“Choose peace” was the theme of this year's Geneva Peace Forum. At a pivotal moment when crises are many and risks are interconnected, the Forum offered a unique space to bridge ideas and action. Civil society, practitioners, researchers, policymakers and international organizations convened to identify practical pathways towards more peaceful, resilient and inclusive societies. 

UNDP is playing a lead role in advancing these discussions and driving progress towards prevention and resilience. 

Our new Moving Beyond Crisis Action Agenda is grounded in a simple but powerful proposition: development cannot wait until a crisis is over. Instead, development approaches must be integrated from the very beginning. Moving beyond crisis means addressing the structural drivers of instability. . 

Across diverse contexts in which UNDP is engaging, a consistent lesson has emerged: peacebuilding is most effective when it bridges humanitarian, development, governance and human rights approaches while remaining firmly grounded in local realities and local leadership. 

The Geneva Peace Forum served as a catalyst for this agenda. 

First, it’s the city itself. Geneva hosts one of the world's most concentrated ecosystems of expertise on the issues that matter for prevention, peacebuilding and governance.  

Second, is how Geneva and this Peace Forum in particular facilitate interaction between global norm-setting and operational experience – a conversation that is essential to prevent conflict and sustain peace. When global debates become disconnected from the realities facing communities on the ground, solutions are harder to find. Geneva offers multiple opportunities for these perspectives to meet, fostering outcomes informed both by evidence and experience.  

That is why strong presence in Geneva and active participation in the Geneva Peace Forum are so relevant for UNDP. 

Much of our expertise resides in the countries we serve. Our colleagues work alongside governments, communities, local organizations and partners in countries experiencing conflict, fragility and transition. They support governance reform, strengthen institutions, advance reconciliation and social cohesion, expand access to justice, support locally led peacebuilding initiatives, engage women and youth in decision-making, and help communities build resilience in the face of shocks. 

These experiences provide invaluable lessons about what works in a given context. They remind us that sustainable peace cannot be imported or imposed. It must be locally owned, nationally led and supported through long-term partnerships that strengthen the capacities and agency of people and institutions. 

UNDP made a deliberate effort to bring field perspectives to the Geneva Peace Forum because the people working closest to communities often hold the most important insights into the drivers of conflict and the pathways to peace. A UN Peace & Development Advisor with experience in Kenya and Nigeria provided concrete examples of how prevention has worked, and the Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) underscored the importance of national and regional infrastructures of peace powered by civil society.  

Their experiences demonstrate that prevention is possible, that institutions matter and that investments in governance, social cohesion and local capacities can help societies withstand shocks and prevent them from escalating into crises. At a time when resources are under strain and demands are growing, these lessons are more valuable than ever. 

At the Geneva Peace Forum, UNDP also shone a spotlight on the importance of engaging the private sector in peacebuilding, unlocking peace-positive financing, and helping businesses to assess risk and invest in fragile settings, while complying with human rights standards. With traditional sources of overseas development assistance in decline, private sector financing is set to play an even more important role in peacebuilding going forward.  

The challenges before us are substantial. But there is also reason for optimism. 

Around the world, communities continue to rebuild after conflict, institutions are adapting to new risks, and partnerships are generating innovative solutions. The task now is to learn from these experiences, scale what works and ensure that prevention, peacebuilding, governance and development remain at the centre of our collective efforts. 

The Geneva Peace Forum provided an important opportunity to do just that. Now it is time to turn commitment into action and momentum into lasting impact.