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Self Report 2019

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 1C
    Remain engaged and invest in stability

    Joint Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility

    • Commits to support the realization of The Peace Promise, which is a set of five commitments to develop more effective synergies among peace, humanitarian and development actions in complex humanitarian situations in order to end human suffering by addressing the drivers of conflict.


    • Policy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts

    Partners: International Alert, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, Peace Direct, Conciliation Resources, Human Appeal, World Vision International, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), CARE International, Alliance for Peacebuilding, Cord, Interpeace, Saferworld, Search for Common Ground, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, UNESCO, United Nations Department of Political Affairs, World Bank, Initiatives of Change International, Women for Women International

    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    Drivers of conflict are increasingly global in nature; in response, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) continues to identify actors who are in a position to transform emerging situations of conflict and convene them for carefully-facilitated discussions. In 2018, more than 450 individuals traveled from 40 different countries to attend events convened by AFSC and partners. In 2018, AFSC supported the creation, strengthening or expansion of global networks, such as the Global Network on Restricted Space and the Global Network on Prevention of Election Violence, of practitioners, academics, grassroots and international organizations, faith actors, thought leaders, activists, and community leaders that came together around thematic areas such as prevention of electoral violence, restricted spaces in peacebuilding, migration, arms trade, youth leadership in conflict prevention/transformation, business and peace, and politicized and organized violence. Youth-led peace clubs and local peace networks in Burundi, El Salvador, Guatemala and Haiti saw hundreds of youth gaining conflict transformation and community leadership skills. The Schools for Peace program in Haiti trained teachers on adopting a more peaceful approach to disciplining students and moving away from corporal punishments. AFSC also focused on the intersection of peacebuilding and livelihood strategies to build community leadership, work for reintegration of former fighters or politically marginalized groups, and introduce conflict resolution and healing strategies. In 2018, thousands of young Burundians and Somalis were in self-help groups where they were trained in savings and lending, vocational skills such as solar panel manufacturing, plumbing, and carpentry.  In Zimbabwe, small- and medium-enterprise in the impoverished Hopley Farm community are now fully operational with their own bank accounts and point-of-sale machines. Across Central America and Mexico, we continue to document human rights violation cases against migrants. In Asia, dialogues continue between Chinese investors and NGOs in Cambodia and Myanmar to promote conflict-sensitive and 'Do No Harm' practices. 

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • The Peace Promise
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Sustaining peace is only possible by strengthening structures that are driving communities towards peace and security. Supporting community structures ensure program acceptance and ownership but due to shrinking donor community, it is then important to enhance the capacity of partners in fundraising to enable future sustainability.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    AFSC has catalysed more cohesive efforts to find sustainable solutions to conflict by building stronger local and regional networks, engaging with decision-makers, and lifting up voices that are usually not heard. This is even more important as the civic space becomes increasingly restricted around the world. Moving forward, AFSC plans to dig deeper into their analysis of drivers of ‘restricted spaces’ and continue to build capacity in network weaving and analysis to maximize impact of global networks. 

    Keywords

    Migrants, Strengthening local systems, Youth

  • 1D
    Develop solutions with and for people

    Individual Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • Using a concept of shared security, AFSC will influence key decision‐makers and non‐traditional allies globally to choose peaceful transformation of conflict in the areas of migration, political and organized violence, business and peace, and election violence prevention. Using our learning from program work and policy analyses, AFSC will mobilize a global consortium, engaging communities with international policy platforms, developing and amplifying shared security messages through strategic media campaigns, evidence-based advocacy, network building to change dominant narratives, practice and policy multilateral levels.
    • Advocacy
    • Political Leadership to Prevent and End Conflicts
    1. A. Highlight concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2018 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures as well as any good practices and examples of innovation.

    The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) does its best when uplifting the work and strategies of grassroots-led movements to policy spaces. AFSC-led campaigns focused on Palestinian child detention and the Gaza blockade are shifting both public and political opinions with resources produced by the programme being used at a wider scale than ever before.  The No Way to Treat a Child Campaign is currently the most important Palestine campaign in the US, gaining support from a wide coalition of other actors and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), who is the main sponsor of the first-ever legislation (HR 4391) in the US Congress focused on grave human rights violations against Palestinian child detainees. AFSC also remains supportive of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and our research via the Investigate tool was accepted by the UN Human Rights Committee as it produced a list of companies doing business in settlements. ASFC’s advocacy to promote humanitarian and diplomatic engagement with North Korea have contributed to the repatriation of 55 servicemen remains and the continuing reunions of family members that were torn apart by war six decades ago. AFSC continues to counter fear-based narratives of North Korea through strategic media contributions including publishing opinion pieces and being quoted and interviewed by major media outlets such as the New York Times and Washington Post. Because of the work of the Israel Programme (Hamushim), there is now an increased public debate in Israel about the human, social and economic costs of military actions and arms trade on Israeli society. The Israeli foreign ministry credited Hamushim in creating public pressure for the decision to stop arms sales to South Sudan. New activists, including those coming from the religious and right-wing factions, have initiated their own campaigns to stop arms sales using Hamushim materials. 

    B. Please select if your report relates to any initiatives launched at World Humanitarian summit
    • The Peace Promise
    2. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Field conditions, including insecurity and access
    • Funding modalities (earmarking, priorities, yearly agreements, risk aversion measures)
    • Institutional/Internal constraints
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    In a global environment of growing intolerance and impunity, Governments are tightening their grip on civil society; the space to exist as an international NGO has become more restrictive. Internal turmoil over finances also prevented AFSC from doing all it could or should.

    3. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    AFSC continues to rely on alliances, coalitions, and partnerships to advance its work but AFSC is also making strides in connecting programs internally that can support each other. For example, collaboration between the Hamushim program and the Human Migration and Mobility network around border militarization and Israeli involvement. AFSC will continue to build capacity in-network and analysis skills in order to maximize the impact of global networks.