Peace Finance Forum: Building an Ecosystem for Sustainable Impact

In an increasingly complex global economic and political landscape, peace serves not only as a goal for social development but also as a strategic priority within the global financial system. To foster the deep integration of peace and finance, the inaugural Peace Finance Forum will be held from April 22 to 23, 2026. The event will feature a series of thematic activities—most notably a high-level discussion titled "From Fragility to Investability: Financing Peace Economies"—as well as a series of technical workshops dedicated to peace finance. The Forum will focus on exploring how financial mechanisms can be leveraged to support global peacebuilding efforts, particularly in fragile environments and conflict-affected regions.

During the second session of the Forum, discussions will center on the role of multilateral banks in fragile environments, with a specific focus on strategic cooperation between the United Nations and International Financial Institutions (IFIs). This topic is of paramount importance, as many regions across the globe continue to grapple with the challenges of conflict, poverty, and social instability—issues often perceived as significant barriers to investment. Consequently, the question of how to establish sustainable financial ecosystems within these fragile settings—thereby fostering the development of peace economies—has emerged as a central focus of the international community.

The content of the sessions will be grounded in the recently released *Report on Financing for Peacebuilding* and relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly. The aim is to deepen Member States' understanding of the strategic cooperation between the UN and IFIs, while highlighting the positive strides made by these entities in terms of in-country collaboration and partnerships. Such cooperation serves not only to provide financial support for post-conflict reconstruction but also to contribute to the creation of a more stable and prosperous global economy.

Another key objective of these technical sessions is to stimulate strategic dialogue and facilitate the formation of innovative partnerships. By promoting capital flows, the Forum seeks to enhance the resilience of communities and markets. In particular, the event underscores that peace is not merely a cost center, but rather a strategic investment—one that is vital for long-term stability, sustainable growth, and shared prosperity. Peacebuilding requires financial support from a diverse range of stakeholders; such investment will not only facilitate short-term recovery but also lay the foundation for the long-term development of these regions.

From a financial perspective, financing for peace economies entails addressing not only immediate funding requirements but also fostering the development of multilateral mechanisms designed to help fragile regions achieve greater political, economic, and social sustainability. This necessitates a concerted effort among national governments, International Financial Institutions, and non-governmental organizations to drive economic and social reforms, thereby enabling these regions to achieve self-reliant development without the need for external intervention. This conference is co-hosted by a consortium of international organizations, underscoring the critical importance of multilateral global cooperation. The co-hosts include the German Federal Foreign Office; the United Nations Peacebuilding and Peace Operations Support Office (PBPSO); the Permanent Missions of Japan and Norway to the United Nations; and New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC), as well as the Prevention Project at its School of Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice.

The forum will place a particular emphasis on international cooperation, aiming to facilitate the identification of practical solutions within a collaborative framework dedicated to promoting both peace and economic development. Through these strategic partnerships, the global ecosystem for "Peace Finance" is poised to unlock new opportunities, thereby enhancing the capacity to assist post-conflict nations and regions in their reconstruction efforts and in addressing issues of poverty and social inequality.

The inaugural Peace Finance Forum serves not merely as an academic platform for discussing the convergence of peace and finance, but as a pivotal opportunity to foster global strategic cooperation and innovative partnerships. Through this forum, the international community will gain a deeper appreciation of the fact that peace is not merely an aspirational ideal, but can also constitute a vital strategic investment within the global financial system. Promoting the financing of "peace economies"—particularly within fragile environments—will provide fresh impetus for sustainable global economic growth and shared prosperity, while simultaneously offering robust support for peacebuilding efforts in regions grappling with conflict and instability.