Recommendation 4

HM Government Not Addressed

13. The UK government does not accept that changes in funding for peacebuilding in Sudan contributed to conflict escalating without challenge. 14. The UK uses a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of conflict - combining diplomacy, development, and security, and working with our international partners. We are also driving reform of the multilateral system to better focus resources and strengthen effectiveness and supporting the efforts of regional mediators such as Qatar to bring violent conflict to an end. 15. The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) is one part of the UK’s broader peacebuilding efforts, prioritising overseas conflict work that both benefits UK national security and supports stability in partner countries. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) supported peacebuilding in Darfur until 2021. The Sudan Peace & Reconciliation Programme, funded bilaterally by the FCDO, continued many of the same activities including transitional justice, peace processes and conflict sensitivity, demonstrating the UK’s ongoing commitment to peace and stability in Sudan. 16. We are also a major donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, contributing over £7m last year to support peacebuilding in over 40 countries, including Sudan. 17. The UK government has gained valuable insights from its past involvement in stabilisation and peacebuilding efforts. These insights are now being applied across government departments through a new stabilisation toolkit. This toolkit provides practical guidance on making strategic decisions, including understanding trade-offs, navigating complex environments - especially in conflict zones - and building strong partnerships that ensure local communities have ownership of peacebuilding initiatives. 18. The toolkit draws on lessons and evidence from key areas such as security, justice, and cross-border threats. Although the toolkit is primarily intended for UK government staff, it has also attracted interest from international partners, including other governments, global organisations, and civil society groups. We plan to launch the toolkit across departments and publish it online by the end of the year. (Conclusion 4, Paragraph 48) Climate change is a current and growing driver of displacement, and the Department must better integrate the modelling of climate threats into its planning for its displacement work.