Alliance For Peacebuilding

ALLIANCE FOR PEACEBUILDING IS THE LEADING GLOBAL PEACEBUILDING NETWORK AND WE ARE THE ALLIANCE FOR:CREATING STANDARDS OF PRACTICE TO ALIGN PEACEBUILDING AROUND COMMON PURPOSEDEVELOPING AN EVIDENCE BASE TO ENSURE BETTER POLICIES AND PRACTICESADVOCATING FOR GAME-CHANGING POLICIES, LAWS, AND FUNDING TO PREVENT AND REDUCE VIOLENT CONFLICT ACCELERATING COLLECTIVE ACTION THROUGH COLLABORATION AND EXCHANGE.WE SUPPORT OUR FIELDBUILDING EFFORTS THROUGH TECHNICAL CAPACITIES IN LEARNING & EVALUATION, PARTNERSHIPS & CONVENING, AND POLICY & ADVOCACY.

PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PARTNERSHIPS:NAMED AS THE NUMBER ONE INFLUENCER AND CHANGE AGENT AMONG PEACEBUILDING INSTITUTIONS WORLDWIDE, AFP IS LEADING THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD TO CRAFT A SHARED COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY AND CONTENT, OPTIMIZING THE REACH OF OUR MEMBERS AND THE ENTIRE FIELD. CREATING STANDARDS OF PRACTICE: AFP SAW TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE WITH A TOTAL OF 60,000 SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS, A NET INCREASE OF 11,000 FOLLOWERS SINCE 2020. DEVELOPING AN EVIDENCE BASE: AFP DISSEMINATED KEY RESEARCH AND PEACEBUILDING EVIDENCE USING CONTENT AND CAMPAIGNS AROUND THE HASHTAG #EVIDENCE4PEACE. THESE ACTIVITIES RAISED AWARENESS OF PEACEBUILDING MEL AND HIGHLIGHTED PROMINENT VOICES AND TOPICS, INCLUDING EVAL4ACTIONS WALK THE TALK CAMPAIGN AND OUR RESEARCH TALKS WITH L&E BLOG. ADVOCATING FOR GAME-CHANGING POLICIES, LAWS, AND FUNDING: AFP COMMUNICATES KEY CONSENSUS OF THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD TO THE PUBLIC AND THROUGH KEY MEDIA, AUTHORING 20 OP-EDS/BLOG POSTS AND RECEIVING NEWS COVERAGE 18 TIMES. THROUGH A TOTAL OF 20 STATEMENTS, AFP SERVED AS A VOICE OF AUTHORITY IN 2021 ON ISSUES RANGING FROM THE SITUATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN AND ETHIOPIA, TO ADDRESSING INCREASING INSTABILITY AND CONFLICT DYNAMICS IN THE U.S., AND MORE. AFP ALSO RELEASED ITS NEW PEACE: WE BUILD IT! PODCAST, WHICH SPEAKS WITH INSPIRING THOUGHT LEADERS, GLOBAL PARTNERS, LOCAL PEACEBUILDERS, AND EXPERT GUESTS ON THE WORK THEY'RE DOING TO BUILD PEACE. ACCELERATING COLLECTIVE ACTION: AFP AMPLIFIED THE CONTENT AND WORK OF PEACEBUILDING ACROSS AND OUTSIDE OF THE FIELD THROUGH OUR MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER AND LARGE SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING. ADDITIONALLY, AFP CONVENES KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN PEACE AND SECURITY FOR PUBLIC EVENTS, PANELS, AND WEBINARS THAT PUSH FORWARD THE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD.+PEACE+PEACE IS A CAMPAIGN PLATFORM AND MOVEMENT INCUBATOR POWERED BY PEACEBUILDERS. SINCE 2019, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A 6-PERSON STEERING GROUP +PEACE HAS BEEN HOUSED AT AFP. +PEACE IS A COALITION OF OVER 40 MEMBERS AND PARTNERS. THESE ARE LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO TRANSFORM CONFLICT, BUILD PEACE IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED CONTEXTS, AND SUPPORT LOCAL PEACEBUILDING EFFORTS WORLDWIDE. +PEACES STRATEGY SEEKS A WORLD WITHOUT