The Alliance for Peacebuilding Urges Congress to Pass an FY24 Budget That Robustly Funds Peacebuilding and Conflict and Atrocity Prevention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2023
CONTACT
Nicholas Gugerty | ngugerty@allianceforpeacebuilding.org
Washington, DC, USA — The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), a nonpartisan global peacebuilding network of 200+ organizational members operating in 181 countries working to end violent conflict and build sustainable peace, urgently calls on Congress to pass a Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget that robustly funds vital foreign assistance, particularly key conflict and atrocity prevention accounts.
AfP is gravely concerned by the proposed House of Representatives’ FY24 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) appropriations bill that would zero out or dramatically cut several critical peacebuilding funding accounts. These funding cuts, coupled with numerous problematic amendments, such as one to reduce USAID funding by 50%, would severely impact the U.S. Government’s ability to save lives and keep America safe.
Funding to support efforts to prevent violent conflict, atrocities, and fragility and build sustainable peace is not only a moral priority, but also a good investment that advances U.S. national security and protects taxpayer dollars. Global violent conflict and fragility are at the highest levels in decades. Twenty countries are experiencing or at-risk of experiencing atrocities, from Ukraine to Myanmar to Sudan. In 2022, violence had a devastating economic impact, costing $17.5 trillion, or 12.9% of global gross domestic product. Yet, peacebuilding and upstream prevention through foreign assistance and development are cost-effective because they reduce the need for humanitarian assistance and securitized interventions—saving lives and money. When properly resourced, violent conflict and atrocity prevention can also build stronger alliances with bi- and multilateral donors and develop smarter U.S. foreign policy that promotes economic growth, democracy, and partnership between the U.S. and fragile or at-risk states.
Congress recognized the need for conflict and atrocities prevention and peacebuilding by enacting the prevention-oriented canon of law through the Global Fragility Act (GFA), the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act. However, ample funding for these laws and other key foreign assistance accounts is necessary to ensure their successful implementation. AfP urges Congress to pass an FY24 budget that robustly funds critical peacebuilding accounts. At a minimum, funding should remain at FY23 levels, in order to prevent and reduce violent conflict and atrocities and build sustainable peace globally.
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide, is an award-winning nonprofit and nonpartisan network of 200+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace. AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.