On 27 April 2016, the General Assembly and the Security Council adopted substantively identical resolutions on peacebuilding (A/RES/70/262 and S/RES/2282 (2016), respectively), concluding the 2015 review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture. These resolutions are the most comprehensive and far-reaching resolutions on this issue. This ground breaking achievement outlines a new ambitious agenda and approach for peacebuilding. Member States demonstrated their commitment to strengthening the United Nations’ ability to prevent the “outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of [violent] conflict,” address the root causes and assist parties to conflict to end hostilities in order to ”save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” as stated in the opening sentence of the UN Charter.

What does “sustaining peace” mean? 1

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The resolu*ons introduce the term “sustainingpeace ,” wh i ch , ra the r than redefin ingpeacebuilding, provides for more clarity and anexpanded scope.During the1990s,peacebuildingwasmostly understood in theUNas post-conflictpeacebuilding. However, that posi*on changed inthe 2000s with the adop*on of Security CouncilPresiden*al Statement S/PRST/2001/15 and thefollowing 2007 Policy CommiPee decision thatdefined peacebuilding as aiming to prevent theoutbreak, the recurrence or the con*nua*on ofarmedconflict.Thisposi*onwasreaffirmedinthenew resolu*onsA/RES/70/262andS/RES/2282 inthe preamble, when it states that “sustainingpeaceencompassesac*vi*esaimedatpreven*ngthe outbreak, escala*on, con*nua*on andrecurrenceofconflict.”Sustainingpeaceshould inprac*cal terms not be dis*nguished frompeacebuilding.Itdoesnotimplyanyredefini*onofrespec*ve roles, responsibili*es or mandates ofUN en**es. Both sustaining peace andpeacebuilding are ul*mately intended to reducethe riskof lapseor relapse intoviolentconflict. Itcan be seen as an aspira*onal goal, aiming atfostering the ability and capacity to look beyondcrisis management and the immediate resolu*onofconflicts.Theresolu*onsofferanopportunitytoincreasethefocusoftheUNsystemtopreven*ngconflicts, so thatnotonly thesymptoms,butalsotherootcausesofconflictsareaddressed.Hence,the concept aims at tackling issues that mayotherwisefuelnewcyclesofconflict.

Thenewresolu*onsstressthatsustainingpeaceisa shared task that should flow through all threepillars of the UN system’s engagements at allstagesoftheconflict,andinallitsdimensions.Theresolu*ons offer an opportunity to increase thefocus and capacity of the UN system to preventviolent conflicts, andMember States, civil societyorganiza*onsandtheUNsystemneedtoseizetheopportunity presented by the resolu*ons.Sustaining peace should not be viewed asrebranding exis*ng work but rather as a moreprac*ce-oriented comprehensive concept toprevent violent conflict, by addressing drivers ofconflict,paPernsofviola*onsofhumanrightsandinterna*onal humanitarian law and underlyingrootcausesofconflict, includingdifferentkindsofexc lus ion , sys temic d i s c r im ina*on andmarginaliza*on with renewed vigour, based onjoint analysis of conflict dynamics and joined-upstrategicplanning.

The resolu*ons are reinforced by otheragreements and reports, including the report ofthe High-Level Independent Panel on PeaceOpera*ons (HIPPO) and the Secretary-General’sfollow up to the report, the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development and the WorldHumanitarian Summit, which all emphasize theimportanceofpreven*ngviolentconflicts.

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Sustaining peace: the “what”

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a goal and a process;[PP8]Ac*vi*es aimed atpreventing the outbreak, continuation, escalation and recurrence of violent

conflict; addressing root causes; assis*ngpar*es to conflict toendhos*li*es; ensuringna*onalreconcilia*on;andmovingtowardsrecovery,reconstruc*onanddevelopment;[PP8]Inherently a poli*cal process as addressing root causes and ending hos*li*es requires findingpoli*calsolu*ons;[PP13]andrequiresacomprehensive, coordinated and coherent approach,whichcouldinclude:

Allprogrammesandac*vi*es shouldbeconflict sensi*veand“donoharm”guidedbya conflictanalysis.Broadly,dependingonthetheoryofchangebasedonananalysisofthecausesanddriversofconflict,theycouldbeclusteredintwogroups:

a) Ac*vi*esthat are designed and directly aimed atsustainingpeace;andb) Ac*vi*esthat,whilenotexplicitlydesignedtosustainpeace,cancontribute tosustaining

peace.