VIOLENCE WHERE PEACEBUILDING IS KNOWN, ACCESSIBLE, AND ACTIONABLE BY INSPIRING A GLOBAL MOVEMENT THAT IS A CREATIVE AND POWERFUL FORCE FOR PEACEBUILDING USING CULTURAL AND NARRATIVE CHANGE STRATEGIES AMPLIFIED THROUGH STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES THAT LEAD TO COLLECTIVE PEACEBUILDING ACTION.AT THE END OF 2021, THE +PEACE STEERING GROUP MEMBERS DECIDED TO THE ELIMINATE THE +PEACE INDEPENDENT SECRETARIAT OF FULL-TIME STAFF. ALL STAFF OF THE SECRETARIAT LEFT BY THE END OF FEBRUARY 2022. THE STEERING GROUP MEMBERS ARE RECRUITING A PART TIME CONSULTANT AND THE STEERING GROUP NOW HAS CONSIDERABLY MORE OVERSIGHT OF THE PROJECT. THE PROJECT HAS A NARROWER FOCUS ON ACTIVITIES THAT BUILD THE CAPACITY OF MEMBERS COMMUNICATIONS AND WILL WORK MORE ROBUSTLY ON A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE. ADDITIONALLY, AFP STAFF WAS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR CLOSING OUT THE +PEACE SECRETARIAT AND GOING FORWARD WILL ENSURE MORE ROBUST CONTROL OVER FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT RESULTING IN AFP STAFF TIME BEING CHARGED DIRECTLY TO THE GRANTS.

POLICY & ADVOCACY:AFP ADVOCATES AND EDUCATES ON BEHALF OF THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD TO ENSURE CONFLICT PREVENTION, VIOLENCE REDUCTION, AND PEACEBUILDING BEST PRACTICES AND RESEARCH CORRELATES TO BETTER POLICY, PROGRAMMING, AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS. AFP AND ITS MEMBERSHIP BUILD ROBUST MULTI- AND BI-LATERAL PEACEBUILDING CHAMPIONS AND ADVOCATE FOR: NEW AND CHANGES TO POLICIES AND LAWS; INVESTMENT IN PEACEBUILDING AND CONFLICT PREVENTION PROGRAMMING; AND INTEGRATION OF PEACEBUILDING IN OTHER SECTORS INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH. CREATING STANDARDS OF PRACTICE: AFP IS RAISING THE BAR FOR PEACEBUILDING PRACTICE BY CREATING STANDARDS TO INTEGRATE CONFLICT AND PEACEBUILDING ACROSS SECTORS AND FUNDING STREAMS. WE RESEARCH AND PUBLISH PRACTICAL AND EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO PUT INNOVATIVE AND COORDINATED POSITIONS OF THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD INTO ACTION. AFP ENSURES POLICY AND PRACTICE STANDARDIZES THE INTEGRATION OF CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACEBUILDING ACROSS SECTORS AND FOREIGN ASSISTANCE, ON KEY ISSUES SUCH AS CLIMATE/FRAGILITY MEASURES AND LOCALLY-LED DEVELOPMENT. AFP USES THIS EVIDENCE TO MAKE THE CASE TO LAW AND POLICYMAKERS, BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL DONORS AND INSTITUTIONS, AND PRACTITIONERS TO PROMOTE INTEGRATED, GAME-CHANGING, AND MORE EFFECTIVE LAWS, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS THAT ADVANCE PEACEBUILDING AND CONFLICT PREVENTION.AFP LEADS ADVOCACY EFFORTS ON THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC, DEEMING IT STABILIZATION IN REVERSE AND PUBLISHING A POLICY BRIEF ON THE IMPERATIVE OF INTEGRATING COVID-19 RESPONSE AND CONFLICT PREVENTION. AFP PROVIDES CRITICAL FINDINGS, ANALYSIS, AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE THAT CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACEBUILDING ARE NOT TREATED AS A SECONDARY ISSUE AFTER HEALTH AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND