March 5, 2026
When war breaks out, the world focuses — rightly — on the visible damage.
Strikes. Casualties. Displacements. Shortages.
But there is another layer of damage that rarely makes headlines.
For example in Iraq — where recovery from past wars intersects with ongoing regional power struggles — escalation doesn’t just destroy infrastructure. It damages homes, it breaks trust, spreads dangerous rumors, and risks undermining years of careful peacebuilding. It fuels rumors that spark retaliation and threatens to break off channels of dialogue built carefully over years.
Today, you will hear from Pesh, our Country Director in Iraq, speak about what this moment means on the ground — and why peacebuilding must not pause during a crisis.
As humanitarian actors meet urgent needs, we stand with communities as a long term peace building partner to prevent violence and protect fragile peace; defending the hard-won trust we’ve built over years.
The fighting will stop. What we do now will help determine how deep and how long the damage will take to repair.
Violence has forced us to adjust some of our daily programming, which is being modified due to the active conflict but we are still doing the most important peacebuilding work. On the ground we’re providing urgent support and actively protecting and activating the peace infrastructure we’ve spent years building. This includes:
- Providing life-saving support to the most vulnerable
- Continuing insider diplomacy
- Resolving tensions through local mediation before conflicts spiral
- Keeping cross-community dialogue channels open to protect lives and relationships
- Monitoring risks in real time so we can act immediately to stop harm
We have seen before what happens when relation infrastructure collapses.
And we have seen what is possible when it is protected.
In Iraq after ISIS was pushed out, revenge attacks threatened to reignite violence — our local mediators stepped in to prevent retaliatory killings.
In Israel and Palestine during previous escalations, women, youth groups and religious leaders stepped in during past escalations, countering rumors before they could spark street violence.
In Lebanon, cross-sectarian women leaders have fought to maintain access and keep dialogue alive, even at the height of crises.
These are the moments when peacebuilding must be actively pursued — not postponed.
If we do not protect the social fabric we’ve worked so hard to strengthen, years of progress across the region could be erased.
Peacebuilding does not wait for a ceasefire.
It remains present before, during, and after the crisis.
Stand with us today to protect lives, preserve peace, and keep hope alive for communities at risk.
