This year, Interpeace turns 25, marking a quarter century of experience building peace in over 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe. Over this period, Interpeace has learned and applied several fundamental lessons about the nature of peace and conflict.

Evidence has demonstrated that the breakdown of trust—whether it be between governments and citizens; security forces and local communities; or between communities themselves—is consistently one of the most persistent drivers of conflict. Given the close link between mistrust and exclusion, Interpeace places particular emphasis on inclusion and dialogue as the primary tools for building sustainable, locally driven peace, anchored on trust.

Our 2018 Annual Report, “Trust Matters” illustrates how we are working to foster and promote trust in conflict-affected regions of the world. From supporting statebuilding processes for over two decades in the Somali Region, to fostering trust and collaboration between the security sector and the population in Mali; and from strengthening the participation of women in decision-making processes in Guinea-Bissau, to collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to build trust between members of communities affected by the Ebola outbreak and the health response teams. As evidenced by these examples, ever-changing circumstances and challenges around the world, have encouraged Interpeace to adapt and constantly develop innovative solutions, as well as build new partnerships to better prevent violence and transform conflict.

We all play a role in building peace. In our latest annual report, we hope to inspire people to better contribute to peace by focusing on building or re-building trust.