Partnerships for peace: advancing nationally led conflict prevention efforts

Prevention is most powerful when it starts voluntarily and at home. This panel will spotlight how national actors are leading the way—and how international support, partnerships, and financing can help transform national prevention initiatives into sustainable peace.

A landmark outcome of the Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024, was a shared commitment by Member States to a universal approach to prevention and sustaining peace—one that is nationally led, rooted in context, and driven by national ownership.

With geopolitical tensions rising and crises converging—political instability, economic shocks, climate change, displacement, and disinformation— the importance of prevention is clear. It is not only essential for sustaining peace but also a cost-effective way to address risks before they escalate into conflicts that demand far greater resources to manage and resolve.

Prevention works best when it is rooted in local realities and led by national actors, with international partners stepping in with flexible, tailored support. Yet turning political will into sustained, practical action remains a pressing challenge. Meeting growing demands requires stronger partnerships and more predictable, sustainable financing.

This Peace Panel will highlight how nationally led prevention is being put into practice across various contexts, and how the UN and other partners, through initiatives such as the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention, can amplify these efforts.

Bringing together Member States, UN actors, international financial institutions, and partners working on the ground, the panel will pursue two objectives:

Showcase nationally led prevention and UN support: spotlighting national initiatives that foster dialogue, tackle complex risks, and strengthen infrastructures for peace, with lessons cutting across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
Make the case for partnerships and financing: exploring how to close the prevention financing gap and foster long-term collaboration among the UN, Member States, International Financial Institutions, and other partners, to deliver sustainable, complementary support.