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
Human Rights Commission Hearing Examines the Collateral Effects of Sanctions
On Oct. 4, 2022, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing co-chaired by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), entitled Considerations on Economic Sanctions, to address the “collateral effects of
C&SN Submits Comments for UN Report on Counterterrorism and Peacebuilding
In response to a call for inputs from Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, for a "Report on the
White House Announces Global Fragility Act Countries and Region
On April 1, 2022, the White House announced the much anticipated list of priority countries and regions under the Global Fragility Act (GFA), in addition to releasing the updated U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and
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