The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) represents civil society peacebuilders worldwide. GPPAC calls for a fundamental change of approach towards conflict: a shift from reaction to prevention. The Partnership works on strengthening civil society networks for peace and security by linking local, national, regional, and global levels of action and effective engagement with governments, the UN system and regional organisations.

GPPAC was established in 2003 in response to the call made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for an international conference of civil society organisations working in the field of conflict prevention in his 2001 report Prevention of Armed Conflict. It has become the first truly global network on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The following 15 regional networks compose the Global Partnership:

Central and East Africa
West Africa
Southern Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean
North America
South Asia
The Pacific
Southeast Asia
Northeast Asia
Central Asia
Middle East and North Africa
Eastern Europe (formerly Western CIS)
The Caucasus
Western Balkans
Northern and Western Europe

Each region has a Regional Secretariat which is hosted by one of the member organisations in the region and serves as the primary point of contact for the global network. The Regional Steering Groups (RSGs) of the regional networks consist of members who are selected in consultations of the network and aim to ensure geographic representation. The global network is governed by an International Steering Group (ISG), consisting of 15 regional representatives and a maximum of six non-regional members.
For details of the Global Secretariat and the other Regional Secretariats click here.

Regional and Global Action Agendas (2003-2005)

After holding a global conference in 2005 in New York, the 15 regional CSO networks developed regional action agendas that were used to draft a Global Action Agenda. More than 1000 organisations were involved in drafting this document. The Global Action Agenda for the Prevention of Armed Conflict outlines the efforts to be made for the prevention of armed conflict around the world, while the Regional Action Agendas give specific recommendations on the role of civil society in the regions. The Global Action Agenda was presented to the UN in July 2005, at the conference"From Reaction to Prevention: A Global Action Agenda for the Prevention of Armed Conflict". This was the first international conference on peace and security issues at UN headquarters with an agenda set by civil society.

Work Plan 2007-2010

Following the global conference, the Regional and Global Action Agendas were translated into a concrete Work Plan. In 2006, the RSGs developed Regional Work Plans. The ISG then decided on five programmes, to be coordinated by ECCP as a Global Secretariat and further guided by Programme Working Groups made up of GPPAC members particularly involved in the programme areas. The five selected programmes were: Awareness Raising; Interaction and Advocacy; Network Building; Knowledge Generation and Sharing; and Early Warning and Early Response. These programmes have been implemented throughout 2006-2010, within the framework of GPPAC's first strategic plan.

Strategic Plan 2011-2015

GPPAC had formulated a new Strategic Plan for 2011-15. A Mid-term Review, the 2009 ISG meeting and various planning meetings of the ExCom and the temporary Strategy Group have provided the input for the plan. Programmes will built on achievements so far, through the following key strategies: (1) Network Strengthening & Regional Action; (2) Action Learning; (3) Public Outreach; and (4) Policy and Advocacy. These will be guided by thematic priorities – to be reviewed periodically by the ISG – including: Preventive Action; Dialogue & Mediation; Peace Education; and Human Security from a civil society perspective.

Key elements of the plan include:

• Formulation of a clear goal and purpose for 2011-2015, and strategies to achieve these;
• More integration and collaboration between the different strategies;
• A focus on more coherent collaboration, knowledge-sharing and joint action at global and cross-regional levels;
• Strengthening of the regional networks and more action-oriented collaboration in regions;
• Targeted strategies for learning from each other and developing knowledge products; reaching out to public constituencies; and influencing and collaborating with the UN, RIGOs and state actors;
• A focus of the network around common themes, which will proved the content for above-mentioned strategies; 
• A policy for gender mainstreaming within GPPAC;
• The operationalisation of the Peace Portal, a web-based platform developed by ECCP as a tool and space to facilitate collaboration and joint action across regions and programmes;

A planning table that lists all the expected outputs of each programme, as well as expected outcomes at the higher strategic level.