By 
WANEP participated in the 3rd Annual Civil Society Organisations-United Nations (CSO-UN) Dialogue on Peacebuilding, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 10 to 11 December 2025. The Dialogue brought together a diverse range of civil society actors from around the world, alongside representatives of United Nations entities. The event was co-chaired by the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation.
As a member of the Core Group, comprising 13 global and regional civil society networks and organisations contributing to the UN’s peacebuilding agenda, WANEP played an active role in shaping discussions. Through its engagement in the Dialogue process, WANEP collaborated with the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and other civil society partners to convene a series of structured regional consultations, including a survey, an online dialogue, and an Africa regional consultation held during Peace Connect from 13 to 17 October 2025. These processes generated evidence-based inputs and regional perspectives that directly informed the Geneva discussions. WANEP was represented by Dr Vincent Azumah, Regional Coordinator for Monitoring and Evaluation, and Ms Golda Afidegnon, Programme Officer for Communications and Capacity Building.
The overarching theme of the 2025 Dialogue was “Operationalising a Whole-of-System Approach to Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace”, with Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) addressed as cross-cutting priorities.
During the Dialogue, WANEP facilitated the Francophone Africa group session on the regional operationalisation of a whole-of-system approach to peacebuilding. Discussions explored practical strategies for strengthening implementation, while sharing best practices and lessons learned. Participants highlighted community embeddedness as a key diagnostic asset, alongside the need for stronger local civil society input within regional coordination mechanisms.
In addition, WANEP facilitated a session on financing for peacebuilding within a whole-of-system framework. Key recommendations focused on bridging funding gaps, including the need for International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to better understand the operational realities of civil society organisations, and for CSOs to strengthen their understanding of IFIs processes.
Overall, the 2025 Dialogue provided a valuable platform for civil society, the United Nations, and Member States to engage in substantive exchanges and share experiences. It further fostered multistakeholder collaboration and collective reflection on priorities for advancing peacebuilding and sustaining peace, including the implementation of the Pact for the Future.
WANEP will continue this process by convening a post-Geneva Dialogue with CSOs in the Sahel in the first quarter of 2026. This follow-up dialogue will also develop a framework to monitor the implementation of the Dialogue’s recommendations, ensuring that outcomes are effectively translated into action at regional and local levels.
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