At the best of times work to prevent conflict and cultivate conditions for peace is complex, challenging and, for communities facing insecurity and threat, often a terrifying ordeal. Following another 12 months of COVID uncertainty and constraint, that task became even harder; and as we have seen in many places over the past year, added further challenge to those facing injustices and violent conflict.

The pandemic remains a tragic global phenomenon. Yet, hidden behind the swell and dominance of daily COVID-19 public health reporting, you will find further examples of its menacing consequences in places already experiencing insecurity and marginalisation. The health crisis restricted the movement of people and local peace efforts; it deepened social inequalities; it led in instances to divisive disinformation; and even more troubling, enabled many state and non-state actors to tighten their grip over power and undermine political and civilian dissent – reducing the space for necessary peacebuilding and political change. We thought the global response to the pandemic might stir greater collective action to reduce violence and promote peace – it didn’t. The continued decline in international consensus to address transnational drivers of conflict, and champion local initiatives to bring peace, remains a grave concern.

For us at Saferworld, and for our many partners, it was also a challenging year. But what equally stood out was the manner in which our resilience and capacity to adjust triumphed. I am inspired by how much was achieved by my colleagues and the people we work alongside – of which this annual review provides just a brief insight. It was striking how community activists and civil society organisations often acted as trusted ‘first responders’ to the pandemic. The review shows a remarkable level of flexibility and creativity to find new ways to engage and support people. Despite the odds, our reach extended to a large number of community groups and civil society organisations: whether in supporting people-centred security or peace initiatives, or actively creating platforms to augment the voices of those not normally heard. The review references many examples of channels and platforms established for constructive dialogue and problem solving – such as across India and Pakistan and between Afghanistan and Pakistan; the Africa–China–Europe cooperation to prevent the diversion of arms in Africa; the innovative global Security Policy Alternatives Network (SPAN) facilitating collaboration between human rights, peacebuilding, women’s rights and humanitarian actors to push back against the securitisation of foreign policy and development; and so many more.

A silver lining perhaps to the pandemic crisis (and there are a few) is the manner it taught us new ways to stand together with communities affected by conflict and with our partners. Overall, as international organisations we had to ‘stand back’ and appreciate more deeply what our fundamental peacebuilding roles are. I mention this because we devoted part of last year to refreshing our goals and strategy, and asked a lot of candid questions about the nature of our contribution and our priorities for the future. The process turned into an open, organisation-wide conversation where we affirmed our solidarity with those affected by conflict, and with the changemakers we work with. We reflected on being active facilitators and partners to help cultivate conditions whereby people experiencing conflict can self-organise and take the lead in changing their realities. We stressed being supportive of the political and social capacities that sustain peace, and bringing a national and international perspective to local peacebuilding efforts. Our intention is for the new strategy to reaffirm and embolden us in this mission, and I hope you will already detect this spirit in the following annual review of our work.

Finally, this is an opportunity for us to sincerely thank all our partners, collaborators and funders for supporting our efforts and contributions over the year. Standing together, during these challenging times especially, matters; and the making of appropriate and relevant resources available for crucial peacebuilding endeavours is as critical and as necessary ever. We look forward to continued collaboration.