Operationalizing Pathways to Sustaining Peace in the Context of Agenda 2030: A How-To Guide

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Violent conflict has increased in recent decades. The number of people worldwide who live in settings where conflict and violence are a daily occurrence is increasing. By 2030, it is estimated that more than half of all people living in poverty will be found in countries affected by high levels of violence. These conflict dynamics have a negative impact on households’ food security.

Agriculture, natural resources, food security and nutrition can be sources of peace or conflict, crisis or recovery, tragedy or healing. Underpinning this is ensuring that the Organization’s projects and interventions are conflict-sensitive so that all stakeholders understand the dynamics of the diverse contexts in which FAO works. Especially in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, we need to make sure that our work avoids contributing to divisions, disputes and violent conflict, and does no harm. All that we do – both by ourselves and through partnerships – should follow this approach.

We can also identify where FAO can positively contribute to social cohesion and peace – and these efforts must be rooted in robust theories of change. FAO is placing increasing emphasis on ensuring that our interventions make a positive contribution to peace – an objective shared across the United Nations system, and increasingly a requirement of our partners and donors. The focus of this how-to guide is to elaborate the pathways through which the Organization can optimize deliberate contributions to peace, and inform the design, adaptation and impact measurement of its interventions.

In recent years, FAO has developed corporate tools, guidance and training on conflict sensitivity and context analysis. Operationalizing pathways to sustaining peace in the context of Agenda 2030 – A how-to guide is another crucial document in that series, developed through collaboration between the FAO Conflict and Peace Unit and Interpeace in the context of a wider partnership between the two Organizations. Following broad consultation across the Organization, this document provides operational guidance and inspiration to FAO project and technical staff on how our work can enhance FAO’s contributions to peace – and how to measure those contributions. It is part of an ongoing process, which complements FAO’s efforts through its Strategic Framework to support the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life, leaving no one behind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Release date: Dec 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9789251372449

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

An intergovernmental organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Its employees come from various cultural backgrounds and are experts in the multiple fields of activity FAO engages in. FAO’s staff capacity allows it to support improved governance inter alia, generate, develop and adapt existing tools and guidelines and provide targeted governance support as a resource to country and regional level FAO offices. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries.Founded in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO provides a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. The Organization publishes authoritative publications on agriculture, fisheries, forestry and nutrition.

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FAO. 2022. Operationalizing pathways to sustaining peace in the context of Agenda 2030 – A how-to guide. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc1021en

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Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

How agrifood systems are interlinked with conflict dynamics

How can FAO increase its contribution to sustaining peace?

Understanding the context and conflict dynamics

Integrating conflict sensitivity into programme design and operations

Optimizing contributions to local peace

FAO’s pathways for contributing to local peace

Illustrative pathways for FAO to contribute to local peace

Strengthening regulatory frameworks and institutions to regulate the use of and rights to renewable natural resources more effectively

Strengthening formal and informal conflict-management mechanisms

Improving the productivity of natural resources to reduce scarcity

Enhancing equitable and inclusive access to natural resources across community members and social groups

Improved relationships and increased ability for joint problem-solving within and between communities

Enhancing constructive engagement between communities and local authorities, and more inclusive decision-making

Maintaining the viability of agricultural livelihoods in situations of conflict and insecurity

Engaging in partnerships

FAO’s comparative advantages

Partners’ comparative advantages

Measuring FAO’s contribution to local peace

Develop a theory of change for contributing to local peace

Integrate peace-contributing outcomes and outputs into the results framework

Regular context monitoring and adaptation

Enhancing FAO’s capacity to contribute to sustaining peace

Keeping an ear to the ground

Available support capacities

Annex 1. Theory of change – illustrative pathways

References

Foreword

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was created in the wake of the Second World War and was vested with a vital role in achieving and sustaining peace. The first Session of the FAO Conference stated that …the Food and Agriculture Organization is born out of the need for peace as well as the need for freedom from want. The two are interdependent. Progress towards freedom from want is essential to lasting peace.

Recognizing that agriculture, natural resources, food security and nutrition can be sources of peace or conflict, crisis or recovery, tragedy or healing, in 2018 FAO approved its Corporate Framework to support sustainable peace in the context of Agenda 2030. This committed FAO to drive more deliberate impacts on peace. Underpinning this commitment is ensuring that the Organization’s projects and interventions are conflict sensitive so that all stakeholders understand the dynamics