Conducive Space for Peace convened a virtual exchange on December 3rd, 2025, ahead of the 2025 CSO–UN Dialogue on Peacebuilding in Geneva. The exchange drew interest from seventy registered Dialogue participants and other civil-society actors from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas interested in how civic actors and multilateral institutions can work together in new ways. This note is a summary of the insights that emerged through short provocations and group discussions, including areas of challenges, uncertainties and questions that that merit continued exploration as enter the Dialogue.

Civic space continues to narrow worldwide, even as UN human rights and peacebuilding architectures struggle to offer adequate protection and support. At the same time, global cooperation is fragmenting, demanding new forms of collaboration with civil society to uphold legitimacy and deliver on core mandates. The 2025 CSO-UN Dialogue takes place at a pivotal moment, with UN reform efforts advancing amid growing volatility and new pressures on multilateralism. Civil society remains a vital force for peace and inclusion, yet faces unprecedented challenges in resourcing, trust, and access.

The world is at a crossroads. Rising conflict, inequality and climate injustice are testing our collective imagination, while systems meant to foster cooperation are often gridlocked by polarisation and inertia. Yet cracks in the system also create space for alternatives. Across the world, communities and civic actors are proving that new forms of solidarity and collaboration are possible.

There is much to criticise about Trump Jr.’s trip to Nuuk in January. A great deal, in fact, not least in relation to the stated desire of the U.S. to control Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland and the unreasonable pressure placed on Naalakkersuisut (the Greenlandic government) in this regard. However, one positive outcome emerged. It was said loudly – so loudly that the Danish government and population could not avoid hearing it – that Inuit/Greenlanders are subjected to prejudice and racism, and that there is no equity in the Danish-Greenlandic relationship.

At the recent Peace Connect gathering in Nairobi, CSP’s Director Sweta Velpillay shared a reflection on what it means to reclaim our civic power and reimagine the systems that shape peace and democracy. Drawing on experiences from across global civil society, she spoke about how courage and creativity are abundant, but too often fragmented and disconnected.

On September 17, Conducive Space for Peace (CSP) virtually launched the publication Civil Society as the Possibility for Collective Freedom. The launch featured Inés M. Pousadela, Senior Research Advisor at CIVICUS, Jesse Eaves, Senior Director for the Peacebuilding team at Humanity United, and Ralph Ellermann, Senior Programme Manager from Conducive Space for Peace, together with more than 35 participants from around the world.

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

Reimagining Resourcing and Solidarity in Times of Change: Key Takeaways from Community Gathering April 2025 Download the blogpost here. In a recent virtual gathering titled Reimagining Resourcing and Solidarity in Times of Change, Patrick Steiner-Hirth shared a profound insight: “ll of us here in this room have been wanting to dismantle the aid and peacebuilding system for a very, very long time. The issue is we did not want it to happen li

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

World at Crossroads: From Scenarios to Action These short summaries and discussions address highly complex global, regional, and translocal developments occurring up to March 2025, involving numerous actors, perspectives, and nuances. They do not offer comprehensive accounts or detailed analyses, and inevitably may overlook certain events, developments, or viewpoints. Instead, their purpose is to help stakeholders critically engage with the four RESPACE scenarios, stimulating reflection, s

(You can download the article in the following languages: Dansk, English and Kalaallisut)

Hvad ved vi egentlig om strukturel racisme mod grønlændere i Danmark? Det er med stor ydmyghed og en del forbehold, at vi blander os i debatten om relationen mellem Danmark og Grønland. Kan vi bidrage med noget, som ikke allerede er sagt?

Scenarios for Future Global Collaboration WorkshopIn an era of mounting geopolitical tensions, increased polarisation, conflicts and militarisation, climate crises, and deepening socio-economic inequalities, the need for a fundamental shift in how we approach global collaboration for peace has never been more urgent. This requires reflecting on the role of Denmark and Danish organisations in shaping future global collaboration. This workshop provides an opportuni

Summit of the Future Action Days - Virtual Side Event: Reimagining Equitable Global Infrastructures for Sustainable Peace What could global collaboration for sustainable peace look like in the future? In a world grappling with geo-political turbulence, rising levels of violent conflict with both causes and consequences intensifying, the pathway to achieving sustainable peace appears illusive. Globally, there is growing recognition of the need to support lasting p

Returning to the Hive: Thoughts from our team retreat There is something about returning to the hive. In our day-to-day lives, we are busy bees in our different locations, moving around, collecting food for thought to nourish our work at Conducive Space for Peace (CSP). But coming together and sharing our ideas is what moves us forward and allows us to reimagine our work, restrategise our approaches, and recommit to our values. You may have stumbled upon our conc

Invitation to Learning Series on Systems Innovation and Transformation for Promoting Local Leadership Are you a champion of innovation and transformation driving positive change in the international peace and development landscape and eager to be a part of a dynamic community? If so, we are delighted to extend an invitation to our upcoming virtual Learning Series for stimulating discussions with resource persons and peers.The wider context for initiatives designe

Invitation to Weaving Conversation: Reimagining Equitable Global Spaces and Infrastructures for Sustainable PeaceJoin us at reimagining what equitable spaces and infrastructures for sustainable peace can look like in the future! This session is hosted by Conducive Space for Peace (CSP), the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR) and Reos Partners. Together we want to explore what will need to happen to shift the power in our international peacebuilding system.