Theconceptof“sustainingpeace”should,accordingtotheresolu*ons,bebroadlyunderstoodas:

1. Political processes, including elections; inclusive dialogue; reconciliation; and conflict-

management capacity at national and subnational levels;

2. Safety and security, including mine action; disarmament, demobilization and reintegration; and security sector reform;

3. Rule of law and human rights,including access to justice; transitional justice (including

mechanisms for truth-seeking, accountability, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence); promotion and protection of human rights; gender equality; protection of civilians, including

compliance with and accountability for applicable international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law; and voluntary, safe and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees;

4. Social services,such as water and sanitation, health and education, including to the most vulnerable, such as victims of violence, internally displaced persons and refugees;

5. Core government functions,in particular basic public administration and public financial

management, at the national, subnational and local levels, including transparency, accountability and anti-corruption; and

6. Economic revitalization and livelihoods, including employment, livelihoods and

infrastructure.

sustaining peace: “The when”

Peacebuildingisnolongertreatedonlyasapost-conflict ac*vity, but should be apriority during all stages of the conflict cycle – before, during and after, implyingthat sustaining peace should take placesimultaneously with peacekeeping,development and humanitarian ac*vi*es.[PP8]

Sustaining peace requires a long-termperspec*ve by na*onal (state and non-state) counterparts and a long-termengagement by the UN system andinterna*onal community in terms ofpolitical, technical and financial support.[OP4,8,13]

Violent conflicts are rarely linear, sequential processes (moving fromdevelopment to violence to humanitarianassistance and from peacemaking topeacekeeping andpeacebuilding, followedby sustainable peace and development).Instead,circularorviciouscyclesaremoretypical,with conflictsescala*ng to variousforms of social tensions, strife andviolence, par*cularly with the changingnatureofviolentconflictsinrecentyears.

sustaining peace: “The who”

The primary responsibility for leading the process forsustaining peace rests with national governments andauthori*es,includingsub-na*onalandlocalauthori*es.

National ownership and leadership inpeacebuildingareimportant, whereby the responsibility for sustainingpeaceisbroadlysharedwiththeen*resociety,includingallna*onalandlocalstakeholders.[PP9,OP3,16]

Inclusivity is key to advancing na*onal peacebuildingprocesses and objec*ves in order to ensure that theneedsofallsegmentsofsocietyaretakenintoaccount.[OP 3] There are several strong paragraphs on theimportant role of women, youth and civil society insustainingpeace. [OP4,18,21,22,23,27]Thisshouldapply to all aspects of sustaining peace, its variousstagesandtovariousgroups,suchasopposi*onpar*es,displaced people andmarginalized groups. The peoplethemselvesshouldberecognizedasagentsofpeaceandtheirlocalcapaci*esmustbeenhanced.

Effec*ve peacebuilding must involve the entire UN system, par*cularly through joint analysis and effec*vestrategicplanningacrosstheUNsysteminitslongtermengagement in conflict-affected countries.We need tobreakdown the silos, both at Headquarters and thefield, across the UN system, in accordance withrespec*vemandates, foramorecoherentapproach tosustainingpeace.[OP10,13]

InlinewiththeUNIntegratedAssessmentandPlanningpolicy, while humanitarian ac*on may supportsustaining peace, the main purpose of humanitarianac*on will remain to address life-saving needs andalleviate suffering.Analysis andplanning for sustainingpeace should include humanitarian actors to ensurecoherenceandcomplementaritywithotheractors.[OP10]

Sustaining peace requires coherence, sustainede n ga gemen t a nd coo rd i n a*on among t h eintergovernmental bodies of the UN, including theGeneral Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC.[OP2,8,10,11,13,16]

