Peacebuilding is the set of initiatives by diverse actors, including civil society, to address the root causes of violence and protect civilians before, during, and after violent conflict.
For many years, U.S. nonprofit organizations have helped pave the way for peace by bringing fighting factions together and providing alternatives to violence as a means of redressing grievances. Unfortunately, the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project (HLP) upheld the law defining prohibited “material support” of terrorism to include conflict prevention and resolution activities aimed at getting terrorist groups to lay down their arms.
This page contains information on Peacebuilding, as well as Countering Violent Extremism programs and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.
Featured Resources
Removal of FARC from Terrorism Lists is Welcome, but Highlights Larger Flaws in U.S. Counterterrorism Policy
Dec. 3, 2021 On Nov. 30, the State Department announced that the removal of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) from the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) lists.
When the Giving Gets Tough: Navigating Risk in Sanctioned Locations
CAF America and the Charity & Security Network have joined forces to produce a new report, When the Giving Gets Tough: Navigating Risk in Sanctioned Locations, which aims to provide donors, civil society practitioners, and other
Sanctions Review Fails to Review Sanctions: Congress Should Step In – Just Security
November 2, 2021 C&SN Director Paul Carroll and Megan Corrado of the Alliance for Peacebuilding offer their analysis on the Biden administration's sanctions policy review in an op-ed for Just Security. Read the full article
C&SN Endorses Broadening General Licenses for Afghanistan
October 14, 2021 On October 13th, 2021 the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), a network of 150+ member organizations working in 181 countries to end violent conflict and build sustainable peace, sent a letter to Secretary
Preventing Peace: How “Material Support” Laws Undermine Peacebuilding
A joint Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) and Charity & Security Network (C&SN) report, Preventing Peace: How "Material Support" Laws Undermine Peacebuilding, offers analysis and examples of the adverse impacts of “material support” laws on peacebuilding
The Invisible Impact of Violence – InkStick
May 19, 2021 C&SN Director Paul Carroll writes for InkStick on the impact of Israel’s assault on Gaza on civil society programs, and on the ways in which these impacts are, in effect, an extension