ARE FULLY FUNDED AND INTEGRATED INTO THE U.S. COVID-19 STRATEGY. DEVELOPING AN EVIDENCE BASE: AFPS POLICY & ADVOCACY TEAM UNDERTAKES RIGOROUS RESEARCH TO ENSURE THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF BETTER POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO PREVENT VIOLENT CONFLICT AND BUILD SUSTAINABLE PEACE. THESE FINDINGS ARE PRESENTED IN PRACTICAL AND EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. RECENT EXAMPLES HAVE FOCUSED ON CLIMATE/FRAGILITY MEASURES, LOCALLY-LED PEACEBUILDING, ADDRESSING FRAGILITY IN THE NORTHERN TRIANGLE, REFORMING APPROACHES TO PREVENTING AND COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISMS, HOW THE MATERIAL SUPPORT PROHIBITION UNDERMINES PEACEBUILDING, HUMANITARIAN, AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE, HOW THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CAN SUPPORT AFGHAN WOMEN AND GIRLS IN A TALIBAN-CONTROLLED AFGHANISTAN, AND CREATING A U.S. FEMINIST FOREIGN POLICY.ADVOCATING FOR GAME-CHANGING POLICIES: THROUGH AFPS ROBUST NETWORK AND PIONEERING RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY, WE WORK TO SHIFT FOREIGN POLICY AND ASSISTANCE SO THAT PEACEBUILDING IS THE PROVEN AND PREFERRED APPROACH TO PREVENTING AND REDUCING VIOLENT CONFLICT. WE STRIVE TO BUILD PEACEBUILDING CHAMPIONS AND ENSURE ADOPTION OF GAME-CHANGING POLICIES, LAWS, AND FUNDING.AFP ENGAGES WITH THE U.S. CONGRESS AND ADMINISTRATION, WORLD BANK, UNITED NATIONS, AND OTHER MULTI- AND BI-LATERAL DONORS ON KEY LAWS, POLICIES, AND STRATEGIES AFP AND MERCY CORPS CO-LEAD THE NON-PARTISAN GLOBAL FRAGILITY ACT (GFA), COALITION, CONSISTING OF OVER 70 PEACEBUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS, TO ENSURE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW. THROUGHOUT 2021, AFP MOBILIZED THE COALITION TO INFORM AND PRESS FOR THE RELEASE OF PRIORITY GFA COUNTRIES/REGIONS AND ROBUST FUNDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION. AFP CONSULTED AND WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE NEW BUREAU FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION AND STABILIZATION (CPS) AT USAID ON THE COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM POLICY RELEASED IN APRIL 2021. RECENT INNOVATIVE AFP POLICY BRIEFS AND PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING THE CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING BOOK, OUTLINE THE FIELDS TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 117TH U.S. CONGRESS AND SERVES AS A GUIDE FOR THE PEACEBUILDING COMMUNITYS ADVOCACY THROUGHOUT 2021 AND 2022. AFP ADVOCATES TO ENSURE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IMPLEMENTS THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN THE TRANSITION BRIEF, REIMAGINING THE PATH TO PEACE: PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA (RELEASED LATE DECEMBER 2020) AND ASSESSED ITS PROGRESS AFTER THE CRITICAL FIRST 100 DAYS IN A LARGE EVENT CONVENING KEY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. AFP PROVIDED DETAILED FEEDBACK TO USAID DURING THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION PHASE OF ITS DRAFT CLIMATE STRATEGY, PUSHING FOR INCREASED FOCUS ON CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACEBUILDING WITHIN THE AGENCYS CLIMATE ACTION. THE FINAL VERSION OF THE STRATEGY SIGNIFICANTLY INCORPORATED AFPS INPUT, CLEARLY RECOGNIZING THE COMPOUNDING IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONFLICT AND THE NEED TO INTEGRATE PEACEBUILDING AND CONFLICT PREVENTION IN CLIMATE POLICIES AND PROGRAMMING. AFP RAISED THE ALARM ABOUT THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE U.S. WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN AND SPEARHEADED THE PEACEBUILDING COMMUNITYS RESPONSE TO THE TALIBAN TAKEOVER. AFP WORKED CLOSELY WITH INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS TO PROTECT AFGHAN CIVIL SOCIETY AND SECURE CRITICAL SANCTIONS RELIEF FROM THE U.S. AND UNITED NATIONS TO FACILITATE THE DELIVERY OF VITALLY NEEDED AID TO THE AFGHAN PEOPLE, ULTIMATELY RELEASED LATE 2021. AFP WORKS WITH PARTNERS TO ADVANCE A LEGISLATIVE FIX TO THE MATERIAL SUPPORT PROHIBITION, WHICH PREVENTS HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEBUILDING ASSISTANCE IN PLACES WHERE FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS OPERATE, AND SECURED BIPARTISAN CHAMPIONS TO ADVANCE THE PROPOSED TEXT, AS WELL AS TO GENERALLY OVERHAUL THE SANCTIONS REGIME. AFP IS ACTIVELY AND ANNUALLY INVOLVED IN THE U.S. CONGRESSIONAL APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS, PUSHING FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR ACCOUNTS CRITICAL TO GLOBAL PEACE AND SECURITY. IN FY22, AFP WAS PLEASED TO SEE INCREASES TO KEY FUNDS LIKE THE COMPLEX CRISES FUND, THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY FUND, AND USAIDS DEMOCRACY FUND.ADDRESSING INCREASING CONFLICT DYNAMICS IN THE U.S. AFP AND URBAN RURAL ACTION SPEARHEAD THE U.S. PEACE, JUSTICE, AND DEMOCRACY WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP AND ADVOCATE FOR CONCRETE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE DETERIORATING CONFLICT DYNAMICS AND BUILD SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN THE U.S. THE WORKING GROUP PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, APPROPRIATIONS REQUESTS TO CONGRESS, AND A POLICY BRIEF IDENTIFYING THE DRIVERS OF VIOLENCE AND CONFLICT AND OPPORTUNITIES TO INTEGRATE PEACEBUILDING AND CONFLICT PREVENTION IN DOMESTIC POLICIES AND PROGRAMMING. FROM APRIL - SEPTEMBER 2021, AFP HOSTED A SERIES OF WEEKLY WEBINARS, PREVENTING AND REDUCING CONFLICT AND INSTABILITY IN THE UNITED STATES: SHAPING WHAT COMES NEXT, WITH LEADING EXPERTS, DONORS, AND POLICYMAKERS. THE SERIES FOCUSED ON THE CONFLICT DYNAMICS DRIVING INSTABILITY, EXTREMISM, AND TOXIC POLARIZATION, AND THE POLITICAL AND POLICY CHANGES NEEDED TO BUILD A SOCIETY THAT IS JUST, SECURE, AND FAIR FOR ALL.ACCELERATING COLLECTIVE ACTION: AFP MOBILIZES THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD THROUGH COLLABORATION AND EXCHANGE TO AFFECT CHANGE IN LAWS, POLICIES, AND FOREIGN POLICY APPROACHES.MOBILIZING THE FIELD THROUGH WORKING GROUPS AND COALITIONS: AFP DEVELOPS ROBUST COALITIONS OF EXPERTS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD AND CONVENES WORKING GROUPS THAT DRIVE INNOVATION AND ACTION ON PRESSING PEACEBUILDING CHALLENGES, INCLUDING THE GFA