While global political violence has almost doubled since 2020, President Trump’s destruction of USAID, the United States’ aid agency, accelerates and drastically worsens a sharp downward trend in non-military peace and security assistance among many donors. In 2025, as this study shows, we may see 34 percent less global investment in peace and security compared to the 2021-2023 average. This analysis shows how donors allocate money and power, and how not only investment in peace and security in general but also the commitment to locally-led peacebuilding in particular are deeply in crisis, and offers a way out.
The study was undertaken by Melissa Li, Maximilian Biller and Philipp Rotmann of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) with financial support from the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The Middle East and North Africa are one of the regions most affected by conflict worldwide. These conflicts result in massive environmental damage, while climate change and environmental degradation also give rise to new injustices and conflicts at the local level. Despite this, affected groups and stakeholders are often not involved in decision-making processes. This publication analyzes the implementation of participatory approaches in 7 countries in the region, particularly with regard to the potential for a better understanding of their implications for human security.
The dossier was produced in close collaboration with the Arab Reform Initiative.