NAP in focus at the Partners’ Meeting

The partnership’s collective contribution to the New Agenda for Peace. That was the main theme for the Challenges Forum’s Partners’ meeting, held on 24 February.

The well-attended virtual meeting gathered partners from 24 organisations world-wide. An important moment to define the Forum’s priorities during the year, and to discuss the partnership’s contribution to the UN Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace (NAP) initiative.

Challenges Forum Partners at the annual Partners' meeting
Challenges Forum Partners attending the virtual meeting.

From top left: Per Olsson Fridh, DG FBA and Chair of the Partners’ meeting, David Haeri, UN DPO. Bottom: Asif Khan, UN DPPA.

In addition to the partners’ own discussions, the meeting also offered some interesting UN perspectives, represented by Asif Khan, Director of Policy and Mediation Division, at UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and David Haeri, Director, Division for Policy, Evaluation and Training, at UN Department of Peace Operations.

They gave an appreciated joint presentation on the NAP process, which generated many engaged questions and comments.

Challenges Forum’s input to the NAP
Jean-Marie Guehénno
Jean-Marie Guehénno, Patron of the Challenges Forum.

The Challenges Forum’s contribution is the result of a joint effort by the Challenges Forum International Secretariat (CFIS), together with the members of the advisory committee (POAC) and our Patron Jean-Marie Guéhenno. It is building on the key takeaways from last year’s Challenges Annual Forum in New Delhi, as well as input and reviews from our partners. A final version of the paper, containing the partnership’s collective input to the NAP, will be presented to the UN Secretariat.

Partnership’s priorities in 2023

The CFIS team presented the Operational plan for 2023.

The New Agenda for Peace process will be a main effort for the Challenges Forum during 2023. Other priorities, that were highlighted in the meeting’s Operational plan, include dialogue platforms for mission leadership, the new mission leadership digital tool, research policy briefs launch, the Challenges Annual Forum 2023 and other events.

The annual Partners’ Meeting represents the Steering Committee of the Challenges Forum, determining the priorities and main initiatives of the partnership. In accordance with the Challenges Forum framework, the meeting was chaired by the Director-General of the Folke Bernadotte Academy, Per Olsson Fridh.