COALITION, CONFLICT PREVENTION AND INTEGRATION, PREVENTING AND COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM (P/CVE), LOCALLY-LED PEACEBUILDING, DIGITAL PEACEBUILDING, U.S. YOUTH, PEACE, AND SECURITY (YPS) COALITION, AND MATERIAL SUPPORT WORKING GROUPS.CONVENING KEY EVENTS: AFP HOSTS UNIQUE, HIGHLY ATTENDED CONVENINGS AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGES ON PRESSING ISSUES, INCLUDING ADDRESSING INCREASING CONFLICT DYNAMICS IN THE U.S., P/CVE, INTEGRATING CONFLICT PREVENTION AND CLIMATE ACTION, AND ADDRESSING THE AFGHANISTAN CRISIS.CALLS FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION: THROUGH OUR VARIOUS COMMUNICATIONS AND CONVENING PLATFORMS, SUCH AS THE AFP POLICY ACTION WEBPAGE, NEWSLETTER, AND FREQUENT P&A ALERTS, AFP MOBILIZES THE FIELD TO ADDRESS EMERGING CRISES, SUPPORT ADVOCACY EFFORTS, AND ADVANCE PEACEBUILDING IN LAWS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES. AFP FREQUENTLY MOBILIZED THE COMMUNITY THROUGH COMMUNITY SIGN-ON LETTERS, STATEMENTS, AND OTHER PUBLIC FACING MATERIALS ON ISSUES RELATED TO INTEGRATION CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACEBUILDING INTO THE U.S. COVID RESPONSE, AFGHANISTAN, LOCALLY-LED DEVELOPMENT, PEACEBUILDING APPROPRIATIONS, ETHIOPIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, SOUTH SUDAN, AND OTHER KEY CONFLICTS AND SITUATIONS. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: AFP AMPLIFIES THE REACH OF OUR MEMBERS AND PEACEBUILDING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH OUR LARGE SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING AND MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER. THROUGHOUT 2021, AFP SAW TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE WITH A TOTAL OF 60,000 SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS, A NET INCREASE OF 11,000 FOLLOWERS SINCE 2020.STATEMENTS: AS THE WORLD GRAPPLED WITH INCREASING VIOLENCE, CONFLICT, AND CRISES, AFP PUT OUT NUMEROUS STATEMENTS, POLICY BRIEFS, OP-EDS, AND LETTERS RELATED TO THE CRIS

LEARNING & EVIDENCEAFP IS LEADING THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD THROUGH OUR CUTTING-EDGE LEARNING & EVIDENCE (L&E) WORK TO EMBRACE A MORE ADAPTIVE AND RIGOROUS EVALUATIVE CULTURE TO PROVE IMPACT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKS. WE USE OUR TECHNICAL CAPACITY IN L&E TO SUPPORT AFPS STRATEGIC FIELDBUILDING EFFORTS.CREATING STANDARDS OF PRACTICE: AFP IS RAISING THE BAR FOR PEACEBUILDING PRACTICE BY SETTING MINIMAL STANDARDS FOR PEACEBUILDING DM&E ACROSS THE FIELD. WE BUILD ON EXISTING EFFORTS TO VALIDATE THESE STANDARDS AND WORK TOWARDS ADOPTING AND INTEGRATING THEM ACROSS THE FIELD THROUGH OUR TRAINING AND SKILLS-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES.EIRENE PEACEBUILDING DATABASE: EIRENE IS A PIONEERING EFFORT TO MAP INDICATORS ACROSS THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD TO HELP PEACEBUILDERS BETTER ASSESS THEIR WORK AND MEASURE IMPACT. THE #CREATIVITYINCRISIS VIDEO SERIES: THE #CIC VIDEO SERIES HIGHLIGHTS INNOVATION AND CREATIVE DM&E SOLUTIONS TO CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED IN THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD. INTER-RELIGIOUS