This legislative ask is designed to be shared with your members of Congress and their staff.
Today, the world faces high levels of violence and more active armed conflict than at any point since World War II. The instability created by these conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, is compounded by the ongoing global food crisis, climate shocks, and forced migration.
Support robust funding for peacebuilding accounts in the FY24 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations bill
Quakers are called to “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). International peacebuilding initiatives can help prevent sudden outbreaks of violence and heal fractured communities. This, in turn, reduces the need for humanitarian aid and supports sustainable economic development, climate adaptation, and good governance. The Institute for Economics and Peace found that every dollar invested in peacebuilding can save $16 in the cost of responding to armed conflict.
Peacebuilding programs reduce violent conflict and human suffering while saving taxpayer dollars. Yet, U.S. support for this work has been persistently underfunded.
As Congress negotiates the final Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPs) Appropriations bill, we urge you to support robust funding for peacebuilding programs. Specifically, the FY24 SFOPs bill should:
Retain from the House SFOPs appropriations bill report language (H.R. 4665):
- $6 million for Atrocities Prevention, which is the Department of State’s only funding dedicated solely to supporting programs that aim to prevent mass atrocities and genocide.
Retain from the Senate SFOPs appropriations bill text (S. 2438):
- $60 million for the Complex Crises Fund (Title II), which is the only account of its kind, enabling rapid response funding to fill short-term resource gaps, allowing USAID to respond to early warning signs of escalating conflict and seize opportunities for peace.
- $25 million for Reconciliation Programs (Sec. 7060 (f)), which enables the Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention at USAID to conduct people-to-people reconciliation programs that support the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic, religious, and political groups in conflict-affected communities.