The Prevention Facility for the Gulf of Guinea is a strategic UNDP-led mechanism designed to address the multifaceted risks undermining peace, development, and stability across the region. It offers a comprehensive response to escalating intricate challenges to peace and security (violent extremism, illicit trafficking, transnational organized crime, arms and ammunition circulation), structural vulnerabilities, and socio-economic exclusion, through inclusive and context-specific conflict prevention and peacebuilding interventions. 

Amidst growing humanitarian, development, peace and security needs, the Facility promotes a coordinated, gender-responsive, and locally anchored comprehensive prevention agenda in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. It targets both host and displaced communities affected by fragility and conflict, with the aim of reinforcing resilience, fostering social cohesion, and strengthening trust between populations and institutions at local, national, and regional levels. 

Translating Global Commitments into Regional Action

The Prevention Facility domesticates and operationalizes within the Gulf of Guinea the three core objectives of the global UNDP Prevention Offer (2022–2025):

1. Build institutional and community resilience to sustain peaceful development pathways;
2. Promote and protect hard-won development gains;
3. Mitigate risks of relapse or recurrence of violence and instability.

It reflects UNDP’s commitment to promoting peace and preserving development progress in crisis-affected contexts, as outlined in UNDP’s Crisis Offer and aligns with the UN Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace.

A Multi-Level, Integrated Prevention Strategy

The Facility applies an integrated implementation approach that addresses risks and opportunities across three levels:

• Structural: Tackling deep-rooted drivers of instability such as exclusion, inequality, human rights violations, and eroding trust in institutions;
• Institutional: Strengthening capacities of state and civil society actors, enhancing legal and normative frameworks for peace;
• Individual: Supporting well-being, perceptions, behaviours, and skills essential to peace and reconciliation.

Key Strategic Pillars

1. Preventing Conflicts through Community Resilience

The Facility scales up UNDP’s proven development-based conflict prevention approach to address the spread of violent extremism, illicit trafficking, arms and ammunitions circulation and transnational organized crime in the region. Building on insights from long-term UNDP community conflict prevention commitments, the Facility works to:

• Disrupt recruitment by violent extremist organizations, armed groups, organized crime actors;
• Support communities to face climate-related stresses;
• Build resilience and cohesion within and between communities;
• Improve professionalism, accountability, and community engagement of security actors;
• Support cross-border responses to illicit economic activities and arms trafficking.

2. Trade for Peace: Livelihoods as a Catalyst for Stability

By leveraging cross-border trade as a peacebuilding tool, the Facility enables communities to:

• Access sustainable livelihoods and reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities;
• Strengthen interdependence and solidarity between border communities;
• Empower women and youth through inclusive economic opportunities and formalization of trade;
• Promote fair redistribution of resources and inclusive trade policies at national and regional levels.

3. Architecture for Peace and Regional Collaboration

To sustain peace over time, the Facility:

• Strengthens national peace infrastructures and early warning / early response systems;
• Supports community-driven and traditional conflict resolution mechanisms;
• Reinforces arms and ammunition control and border security cooperation;
• Encourages inclusive decision-making and political accountability, promoting shared commitments towards peace and security.

Building on UNDP’s Expertise and Strategic Partnerships

The Facility draws on lessons learned and successful practices in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond, including the extensive work conducted in support of national and regional peace architectures, regional approach to preventing violent extremism, and the nexus of climate-peace-security. It brings together UNDP’s technical expertise, networks, and presence to deliver timely, data-driven, localized and community-owned prevention solutions that transcend borders and silos.

Through strategic partnerships, multi-level engagement, and a commitment to inclusive governance and peacebuilding, the Prevention Facility offers a blueprint for a more stable, resilient, and peaceful Gulf of Guinea.