20 Years of Peacebuilding, 20 Stories of Impact

Every day, people everywhere—teachers, farmers, police officers, volunteers, and human rights activists—are helping to rebuild their communities from the ground up in the aftermath of conflict and crisis. They work to improve lives, prevent the recurrence of violence, and secure lasting peace.

The United Nations is a proud champion of these local peacebuilders. Since its inception in 2006, the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund—fueled by the generosity of Member States and working alongside UN agencies and local partners—has invested over $2 billion in conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives, responding to the national priorities of more than 75 countries and territories.

The financial commitment to UN Peacebuilding is only a fraction of what the world spends on its militaries every year, yet the returns are invaluable. Whether fostering reconciliation among communities in Papua New Guinea, ensuring human rights are observed during elections in Liberia, empowering women to transform justice in Colombia, or rebuilding trust among young people in the Balkans, peacebuilding empowers communities to lay the groundwork for stability—brick by brick, solution by solution. It is driven by the conviction that lasting peace is only possible when communities thrive.

As the Peacebuilding Fund marks its 20th anniversary during the first-ever Peacebuilding Week, we celebrate the extraordinary courage of the world’s everyday peacebuilders and the partners working alongside them.