Cross-border peacebuilding NGOs seek to resolve one of, if not the, most complex and intractable conflicts in the world.
Right now, these NGOS are facing a serious moment of reckoning, which began when the field lost nearly half of its funding as a result of US foreign assistance withdrawals in early 2019, and has only intensified with annexation lurking in parallel to the detriment of the COVID-19 pandemic. NGO leaders are scrambling to raise sufficient funds and manage complex logistical realities, let alone dedicate time to matching rhetorical ambitions with sound theories of change and scalable models that can generate measurable societal impact.
This is a powerful moment for peacebuilding, with the potential to replace bad habits of redundancy and inefficiency with strategy and impact.
While a significant number of organizations are primed for serious impact, the present reality within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated unprecedented levels of strategic thinking and cooperative partnerships in order to succeed. Over the last few months we have identified an overall feeling in the field of readiness to scale, coupled with a willingness to join forces with new partners.
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