The Civil Society – UN Prevention Platform was created in 2016 against the backdrop of a renewed focus at the UN on prevention and inclusivity, not least the three reviews of UN’s peacebuilding architecture, peace operations and work on women, peace and security of 2015 and the 2016 resolutions (UNSCR 2282).

The Platform is co-facilitated by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) in close collaboration with UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA). It also consists of a core, coordinating group of eight partners in New York, Europe and Africa, who act as a sounding board for the Platform’s work. The UVC program is one of these key partners.

To contribute to meaningful inclusion of and partnerships with local actors, the Civil Society – UN Prevention Platform aims to improve the cooperation and coordination on prevention between UN actors across the system and civil society actors in New York and in the field.

In cooperation with DPA and other UN agencies and departments, the Platform arranges thematic and country-specific meetings bringing together UN and civil society actors to:

• Exchange examples of best practices and lessons learned,
• Identify concrete areas and forms of collaboration between and amongst CSOs and
  the UN and ways to strengthen UN-CSO cooperation at a practical level,
• Discuss ways of bridging the gap between early warning and early action,
• Engage with Member States to build support for the prevention agenda.

Rather than focusing on the issues and challenges related to prevention, the discussions focus on creative ways of increasing the UN’s capacities to resolve these challenges.

Most importantly, the Platform relies and draws on a still-growing network of global experts of CSOs who each bring their trusted, local networks and partners. We are therefore able to connect UN actors to civil society actors on the ground in a wide range of countries and also provide concrete examples of best practices.