Innovators Hive Launch Dear friends and colleagues, We are excited to announce the launch of Innovators Hive an online library and community space dedicated to driving innovations that strengthen local leadership in the peacebuilding and development sectors. Innovators Hive was developed out of a desire to see increased connection, sharing and learning between the many initiatives, projects, practices and people driving change for local leadership. Explore an

Leadership Transition: Meet the team We at Conducive Space for Peace (CSP) took a step back over the past 6 months to restructure the organisation and to re-strategize our work to align with the values we aim to embody and the radical shifts taking place around us. As part of this reflection, we are happy to announce that as of January 2023, the leadership has transitioned with Sweta Velpillay taking on the role as Co-Director, Organisational Leadership. Mie Ro

invitation to Learning Series: Innovative Practices in Changing the International System – Challenges and Opportunities Are you a champion of innovation and eager to be a part of a dynamic community driving positive change in the international peace and development landscape? If so, we are thrilled to extend a warm invitation for our upcoming Learning Series. In this first session Innovative Practices in Changing the international system – Challenges and O

Invitation to Workshop – Applying MEL Practices to Advance Local Leadership and Equitable Partnerships Are you working with MEL in your organisation, and are you keen to know more about what you can do to promote local leadership and equitable partnership in your work with other like-minded individuals? Please join us at our upcoming workshop: Applying MEL Practices to Advance Local Leadership and Equitable Partnerships, on Thursday, June 22, from 9.30-15.30 at

Podcast Launch – Unpacking the Chain of Influence Framework Our first podcast has been launched! We invite you to join the conversation where CSP Director, Mie Roesdahl, presents our publication ‘Chain of Influence: Framework for Systems Change’ and alongside colleagues discusses avenues for international organisations to pursue change within and between international organisations in order to enable a more conducive space for local leadership. We also hear fro

We are pleased to invite you to – Danish International NGOs Enabling Local Leadership – our workshop series on global trends and promising practices for systems change which will be held in Copenhagen in August and September 2022. With the global context for development assistance evolving rapidly and momentum for change to better provide support to locally-led initiatives gaining ground, the need to re-examine approaches to aid initiatives is ever more pressi

Religious leaders mitigating violence prior to Kenya’s conflict-prone elections   Sheikh Mwinyi Ali smiles to the religious leaders gathered in the Swalihina Mosque and concludes the meeting among the Muslim and Christian leaders in Mombasa. “The glass is now full, and if we keep pouring the water, it will spillover and we will waste resources”. They have been talking since 8am in the morning and it is now 1pm and prayer time. Some have to attend a funeral. Th

Annual Meeting 2021 Conducive Space for Peace invites you to join the 2021 Annual Meeting on November 23 at Suomisvej 4, Frederiksberg  See invitation in Danish below We are delighted to invite you to the Annual General Meeting from 15:30 to 17:00 CET on 23 November. The meeting will be held in-person at CSP’s Copenhagen office (Suomisvej 4) and virtually, with members, employees and board members of CSP participating. During the first part of the meeting, th

New CSP Systems Change Brief In an effort to expand the community of likeminded peers interested in systems change for locally-led peacebuilding and development, Conducive Space for Peace has just released its new monthly systems change brief. In the first brief, CSP Director Mie Roesdahl shares her personal reflections as well as  the latest thought development of Conducive Space for Peace and its partners regarding the momentum for change which is currently building glo

Interactive Roundtable: Systems Change for Local Peacebuilding Conducive Space for Peace (CSP) and The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) are pleased to invite you to the upcoming roundtable, Seizing the Moment and Pursuing Systems Change for Locally-Led Peacebuilding taking place on Wednesday, June 30th at 16:00-17:30 CET. The world is challenged by some of the highest ever recorded rates of conflict in history and a rapidly evolving geopolitical context. The peace

Conversations with John Paul Lederach: “Add a pair of wings to a pepper pod, you would make a dragon fly” Inspired by the natural wonders and how it holds complexity and simplicity in close encounters, we have  pondered on systems change in the global peacebuilding system – and recently consolidated our thinking in the piece “The Dragonfly Model: Systems Change to Strengthen Support for Locally-Led Peacebuilding ”. With many years of combined experience within the

With a world in flux: Embarking on a collective systems change journey 23 percent of the world’s population currently lives in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, with violent conflicts reaching a higher rate globally than at any time in the past 30 years. This leaves us questioning whether the current ways of working in supporting peacebuilding is fit for purpose. Our new report, A Global System in Flux: Pursuing Systems Change for Locally-Led Peacebuilding, c