ACTION (IRA): AFP IS A GLOBAL LEADER IN FOSTERING BETTER DESIGN AND EVIDENCE-BASED EVALUATION FOR IRA IN PEACEBUILDING STRENGTHENING NOT ONLY INDIVIDUAL DM&E CAPACITIES BUT WORKING TOWARD CHANGING THE CULTURE OF EVALUATION AND SHARED LEARNING. IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS, THE L&E TEAM CO-HOSTS CAPACITY BUILDING AND JOINT LEARNING INITIATIVES.DEVELOPING AN EVIDENCE BASE: AFP WORKS TO DEVELOP A PEACEBUILDING EVIDENCE BASE TO ENSURE BETTER POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR OUR FIELD. WE CREATE AND CURATE EVIDENCE ON PEACEBUILDING PRACTICES TO SUPPORT FIELD-WIDE ACHIEVEMENT OF SHARED OUTCOMES THROUGH OUR PIONEERING RESEARCH EFFORTS. OUR RESEARCH INVOLVES AFP-LED, JOINT, OR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS, FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING CURRENT PEACEBUILDING RESEARCH GAPS.PIONEERING RESEARCH: AFP RESEARCH FOCUSES ON IDENTIFYING WHERE PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMMING HAS DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO PEACEBUILDING OUTCOMES. THIS ALLOWS THE FIELD TO BETTER GROUND PROGRAMMING AND POLICY EFFORTS. AN EXAMPLE FROM 2021 INCLUDES, SOME CREDIBLE EVIDENCE: PERCEPTIONS OF THE EVIDENCE BASE IN THE PEACEBUILDING FIELD. THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY AFP AND ONE EARTH FUTURE EXPLORING PEACEBUILDERS PERCEPTIONS OF WHAT EVIDENCE EXISTS AND WHAT IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE WORK IN THE FIELD. RESEARCH TALKS WITH L&E BLOG: WE HOST OUR MONTHLY RESEARCH TALKS WITH L&E BLOG HIGHLIGHTING NEW EVIDENCE FROM ACROSS THE HDP FIELDS IN SHORT, PRACTICAL, SYNTHESES. SHARING BEST PRACTICES AND NEW RESEARCH HELPS US CREATE BETTER STANDARDS AND DEVELOP AN EVIDENCE BASE TO ENSURE BETTER POLICIES AND PRACTICES AS PART OF OUR L&E FIELDBUILDING EFFORTS. ADVOCATING FOR GAME-CHANGING POLICIES: THROUGH OUR STRONG POLICY NETWORK, EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE, AND PIONEERING RESEARCH, WE WORK TO SHIFT PEACEBUILDING NORMS, ADVOCATE FOR EVIDENCE-INFORMED POLICY, AND MAKE PEACEBUILDING THE PROVEN AND PREFERRED APPROACH TO PREVENTING CONFLICT, REDUCING VIOLENCE, AND CREATING MORE RESILIENT SOCIETIES EVERYWHERE. INTEGRATING FAITH ACTORS IN U.S. POLICIES AND PROGRAMMING: AT AFP, WEVE MADE GREAT STRIDES TO REALIZE MORE CONCRETE INCLUSION OF FAITH ACTORS AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN KEY POLICY DOCUMENTS AND CONGRESSIONAL AND EXECUTIVE BRANCH ENGAGEMENT. OUR POLICY AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE NECESSITY OF ENGAGING WITH FAITH ACTORS AS PART OF AN INCLUSIVE, PARTICIPATORY, WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY APPROACH TO BUILD MORE PEACEFUL AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES THROUGH DEVELOPMENT OF EVENTS, ADVOCACY AND LEARNING PRODUCTS. AFP PRODUCED U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY BRIEF: WHAT DOES A HUMAN RIGHTS CENTERED FOREIGN POLICY APPROACH TO U.S. IMMIGRATION LOOK LIKE?, WHICH FOCUSED ON THE ROLE OF FAITH ACTORS IN THE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THEIR ROLE IN BUILDING SOCIAL COHESION BETWEEN IMMIGRANT AND HOST COMMUNITIES IN THE US. AFP