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a change in mindset, moving from a reac*ve mode to a preven*veapproach and from short-term and output-based interven*ons tolonger-termsustainableandcollec*veoutcomes;

that the UN system adapts to this new agenda, not the other wayaround;

actively breaking out of silos, elimina*ng fragmenta*on andcontribu*ngtoacomprehensive,coordinatedandcoherentapproachtosustainingpeace;[PP12,OP10,13,14]

integrating sustaining peace in relevant corporate strategic plans, policies and trainings; analysis and assessments; planning processes;andprogrammesandac*vi*es;[OP13]

theUNtodomore context-specific joint multi-dimensional conflict and risk analysis, joint identification of collective outcomes, joined up effective strategic planning and joint monitoring and evaluation,includingthegenderdimensionsineachstep;[OP13]

thatinterven*ons,ini*a*ves,ac*vi*esandprogrammesarebasedonaconflictanalysisandaddress thedriversofviolentconflict through theformulation of a theory of change,specifyingwhichac*onwouldleadtowhat peacebuilding outcome, for example, trust between the stateand the popula*on and among popula*on groups through equitableaccesstojus*ceorsocialservices;

effec*ve, accountable and responsive leadership in UN countryopera*onsbringingtheUNsystemtogetheraroundacommonstrategyforsustainingpeace;[OP14]

adequate,predictableandsustainedfinancing;[OP24-27]and

partnerships, including with regional, sub-regional and interna*onalfinancial ins*tu*ons,especially theAfricanUnionand theWorldBank,andcivilsocietyorganiza*ons,women’sgroups,youthorganiza*onsandtheprivatesector.[OP4,18,21,22,23,27]

Sustaining peace: the “how”5

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Sustainingpeacerequires:

•

In sum, the following steps could be identified:

1. Mindset:Recognizethatsustainingpeace isasharedresponsibilitythatneedstobe integratedormainstreamed in theworkof theUN system throughoutthelifecycleofaconflict;

2. Joint analysis: Conduct joint analysis to arrive at a shared understanding ofcauses,driversandtriggersofconflict;

3. Collective outcomes: Formulate a shared vision and collec*ve outcomes forsustainingpeace;

4. Strategic planning: UN en**es strategically plan together ac*vi*es,interven*ons and programmes andwho does what, where, how andwhen,withintheirmandatesandwiththeircompara*veadvantage,directlyaimedatorcontribu*ngtosustainingpeace;

5. Activities and programmes: UN en**es individually plan ac*vi*es,interven*onsandprogrammesthroughtheirownprocesses;

6. Partnerships and financing: Develop partnerships and ensure predictablefinancing;and

7. Evaluation:Evaluateac*vi*esandprogrammesandlearnandsharelessons.

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• 6 Relationship between sustaining peace and the sustainable development goals

The2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentandtheSustainingPeaceAgendaarecomplementaryandmutuallyreinforcing.

Thetenetofthe2030Agendato“leavenoonebehind”andreachthefurthest behind first implies a need to focus on sustaining peace.Sustaining peace also commits to ensuring that “the needs of allsegmentsofsocietyaretakenintoaccount.”[OP3]

There are several areas of overlap between sustaining peace and the2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include theSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs):

1. Both recognize that each country has primary responsibility forimplemen*ngthe2030Agendaandsustainingpeace.

2. Both are people-centred and are grounded in interna*onal humanrightslaw,principlesandstandards.

3. Bothemphasizetheimportanceofpreventing violent conflict.

4. Both strongly stress the interdependence of the issues we areconfron*ngandthecomprehensiveapproachesrequiredtoaddressthem. Peace and security, development and human rights areinextricablylinkedandmutuallyreinforcing.

5. There are various drivers of violent conflicts that sit squarelywithinthesocio-economicandenvironmentalaspectsofsustainabledevelopment, including economic, social and environmentalinequali*es, lack of jobs, poor natural resource management andclimatechange.

6. Inclusive, transparent, effective and accountable institutions andthe rule of law are fundamental to achieving the SustainableDevelopmentGoalsandtosustainingpeace.

7. Agenda 2030 and the peacebuilding resolu*ons recognize thatweneedtoworkcollectively as “one”acrosstheUNsystemtoprovidecoherentsupport toMemberStates’efforts tomeettheambi*oustargetstheyhavesetforthemselves.

