PACIFIC: Pacific Peacebuilders to Receive Small Grants

Ten civil society groups from Fiji, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, will receive small grants between US$2500 and US$10,000 in 2011 to continue peace building efforts in the Pacific region.

This was announced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre in Suva, Fiji.

The winners of the 2011 Round of Strengthening Capacities for Peace and Development (CPAD) project's small grants include Bougainville (North Bougainville Women's Federation, Hako Women's Collective, Leitana Nehan Women's Collective); Fiji (FemLINK PACIFIC); Papua New Guinea (Voice of Change, Simbu Human Rights Advocate, Peace Foundation Melanesia); Solomon Islands (Sycamore Tree, Anglican Church of Melanesia) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), a Pacific-wide programme.

In its second year, the small grant initiative is one of the capacity building approaches of the CPAD project. It seeks to support strategic and catalytic peacebuilding projects that address the key conflict drivers, strengthen the region's peace and security architecture and foster partnerships between government and civil society groups.

UNDP Pacific Centre's Conflict Prevention and Peace Building Expert, Tracy Vienings explained that an objective of the CPAD project is to also create a broader understanding of the linkages between peace and development, and how to also address the underlying causes of conflict, not only mediating them as they occur.

The first round small grants in 2010 were given out to ten civil society groups from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and the Solomon Islands. CPAD is a regional programme of the UNDP Pacific Centre that aims to build and strengthen the capacities of governments, civil societies and regional organisations in the Pacific for conflict preventions and peacebuilding.