United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office

With conflicts flaring in northern Ghana over land, resources and succession to traditional authority, UN-supported community peacebuilding shows how local action and national leadership reinforce stability while empowering vulnerable communities.

A UN-supported project, the first of its kind in Southern Libya, is expanding livelihood opportunities and forming peacebuilding committees to support young people and women to create income, ease community tensions and build confidence in local institutions.

UN Resident Coordinators and Country Teams are working with governments, civil society and communities to move women’s rights and opportunities from promises to practice across security institutions, laws, programmes and peacekeeping efforts.

After armed border clashes erupted in 2022, the UN and partners worked with Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek communities by strengthening livelihoods through climate-smart agriculture, creating shared spaces for dialogue and supporting women to lead on local councils.

The Blue Peace Financing Initiative invests in solar-powered water kiosks and public toilets across Freetown with support from the UN and partners, providing a scalable model for inclusive, sustainable urban development and innovative financing.

As climate impacts fuel tensions over scarce resources in Mali, the UN is working with partners on a number of resilience projects, including reviving traditional institutions to manage natural resources and implementing early warning systems.

Around the world, 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water. As we mark World Water Day on 22 March, it is a moment to recognize the central role that water plays in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN Resident Coordinators bring together UN country teams and partners to support the work of governments and communities in boosting access to safe water. They mobilize resources to tackle water scarcity challenges, ensuring that access to safe water remains a top policy priority. Their engagement focuses on several fronts, from tackling the impact of climate change on water resources to water conservation to boosting public health and community resilience.

Social justice in action means dismantling systemic barriers, equipping workers with future-ready skills, and ensuring every voice – especially women, youth, and marginalized communities – is heard in the global economy. UN Country Teams, led by Resident Coordinators, have been at the forefront of championing social justice as a fundamental pillar for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

There is no space for hate in a peaceful future. Marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, June 18, we look at how UN Country Teams (UNCT) on the ground are at the forefront of combatting hate speech. Embedded in their national context and communities, UN entities are uniquely placed to support public spaces that are diverse, inclusive and safe. They work hand-in-hand with governments, civil society, youth groups, media and others to advance human rights and combat discrimination in all its forms.

More than 600 million women and girls lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022, a 50 per cent increase since 2017. Civilians around the world need greater humanitarian aid than ever before—but countries are instead increasing military spending, which topped USD 2.2 trillion in 2022. 

Our UN teams are on the ground, working with governments and key stakeholders to bolster countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping ensure a smooth recovery. They tackle a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis—from climate action to gender equality and food security—and utilize innovative approaches to problem-solving to better serve communities. Below are some highlights of their work this month.