Peace Direct.

Voices of peacebuilders:

We will support local peacebuilders to participate in peace processes and decision-making.
We will strengthen and support local knowledge production.

Peace Direct’s voice:

We will strengthen our advocacy to decision makers and power holders so that policies and practices are more supportive of locally led efforts.
We will engage our supporters and other allies to be more vocal in pushing for support for peacebuilding.
We will amplify the voices of peacebuilders – including marginalised populations – to ensure that their perspectives are heard nationally and internationally.

Goal 3: VISIBILITY

Local peacebuilders, Peace Direct and peacebuilding as an issue will have greater visibility and global understanding, to generate increased support for this work.

Local peacebuilders:

We will ensure that local peacebuilders are better represented in global and national coverage, owning their own stories and controlling the narrative.
We will support and accompany local peacebuilders to increase their own profile and visibility.

Peace Direct:

We will reframe narratives around peace and peacebuilding to galvanise more support for local peacebuilding and to inspire people that peace is worth investing in.
We will maintain a high visibility for the decolonising agenda, to ensure that momentum is maintained across the sector.
We will be more highly networked and ensure that every department plays a visible and active role in promoting our mission and change agenda externally.

Goal 4: RESILIENCE AND ADAPTABILITY

Local peacebuilders and Peace Direct are more effective and resilient, able to adapt to adversity and have greater collective agency to contribute to sustainable peace.

Local peacebuilders:

We will support local peacebuilders to lead efforts to contribute to sustainable peace, better understand what works in local peacebuilding, and expand our support to those in neglected, frozen and emerging crises/conflicts.
We will strengthen and deepen our understanding of ecosystems of local peacebuilders, building solidarity, mutual learning and support.
We will explore and invest in the mental health, wellbeing, safety and security of peacebuilders.
We will research and support local peacebuilders to operate sustainably, raising funds and generating income independently of Peace Direct.

Peace Direct

We will build a high performing and motivated staff team, with high levels of trust, wellbeing, collaboration, communication and accountability.
We will deepen our commitment to learning and reflection, with the aim of becoming a learning organisation.
Gender, climate, trauma-informed approaches and peace tech will be better integrated across our work.
We will mobilise more unrestricted and flexible funding for our partners and for Peace Direct, including unlocking new sources of funding through services, sponsorship and other non-grant income.