HLPF 2020 SIDE EVENT: Impact of COVID-19 on Local Peacebuilding

Peaceful, just and inclusive societies (SDG16+) are central to achieving progress on all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The COVID-19 pandemic presenting serious implications for conflict prevention and peacebuilding work globally, the 2020 High-Level Political Forum presented an important opportunity to reflect on challenges and opportunities in the field. The Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) and Conducive Space for Peace (CSP) came together to host a discussion with local peacebuilders to share recent findings and recommendations from two recently released reports on COVID-19 implications for peacebuilding, engaging with key challenges faced by local peacebuilders and exploring opportunities to enhance support in this critical moment. Peter van Sluijs (CSPPS) and Christian Cito Cirhigiri (CSP) introduced the reports, “Fighting COVID19, Building Peace – What Local Peacebuilders say about COVID-19, Civic Space, Fragility and Drivers of Conflict” and “Act Now on ‘Localisation’: COVID-19 Implications for Funding to Local Peacebuilding” as an introduction to the panel conversation. 
 
Local peacebuilders that participated in the panel discussion included Comfort Attah of ASSHHF (Nigeria), Rashida Namulonda of the Sophia Muwanika Institute (Uganda), Fidele Djebba of Association Rayons Soleil (Cameroon), and Jimmy Shilue of Platform for Dialogue (Liberia).