The Alliance for Peacebuilding's Briefing Book for the 119th Congress
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), a network of 235+ organizations working to prevent violent conflict and build sustainable peace in 181 countries, recognizes that these are extraordinary times with significant cuts to U.S. foreign aid. AfP has long been a proponent of reforming diplomacy and foreign assistance, and championed major innovations through laws such as the Global Fragility Act (GFA). In rebuilding the U.S. foreign policy and assistance aperture, Congress must advance reform-focused laws that prioritize and integrate conflict prevention and peacebuilding, like the GFA, become centered to ensure the U.S. is safer, stronger, and more prosperous. We urge the 119th Congress to robustly fund, champion, and provide oversight of key peacebuilding and prevention laws and accounts and ensure conflict prevention expertise is retained at the Department of State.
While reforming U.S. foreign assistance is welcome, critical programs that support strategic, impactful, and cost-effective approaches, implement prevention-focused laws like the GFA, EWGAPA, and WPS Act, and make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous have been and continue to be terminated. As the 119th Congress undertakes its work, it must call on the Administration to center peacebuilding and conflict prevention in the ongoing reforms and rebuilding of U.S. foreign assistance in a comprehensive foreign assistance strategy that tackles and prevents alarming levels of global violent conflict and fragility. Congress must provide the much-needed resources and oversight, in partnership with civil society, to ensure U.S. foreign assistance and diplomacy is effective and targeted to address the drivers of violent conflict and fragility. Failure to do so will increase violent conflict and fragility, resulting in atrocities, mass migration, disease, and the loss of lives—undermining peace and stability, as well as key U.S. national interests.
Specifically, the 119th Congress must:
Fully fund and ensure successful implementation of prevention-oriented laws, including the GFA, EWGAPA, and WPS Act.
Prioritize peacebuilding and prevention in foreign assistance appropriations and ensure conflict prevention expertise is retained in the U.S. Department of State.
Ensure an integrated approach to foreign assistance that centers peacebuilding and prevention across sectors.
Provide robust oversight of all diplomatic engagement, foreign and security assistance in priority conflict-affected and fragile states to promote conflict prevention and peacebuilding.