In a new report issued today, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) recommends that President-elect Jo Biden prioritizes peace in his administration’s first 100 days.
Contact: Tim McHugh; media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“After two decades of endless war, it’s time to build endless peace,” said Diane Randall, FCNL general secretary. “This will require fundamental changes in the way the United States plans, budgets, and organizes its foreign policy, and the ways it hires and trains personnel to carry it out. But a great deal can be accomplished just in the first few months of the new administration, and this report shows how.”
The report, “Prioritizing Peace: A New U.S. Foreign Policy for a Post-COVID-19 World,” outlines recommendations based on six areas: Make peacebuilding a priority; do no harm; strengthen the voice of peacebuilding and human rights in U.S. foreign policy; increase staff diversity and capacity to build peace; position peace at the center of U.S. foreign assistance; and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to multilateralism.
The report draws on extensive interviews with experts and practitioners in diplomacy, development, defense, humanitarian operations, and peacebuilding
Peace is especially important as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated conflict and fragility in many of the world’s most fragile states. The long-term impacts of the pandemic, including rising violence, expanding authoritarianism, and decimated economies, will far outlast the coronavirus itself.
Even when the United States is not directly involved, such instability and violence reduce markets for trade, destabilize allies, trigger mass migration, and degrade the environment.
Implementing the recommendations outlined in the report will help the United States and its allies deal with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. Copies of the report have been sent to members of the President-elect’s transition team, every members of Congress, and foreign policy experts.
“Prioritizing Peace: A New U.S. Foreign Policy for a Post-COVID-19 World,” is written by Ursala Knudsen-Latta, FCNL’s legislative representative for peacebuilding, and Daren Caughron, a Herbert Scoville Jr. peace fellow.
To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.
