The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) last week announced the winning proposals for its third Gender and the first ever Youth Promotion Initiatives (GPI3/YPI), allocating USD 12 million to 15 projects in Cote d’Ivoire, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mali, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.

Under this program, Sri Lankan projects titled ‘Empowering women for an inclusive and sustainable transitional justice and reconciliation process in Sri Lanka’ handled by the HANDICAP International Organization was donated USD 750,000 and Heal the past : Build the future – Role of Young women and visual literacy in promoting reconciliation and justice projects will receive USD 568,988.

It was the first time the PBF opened the Initiatives to civil society organizations, as a step to implement the mandate from the Sustaining Peace resolutions (S/RES/2282 and A/RES/70/262) to work more closely with civil society partners and support their vital peace building work.