Choosing Prevention: Evidence, Impact, and the Practice of Sustaining Peace

Violent conflict is at historically high levels, with nearly a quarter of humanity living in conflict-affected contexts. It is also the principal driver of humanitarian need in many crisis-affected contexts, reinforcing the case for earlier action that protects civilians, preserves development gains and reduces the human and financial costs of responding after violence escalates. 

The 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR) and the 2024 Pact for the Future reaffirmed Member States’ commitment to strengthening nationally owned prevention approaches, including the development and implementation of National Prevention Strategies (NPS). These frameworks aim to address structural drivers of conflict - such as inequality, exclusion, and weak governance - before they escalate into violence. However, despite growing political recognition, a persistent challenge remains: demonstrating the impact and value of prevention. Prevention success is often invisible - measured by crises that do not occur - making it harder to sustain political will and financing. 

There is therefore a need to move from normative commitments to credible, evidence-based narratives that show how prevention works in practice and why it matters. The UNDP Evidence for Prevention report (2026) shows that prevention works best when nationally owned, institutionally embedded, and operationalised through prevention ecosystems. It is an economic and political choice as well as a moral imperative. 

The session will reflect on these insights to chart a way forward. Drawing particularly on experience from West Africa, alongside relevant lessons from other regions, the discussion will examine how national ownership, regional institutions, civil society networks and international support can combine to sustain prevention in practice.