To be successful, scaled, and sustainable, peace outcomes need to be owned at the state level rather than carried out by external actors. Interpeace believes the integration of peace outcomes also needs to be anchored in the states, ministries, and institutions where conflict takes place, creating the conditions for sustainable, endogenous peace. In 2024, Interpeace made great strides in this area by fostering project- and programme-level alliances with regional and national authorities in nine of its country programmes, engaging state security actors across 122 activities and governance and justice actors in 118 activities.

A key example of this multi-stakeholder collaboration at the state level is Rwanda’s programme, where formal collaboration agreements have been signed with a wide range of state institutions, each serving a specific purpose. One such agreement with the Ministry of National Unity & Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE) focuses on collaboration around the joint study on Exploring Psychosocial Factors and Effects of Adolescent Pregnancies in Rwanda in the post-conflict context. The study calls for a comprehensive, multi-sectoral response from the health, education, legal, social service, and economic sectors. Interpeace also supported MINUBUMWE in reviewing the National Civic and Peace Education Curriculum and collaborated in organising the International Day of Peace celebration on 21 September 2024. This work contributes to anchoring change in state institutions, ensuring the sustainability of actions beyond specific project timelines.

To this end, Interpeace and its partners also work with the Ministry of Health through the Rwanda Biomedical Centre as part of the Thematic Working Group that developed and led the Randomized Controlled Trial of the Resilience-Oriented Therapy (ROT) Protocol. Currently, in the framework of its institutionalisation, the ROT is implemented in 32 health centres and seven hospitals across the country.

Finally, Interpeace and its partners collaborated with the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) to train its staff on the Prisoner Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Reintegration Curriculum and establish the Technical & Vocational Skills Training programme in four prisons. Interpeace and its partners provided the training equipment and materials, while RCS contributed the trainers.

In Somalia, four formal collaboration agreements have been established, marking significant progress in advancing national peace outcomes in Somalia. Key partnerships with the Ministry of Interior in Somaliland and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Internal Reconciliation in Somalia have played a crucial role in developing and implementing the National Peace Policy (NPP) and the National Reconciliation Framework (NRF), respectively. These efforts have strengthened institutional capacity for peacebuilding and reconciliation while ensuring Interpeace’s initiatives are embedded within governmental frameworks for broader impact and long-term sustainability.

Partnerships were also expanded between Interpeace local partners, the Puntland Ministry of Interior, and the Puntland Electoral Commission, focusing on governance and electoral support to enhance local governance and citizen engagement. Ties were also strengthened with Somaliland’s Mediation Committee, House of Elders, and House of Representatives by facilitating discussions on peace agreement enforcement and providing mediation training, aiming to support sustained peace through government-backed mediation efforts.

Interpeace and its partners also contributed to the Malian national climate security strategy, thanks to its collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation. Furthermore, in Yemen, Interpeace and its partners worked with the National Steering Committee to formulate an institutional Framework for Peace. Finally, in Kenya, Interpeace and its partners collaborated with the Ministry of Interior, working alongside the Kenya Defense Forces to share early warning information and respond to conflict-related issues, among other initiatives. In Ethiopia, Interpeace and its partners conducted a baseline screening to identify vulnerabilities among schoolgirls across five schools in the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional States. This has enabled targeted Multi-Family Healing Spaces (MFHS) interventions in support of girl’s empowerment and access to university education.

Interpeace firmly believes peace needs to be pursued beyond the peacebuilding field, in line with the triple nexus promoted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2016, which seeks to break down the barriers between the humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding (HDP) spaces. Beyond conflict sensitivity, Interpeace actively engages with NGOs, international organisations, and supranational entities to ensure initiatives do not cause harm in the context of fragile peace and conflict dynamics while also promoting peace outcomes in their respective remits.

In Kenya, for example, the country programme worked with the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and East African Community (EAC) to strengthen their early warning and early response (EWER) systems. The in-country programme provided research insights and training that demonstrated that existing EWER systems predominantly focused on political crises while overlooking other critical conflict drivers. The engagement underscored the need for more comprehensive, proactive approaches to conflict prevention.

At the international level, a total of six government agencies—including those in Belgium and Switzerland—along with regional institutions such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and UN partners such as the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF), which requested Interpeace’s support in facilitation, training, policy formulation, and programme design.

Interpeace also published and contributed to reports tackling various aspects of peace responsiveness across different sectors of the HDP nexus, including with the International Labour Organization (ILO), Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), and Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, most of the 2024 Peace Responsiveness conceptual framing centred around climate resilience. The team contributed to the “Peace@COP29” policy paper[1] and webinar, as well as organised a consultation with the Environment, Climate, Conflict, and Peace Community of Practice members and the presidency team of COP29. Interpeace also wrote sections of the “Good practice principles for achieving climate action in fragile and conflict-affected environments” report[2] and published a joint report on Climate, Peace and Security with the Malian Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and a large group of organisations.

This has helped integrate peace and conflict dynamics into the policy and programmatic actions of UN agencies, development banks, and government agencies, enabling them to contribute more deliberately and effectively to peace.