#GPPAC2025Amman: Co-creating strategy, showing solidarity

From 12 to 16 May 2025, GPPAC’s International Steering Group (ISG) will convene in Amman, Jordan, hosted by two of the region’s most respected peacebuilding organisations: Generations for Peace and Naya Community Network. 

The ISG is more than our highest decision-making body, it is the beating heart of our network. It brings together representatives from 14 regions and 6 working groups who carry with them the voices, hopes, fears and lived realities of their communities, as well as decades of combined peacebuilding experience. Together, they weave these perspectives into our shared vision and strategic directions for the years to come, shaping both thematic priorities and the very structure of our network.

At a time when the world feels increasingly fragmented—where violence is escalating, civic space is shrinking, and the value of peacebuilding is under dispute—the ISG meeting stands as a moment of connection and resolve. It is a safe, empowering space where trust is built, stories are honoured, and knowledge is exchanged freely. It is here that we come together not only to share, but to build: bringing the sum of all our know-how, experiences, and commitments to shape a network that is more grounded, more united, and stronger than the sum of its parts.

Why Amman?

For the first time in over a decade, GPPAC’s ISG will gather in the MENA region, where local peacebuilders continue to defy the odds and hold space for hope amid deepening crises. Bringing together the ISG in Amman is about more than just choosing a meeting location; it is a deliberate act of solidarity.

MENA is also home to members we have been supporting in Palestine—work that will be further strengthened under our new strategic partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a region where the noise of war and violence can be deafening, coming together in Amman is a powerful collective voice for peace. It shows that even in the hardest times, peacebuilding endures.

What’s on the agenda?

This year’s ISG meeting carries special weight, as we mark 20 years since GPPAC first came together to set collective peacebuilding priorities—launching its Global Action Agenda in 2005 at the UN General Assembly in New York.

True to our networked DNA, the agenda for this year’s meeting has been co-created by a Reference Group of ISG members, with input from the full ISG. This process reflects the very essence of the GPPAC approach: member-led, collaborative, and grounded in diverse realities.

The meeting in Amman is structured around two core pillars:

1. Co-create our new Strategic Plan: Locally-led peacebuilding requires both bold vision and hard-earned wisdom. In Amman, we will dedicate two full days to launching the development of our next Strategic Plan (2026–2030). This will be an opportunity to reflect on both long-standing and newer challenges—such as shrinking civic space, the continued exclusion of women, youth, and marginalised groups, increasing polarisation, democratic backsliding and immense funding cuts to our field of work—but also to explore how emerging themes like AI and new technologies can be harnessed in ways that serve peace, without losing sight of our values.

2. Strengthen how we work together: Member-led networks thrive on trust, accountability, and strong foundations. As the world of peacebuilding evolves, so too must our network—this pillar invites us to reflect honestly on how we collaborate, how information flows between different parts of the network, how we are accountable to one another, and how we can strengthen our governance by revisiting mechanisms that may no longer serve us well. To advocate effectively in today’s increasingly complex environment, we must ensure our internal structures are fit for purpose.

We also know that peacebuilding is demanding work—and that connection, rest, and reflection are essential. Throughout the week, we will create space to care for one another, to recharge, and to draw inspiration beyond the meeting room walls. This includes a visit to the Naya Community Network in Zarqa, a space of resilience and creativity in a city home to many Palestinian refugees. This visit will serve as both a learning moment and a gesture of solidarity with Palestine and all conflict-affected communities worldwide.

Be part of our global peacebuilding community. Follow and share using #GPPAC2025Amman.