1% of funding goes towards peace and security. A recent panel on UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 hosted by the Peace and Security Funders Group and Network of Engaged International Donors explored how to change that.
PASO Colombia Director Juan Fernando Lucio recently participated in a panel hosted by the Network of Engaged International Donors and the Peace and Security Funders group on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16, “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions,” as a gateway to fulfilling all other SDGs.
“The war in Ukraine is just the latest example of how decades of development can be destroyed in just a few weeks of violent conflict,” writes the hosts of the panel. “The realization of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) would open the pathway to fulfilling all other sustainable development goals and provide insurance against the gains already achieved. And yet the means for advancing SDG16 are poorly understood within the philanthropic sector and thus are vastly underfunded.”
Exploring how philanthropy can create an impact in strengthening institutions and contributing to peace in societies, the panel included Search for Common Ground, PASO Colombia, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
The panel discussed why people may be hesitant to fund peace and security initiatives, including a lack of short-term gratification, struggles with patience for long-term investments, political tensions, or lack of visibility of the work. The panel also explored the partnership between private and public funding and real-world examples of peace and security measures creating lasting impacts in areas like education, economic development, and social mobility.
Juan Fernando shared PASO Colombia’s work of reincorporation and its ability to complement other institutional processes to create economic development and a more holistic reincorporation.
“Our experience in PASO is that there are some programs that are capable of integrating other actors and are capable of having an impact on institutions. And there are some programs that start with a DNA that is particularly prone to coordination and cooperation and institutional building.
Watch the panel here or below.