A Letter from AfP's Executive Director, Liz Hume

January 15, 2026

Dear Members, 

Last year brought significant challenges for the peacebuilding field (we will not reiterate them here, including the funding cuts), but we are committed to moving forward and making 2026 the year of peace and security! AfP is stepping up, thinking big, building collective action, and advocating for how to address record-breaking and increasing global violent conflict and decreasing peacebuilding assistance. But we cannot do it without you, our members and partners. It is also important to remember it is easy to be cynical, but we must stay hopeful and connect with each other when things feel too hard. 

But before we move forward, there are some victories worth celebrating in 2025. In September, AfP mobilized the community by hosting a Congressional Hill Day, which included meetings with nearly 40 offices, many of whom were Republicans and assured us they still believe in our work. Bipartisan champions of the U.S. Global Fragility Act (GFA) introduced new legislation in the House and Senate to reauthorize the law through collaboration with AfP and our partners. Following considerable advocacy, the draft House Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) appropriations bill released in July and the bicameral version that passed the House this week provided funding for critical peacebuilding accounts like the Prevention and Stabilization Fund, even as other sectors were slashed. AfP’s Questions for the Record were asked at Congressional hearings almost 200 times, including verbatim at hearings on Nigeria, Sudan, Burma, and more. 

AfP also convened a series of Congressional briefings focused on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act and Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (EWGAPA), highlighting the legal requirements of each and their implications in critical contexts like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and beyond. AfP became the official host of the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on WPS (formerly housed at USIP) and developed a new strategy to advocate for preserving the WPS Act in the U.S. 

AfP’s Prevention and Protection Working Group grew by over 100 members and supported a shadow report to Congress, as required by the EWGAPA, when the U.S. government failed to produce an official one. PPWG also published atrocity risk assessments on South Sudan and Ethiopia, with two more on Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo currently being drafted. AfP hosted the second annual Digital Peacebuilding Expo and established our new Digital Peacebuilding Policy Integration Hub so the field can better leverage technology to mitigate drivers of online and offline violence. AfP also renewed critical collaboration between the peacebuilding field and nuclear arms control community as the last nuclear treaty ends in February.

AfP also leveraged its global network throughout 2025 to build support for peacebuilding and conflict prevention outside the U.S. While the U.S. is an important policymaker and donor, other bilateral donors, including Germany and the UK, also cut peacebuilding programming and are increasing security spending. At the same time, multilateral organizations like the UN face funding and legitimacy crises. I continue to serve on the Executive Committee of the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS), and AfP is on the Steering Committee of the Transparency, Accountability, and Participation (TAP) Network. Because we are stronger together, AfP and its partners are walking the walk and working to network the peacebuilding networks globally. Through our involvement in the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (IDPS) platform, which includes the G7+ and the International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF), AfP aims to build political momentum for change and trust. Last fall, we released this policy statement at the UN General Assembly, and we are developing an implementation document. AfP also convened events, issued statements, and engaged at the UN and with partners to mark the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the WPS Agenda. AfP launched its SDG16+ Storytelling Initiative in partnership with fellow networks CSPPS and the TAP Network, which aims to strengthen local civil society’s capacity to more effectively communicate about their work advancing SDG16+ implementation. 

Now looking forward, AfP with its partners launched the Future of Peace and Security Coalition. The goal is to meet the moment and develop an innovative and  practical conflict prevention and peacebuilding plan. This work includes developing peacebuilding champions beyond traditional government donors, including the wider public and through our Building Peace Economies at Scale initiative, which aims to create a shared infrastructure for peace as an investable outcome for the private sector.

With the upcoming anniversary of the Trump Administration’s foreign assistance review, it is vital to understand and highlight how cuts to peacebuilding programs have driven violence and instability around the world. We invite members to complete this survey to provide examples and impacts so we can continue to advocate for rebuilding the peacebuilding and conflict prevention sector.   

As political violence and instability increase in the U.S., we are strengthening the Peacebuilding Starts at Home Initiative through a new partnership with New Pluralists, along with More in Common. This project will build understanding of what is and is not working in the U.S. and develop a new framework to standardize how pluralism work is measured, evaluated, and funded. These findings will be important for donors in the U.S. and other Western countries experiencing increasing polarization and instability. 

As I always say, AfP is nothing without its members. Despite the massive cuts, we are now over 270 members strong. I am heartened to see everyone stepping up, even in personal capacities. We know many colleagues may no longer be associated with an organization, so AfP streamlined its individual membership application process so anyone interested in peacebuilding can stay connected. Please share this opportunity widely with your networks, and feel free to reach out to Nick Zuroski with any questions.

Finally, AfP will hold PeaceCon 2026—Meeting the Moment: The Future of Peace and Security in September 2026. Please stay tuned for more information on registration and the request for proposals (RFP). 

Thank you for your tireless work, your resilience, and your belief that a world free from violence and violent conflict is possible. In 2026, we need peacebuilders now more than ever, and we are grateful for your commitment to peacebuilding and for your partnership. Together, we can lay the groundwork to build a new, innovative plan for the future of peace and security. Join us!

All my best,

Liz