HIGHLIGHTED FAITH THROUGHOUT ITS U.S. PEACE, JUSTICE, AND DEMOCRACY WEBINAR SERIES: AND INCORPORATED FINDINGS FROM THE IMMIGRATION POLICY BRIEF: FOR GOD AND COUNTRY: HOW CHRISTIANS ARE ADDRESSING CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM AND ITS ROLE IN DIVISIONS AND POLARIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND IMMIGRATION NATION: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE WEAPONIZATION OF IMMIGRATION TO CREATE FEAR AND DIVISION IN THE UNITED STATES. FOLLOWING AFPS SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL SUMMIT, THE L&E TEAM DEVELOPED AND RELEASED AN ADVOCACY FILM, FAITH ACTORS INSPIRE AND LEAD VACCINATION EFFORTS, HIGHLIGHTING KEY LEARNINGS AND PROMOTING ENGAGEMENT WITH FAITH ACTORS.ACCELERATING COLLECTIVE ACTION: AFP BELIEVES THAT KNOWLEDGE SHARING IS CRUCIAL TO TRANSFORMING PEACEBUILDING. OUR JOINT-LEARNING INITIATIVES ARE GROUNDED IN THE BELIEF THAT TO CHANGE A CULTURE, YOU NEED TO PROVIDE SAFE SPACES TO SHARE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES, PROMOTE LEARNING OF WHAT IS AND IS NOT WORKING, AND IDENTIFY GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE, EVIDENCE, AND PRACTICE.PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR EVALUATION OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE (IRD) INITIATIVES (PLC): IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PORTICUS, AFP WORKS TO ADVANCE THE FIELD OF IRD BY FACILITATING A LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR ORGANIZATIONS EVALUATING THEIR IRD PROGRAMMING. AFP SYNTHESIZES KEY LESSONS FROM THE PLC AND CONNECTS MEMBERS TO THE WIDER IRA FIELD. L&E AT PEACECON@10: AFP HOSTS RESEARCHERS, MEL EXPERTS, ACADEMICS, FAITH ACTORS AND ORGANIZATIONS AT PEACECON TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR LEARNING, IMPROVING DM&E, AND ADVOCATING FOR MEL AND IRA. LEADING AND CO-LEADING COPS/WGS: TO BUILD FURTHER CONNECTIONS AND THE FIELD, THE L&E TEAM COLLABORATES WITH SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS AND CONSORTIUMS TO SUPPORT AND PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS. SIPRI AND THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP)S STATE OF THE ART IN MEASURING PEACE EXPERT CONSULTATIONS. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO POOL EXPERTISE TO INFORM THE DESIGN OF A NEW SYSTEM WITHIN WFP FOR MONITORING RISKS AND INDICATORS OF CONFLICT AND PEACE. INTERACTION EVALUATION AND PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE ON GENERATING AND USING EVIDENCE FOR DECISION-MAKING. ENVIRONMENTAL LAW INSTITUTE AND UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE MONITORING AND EVALUATING ENVIRONMENTAL PEACEBUILDING INTERVENTIONS PROJECT. AFP CO-HOSTED THE CIVIL AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION SUMMER SERIES ON PEACEBUILDING FOR CIVIL AFFAIRS PRESENTATION ON MEASURING PEACE AND FACILITATING COLLABORATION. THE ESRI AND DATA SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (DSSD) GIS4PEACE PLATFORM TO CREATE AN OPEN, CENTRALIZED HUB WHERE PEACEBUILDERS CAN ACCESS PUBLIC DATA, TOOLS FOR INNOVATION, AND EXAMPLES OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) BEING USED TO BUILD PEACE.