The Pioneering Peace Report: A call for ation to advance local peacebuilders’ digital inclusion By Christian Cito, Programme Advisor, CSP The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted our lives and continues to exert significant pressure on how we interact as humans. For local peacebuilders in fragile contexts, the pandemic has also severely disrupted locally-led peacebuilding, short-circuiting needed funding to support community-level peacebuilding efforts, and

Pioneering Peace: Digital Inclusion and Adaptation in Response to COVID-19 COVID-19 has had a drastic impact on the way people live, creating an unprecedented reliance on technology as our lives have shifted to the virtual world. Local peacebuilders, who often must rely on vital face-to-face interactions, therefore faced a unique challenge at the start of the pandemic. In April 2020, Shift Power for Peace – a collaborative initiative between Conducive Space for Pe

“In the face of destruction, we are compelled to create.” (William Cleveland, 2008, Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World’s Frontlines) The arts offer unique tools to address intractable conflicts and can help divided communities to creatively engage in constructive dialogues for healing and reconciliation. For our 2020 annual meeting in December, Conducive Space for Peace invited two amazing women peacebuilders from two different conflict contexts to share their experiences

Welcome to the CSP Annual Meeting 2020 We are honoured to invite you to our annual meeting on December 2 at 15.30-17.00 CET by virtual participation through Zoom. During the last months, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the potential of engaging in virtual spaces, while we simultaneously have had to acknowledge its limitations. This has however not discouraged us, and we have had many wonderful experiences, among others one meeting in which women peacebuilders from 7 different co

Shifting power for peace in times of COVID-19 By Conducive Space for Peace, Humanity United and Peace Direct At the end of September, Peace Direct, Humanity United and Conducive Space for Peace held a second consultation on COVID-19 and local peacebuilding. Almost 100 peacebuilders from 67 countries joined the consultation over two days, discussing the impact of the pandemic on conflict and peacebuilding, changes in funding, and engagement between the internationa

UNSCR: 2535: Unpacking the latest UN Security Council Resolution on YPSOn July 14th, 2020, the United Nations unanimously passed UNSCR 2535, an international policy framework advocating for greater youth participation in peacebuilding processes and humanitarian responses. To help unpack this resolution and its implications for youth-led peacebuilding, on July 25th CSP in collaboration with Peacemaker360 organized a live-streamed panel discussion with three young pe

Event Briefing note: HLPF 2020 Side-Event on Impact of Covid-19 on Local PeacebuildingEvent held 16 July 2020 Overview Peaceful, just and inclusive societies (SDG16+) are central to achieving progress on all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The COVID-19 pandemic presenting serious implications for conflict prevention and peacebuilding work globally, the 2020 High-Level Political Forum presented an important opportunity to reflect on challenges and opportuniti

Women Peacebuilders on the Frontlines of the Covid-19 Crisis During the Nordic Women Mediator’s meeting conducted on June 3rd and 4th 2020, Mie Roesdahl of Conducive Space for Peace is leading a group session on Women Peacebuilders on the Frontlines of the Covid-19 Crisis. Two wise, experienced and innovative women peacebuilders, Nomfundo Walaza of South Africa and Comfort Attah of Nigeria are sharing their insights with the Nordic women mediators and discussing w

Bridging the Gap webinar series to be launched for young, aspiring peacebuilders Are you a young person reaching the end of your studies or in the beginning of your career with a wish to learn more about the peacebuilding field? Then join us at Conducive Space for Peace as we launch our new webinar series “Bridging the Gap”! Bridging the Gap is about creating translocal and -national connections with other aspiring peacebuilders, filling in knowledge gaps and crea

Shift Power for Peace Launches Digital Inclusion Initiative for Local Peacebuilders Calling fellow local peacebuilders! Kindly consider taking 5 minutes to help us in Conducive Space for Peace by filling in this survey on how COVID-19 is affecting funding for local peacebuilding. We want to ask you: What changes in funding do you experience as a consequence of the pandemic? Your responses in this survey will provide us with a strong basis for conveying messages to

Shift Power for Peace Launches Digital Inclusion Initiative for Local Peacebuilders Are you working to build peace in your community, in a fragile or conflict-affected country? Has your work been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?    Would access to digital tools, online courses for digital peacebuilding, or a network of local peacebuilders help you continue, adapt or develop your working during this time of global restrictions and lockdown?   In the face of the CO

Local peacebuilders in the frontlines of COVID-19 responses As fears of the pandemic spreading in the Global South continue to expose vulnerabilities of local peacebuilding, by early April 2020 Peace Direct, Humanity United, and CSP conducted online consultations with 400 local peacebuilders from 60 countries to gage the impact of the pandemic on local peacebuilding. Subsequently, a report detailing the findings and recommendations of the online consultations was r