From Aid to Investment: Bridging Business, Investment, and Locally-Led Environmental Peacebuilding

Emily Sample, Alliance for Peacebuilding (United States)

As traditional funding streams for environmental peacebuilding continue to contract, the need for innovative and cross-sector approaches has become more urgent than ever. This roundtable explores new approaches to locally-led environmental peacebuilding by weaving together capital, business practices, and investment frameworks with peace outcomes. Rather than relying solely on shrinking donor models, this effort reframes peacebuilding as a long-term investment in environmental resilience, economic stability, and social cohesion. It centers local leadership not as recipients of aid, but as architects of governance, resource management, and community adaptation, particularly in climate- and conflict-affected regions. Drawing on lessons from water diplomacy, gender-inclusive environmental governance, and peacebuilding frameworks, this roundtable will explore how intersectional strategies and private capital can support environmental sustainability. The presentation will highlight how strategic partnerships between financial actors, social enterprises, multilateral development banks, academics and practitioners can open new funding pathways while reducing risk for all stakeholders. As the field navigates a shifting political and economic landscape, this presentation will offer a practical vision for resourcing locally-led environmental peacebuilding through systems change, integrated investment, and the reframing of peace as essential infrastructure for our collective future.