Harvesting Peace: Food, Jobs, and Social Cohesion in Conflict-Affected Settings

This joint panel, co-organized by the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Interpeace, the Danish Refugee Council and the International Labour Organization (ILO), will explore how decent work and food security can contribute to conflict prevention and the rebuilding of social cohesion in fragile and post-conflict settings.  

In areas affected by violence and instability, the breakdown of food systems and the erosion of livelihoods can heighten vulnerability and social division. Decent work and food security, each vital to human dignity and resilience, and with respective rights frameworks, are also deeply interconnected. Their combined potential to support peacebuilding efforts offers an area of growing relevance that calls for deeper
exploration.  

 The session will examine how employment and livelihoods, particularly within agri-food systems, can create opportunities for inclusion, economic recovery, and community cohesion, especially for youth, the forcibly displaced and other marginalized groups. It will bring together local experiences and institutional perspectives to reflect on emerging lessons and ongoing challenges in connecting decent work and food security to broader peacebuilding strategies.  

Through dialogue that bridges field realities with policy frameworks, the panel aims to generate practical insights and foster cross-sectoral learning. Framed within the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus approach, the session will consider how aligning efforts across sectors can strengthen resilience and foster inclusive, sustainable peace.