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Thelinkbetweenthetwoagendasis not only about Sustainable Development Goal 16. Different aspects of peaceful, just andinclusive socie*es are included in several SDGs. The SDGs areuniversal, interlinked and integrated. SDG 16 is important inconflict-affectedcountries,butsoareotherGoalsandGoal16isasimportantinothercountries.Asmanyas36targetsacrossthe2030 Agenda are directly related to violence, jus*ce orinclusivity,e.g.:

• SDG4oneduca*onincludesreferencestodiscrimina*onin educa*on; educa*on on human rights and genderequality; “promo*on of a culture of peace and non-violence;”and“safe,non-violent, inclusiveandeffec*velearningenvironmentsforall;”

• SDG5ongenderequalityaimstoeliminateall formsofviolence against all women and girls, child and forcedmarriage, and discrimina*on against women and girlsandensurefullandeffec*vewomen’spar*cipa*on;

• SDG8ondecentworkaimsto eradicateforcedlabour,modern slavery and human trafficking; secure theprohibi*on and elimina*on of theworst forms of childlabour;protect labour rights;andachieveequalpay forworkofequalvalue;

• SDG10oninequali*esaimstopromotesocial,economicandpoli*calinclusionandsafemigra*on;and

• SDG 11 on ci*es includes references to inclusive, safe,resilientandsustainableci*esandhumansePlements.

Moreover,thereareseveralSDGs that are critically important in our efforts to address the drivers and root causes of conflict,includingSDG10oninequali*es,SDG8onjobs,SDGs12,14and15 on the management of natural resources and SDG 13 onclimatechange.

Separa*ng SDG 16 from the rest of the 2030Agenda – e.g. byassocia*ngitwithconflict-affectedcountriesorequa*ngitwithpeacebuilding or sustaining peace – undermines the poli*calagreementunderpinningtheSDGs.

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Relevant paragraphs from general assembly resolution 70/262 and Security council resolution 2282 (2016) on sustaining peace

“Recognizingthat‘sustainingpeace’,asdrawnfromtheAdvisoryGroupofExpertsreport,shouldbebroadlyunderstoodasagoalandaprocesstobuildacommonvisionofasociety,ensuringthatthe needs of all segments of the popula*on are taken into account,which encompasses ac*vi*esaimedatpreven*ngtheoutbreak,escala*on,con*nua*onandrecurrenceofconflict,addressingrootcauses, assis*ng par*es to conflict to end hos*li*es, ensuring na*onal reconcilia*on, andmovingtowards recovery, reconstruc*on and development, and emphasizing that sustaining peace is ashared task and responsibility that needs to be fulfilled by the government and all other na*onalstakeholders,andshouldflowthroughallthreepillarsoftheUnitedNa*ons’engagementatallstagesofconflict,andinall itsdimensions,andneedssustainedinterna*onalaPen*onandassistance,[PP8]

Reaffirming the primary responsibility of na*onal governments and authori*es in iden*fying,driving and direc*ng priori*es, strategies and ac*vi*es for sustaining peace, and in this regard,emphasizing that inclusivity is key to advancing na*onal peacebuilding processes andobjec*ves inordertoensurethattheneedsofallsegmentsofsocietyaretakenintoaccount,[PP9]

Stressingthatcivilsocietycanplayanimportantroleinadvancingeffortstosustainpeace,[PP10]…Emphasizingtheimportanceofacomprehensiveapproachtosustainingpeace,par*cularlythroughthe preven*on of conflict and addressing its root causes, strengthening the rule of law at theinterna*onalandna*onallevels,andpromo*ngsustainedandsustainableeconomicgrowth,povertyeradica*on,socialdevelopment,sustainabledevelopment,na*onalreconcilia*onandunityincludingthrough inclusive dialogue andmedia*on, access to jus*ce and transi*onal jus*ce, accountability,good governance, democracy, accountable ins*tu*ons, gender equality and respect for, andprotec*onof,humanrightsandfundamentalfreedoms,[PP12]…Recognizing that an integrated and coherent approach among relevant poli*cal, security anddevelopmental actors, within and outside of the United Na*ons system, consistent with theirrespec*ve mandates, and the Charter of the United Na*ons, is cri*cal to sustaining peace, andessen*alforimprovingrespectforhumanrights,advancinggenderequality,empoweringwomenandyouth, strengthening the rule of law, eradica*ng poverty, building ins*tu*ons, and advancingeconomicdevelopmentinconflict-affectedcountries,”[PP13]

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UN Peacebuilding Support Office/Policy, Planning and Application Branch with inputs from UN entities through the Peacebuilding Contact Group, 17 January 2017