"Peace" in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus

Good Practices and Recommendations

This discussion paper aims at illustrating through ten case studies how to pursue the integration of the peace component as part of efforts to implement the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus. In this, it makes the case for understanding ‘peace’ in the nexus as centred on peacebuilding, conflict prevention and human security – not on militarised interventions.

The case studies included in this paper cover a wide range of activities pursued by civil society organisations in different countries. Most the activities presented here are carried out at the community level, however some also involve engagements at other levels, and/or are pursued in parallel with EU efforts for peace in the EU’s political dialogue with partner governments.

Each case study includes an overview of the activities carried out, as well as three good practices and three recommendations for the EU identified by the organisation. The examples featured in this paper capture only a sliver of the ways in which peace may be integrated as part of the HDP nexus. Still, they show that the EU can play an essential role in strengthening the connections between humanitarian, development and peacebuilding efforts by partnering with, and supporting, civil society actors.

Click here to download the discussion paper, authored by Lorenzo Angelini and Summer Brown.