Alliance for Peacebuilding is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization based in Washington, DC. The stated mission of the Alliance for Peacebuilding is to build sustainable peace and security worldwide. The organization states that its goals are:
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The Alliance for Peacebuilding began in 1999 as a network of conflict prevention and resolution organizations. This first incarnation was the Applied Conflict Resolution Organization Network (ACRON) which later became Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution (AICPR). The alliance was formed because the field of international conflict resolution had become too competitive, atomized, and ineffectively organized. In an attempt to counter this, a strong umbrella organization, ACRON, was made to help to support collaborative and, thus, more effective peacebuilding. It also served to provide a strong voice for the field and help members share information and approaches.
After receiving a grant from the Hewlett Foundation, the organization was incorporated in 2003 as the Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Through additional funding from the Hewlett Foundation, it hired staff and opened an office in Washington, DC, and developed programs.
In 2006 the Alliance for Peacebuilding formally came into being after a rebranding of AICPR. With a new mission and goals, the Alliance for Peacebuilding placed a much greater emphasis on the collaborative actions that could be performed to prevent and mitigate violent conflicts. In doing this, the organization opened up membership to organizations worldwide. Currently, the Alliance for Peacebuilding plays a vital role in developing and disseminating unique approaches to peacebuilding through its global network. These approaches focus on collaboration between conflict resolution organizations and organizations in the fields of development, relief, human rights, and security.[1]
The Alliance for Peacebuilding, with financial support from board member Milt Lauenstein and in partnership with a Switzerland-based organization called swisspeace,[2][3] launched the BEFORE Project. BEFORE uses a unique combination of principles and tactics to prevent widespread political violence in fragile states. Currently, BEFORE conducts a regular Conflict and Peace Monitoring Survey[4] for West Africa and has two violence prevention projects in the West African countries of Guinea-Bissau and Guinea[5] - where BEFORE and its local partners played a role in the country’s first fair and peaceful elections in June 2010. The Alliance for Peacebuilding has partnered with the United States Institute of Peace on the Peacebuilding Evaluation Project to improve evaluation and practice in the field.[6]
In 2007, the Alliance for Peacebuilding established a strategic partnership with the Global Peace Index (GPI) to further its commitment to innovation in peace research and to reach a wide audience outside of the peacebuilding community. Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the GPI is a study that measures the peacefulness of countries and identifies the drivers of peace. In 2009 the Alliance for Peacebuilding partnered with the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center to host the Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations.[7] Countries were honored for being peaceful; the result has been a continued international communication around peacebuilding.
AfP and the 3D Security Initiative work together to educate members of Congress and the current administration on peacebuilding policies and programs. The partnership promotes a US Government commitment to peacebuilding initiatives.[8] Currently they are working on building peacebuilding language into the Foreign Assistance Act alongside the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Additional partnerships include, The People's Peace Fund[9] to support joint Palestinian and Israeli peace initiatives, Peace Through Moderation[10] to address the threats posed by extremism, and the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum[11] which presents monthly programs for the peacebuilding community.