Today & Tomorrow

Twenty years have come and gone with a succession of new challenges. There will surely be more to come. Violent conflict will not disappear but will instead take new forms as the global context changes and problems within and between differing societies continue to build.

Economic globalisation, increased pressure on the world’s natural resources, and social marginalization amid population growth are creating rapid social and economic changes and tension – especially within poorer countries. If affluent nations respond to this tension with force, problems will only worsen and the direct human price will increase. It is therefore essential that these cycles of violence are broken rather than fed.

International Alert has made a modest, but effective, contribution to addressing some of the gravest armed conflicts on the planet. Now we need to build on our strengths: our people, our activities and our approach. Our work would not be possible without the knowledge, expertise and dedication of our staff and partners. And this work would not be as effective if our activities and approach were not rooted in a dual focus on policy and local efforts. Over the coming years, we will continue to deepen our understanding of peacebuilding issues by creating stronger links between our field programmes and our advocacy work. This is what Alert was founded on, what has seen us prosper and what makes us unique.

New areas, new challenges

Like other NGOs, International Alert requires sustainable funds and a solid business plan to meet the needs of project and programme activities, as well as core costs. To this end, we will continue to improve our financial management and budget discipline. We also will continue to strengthen our institutional fundraising capacity and develop a more active outreach programme.

Our future success is dependent on success in the wider peacebuilding sector as well, particularly its effectiveness and credibility. The sector needs to be more proficient in both gauging and explaining the impact of peacebuilding. For Alert, this means increasing public
awareness of the issues involved in peacebuilding and of the work of peacebuilding organisations. Alert will aim to do this among key groups that influence opinion and policy.

A larger preoccupation will be balancing our geographical presence and scale: how best does one organisation impact the wide-scale problem of violent conflict? Often, funding constraints and other factors have meant operating on too small a scale and in the margins of the key issues. Alert will need to ensure that we are working on a scale that is commensurate with the problems we address. We also expect to see a greater field presence relative to our London-based staff to better assist local efforts for peace.

To remain a vibrant organisation, to contribute to strengthening the peacebuilding sector, and to remain abreast of the evolving international agenda, Alert needs to continue embracing new challenges. To carry out new work, Alert can both mobilise existing capacities and develop new ones as necessary. We must look at engaging in new countries and regions, including: Central Asia, the Middle East, Sudan and Latin America.

What is certain for the future is that Alert must remain prepared and able to change and innovate, as it has done in the past. The road to a peaceful world is a long one, and the organisation must build its strength increasingly on its ability to communicate effectively. The field of peacebuilding is becoming more recognised and respected. Alert will continue to help strengthen the sector, sharing the learning of the last 20 years and helping to find new ways of making peace possible.

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Last updated: July 2006

Our seven criteria of peacebuilding

Knowledge-based – because peacebuilding has much greater prospects of success if its based on research and strengthened by continued monitoring and assessment.