Sustaining Peace

Although wars between states continue to be in decline, the number of casualties from armed strife are on the rise. This is the result of asymmetrical conflicts between state and non-state actors, and of new forms of organized violence. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that peace is more than the absence of war. Peace, to be sustainable, needs to be nourished before, during, and after conflicts. And while some states actively undermine people’s security, functioning, accountable state structures remain desirable to guarantee human security needs and rights. FES New York works with UN Member States and other actors towards an inclusive notion of peace that addresses the security concerns of states but also of the end users of peace – the individual human beings.