The International Networking Group on Peace Building with Young Children

Our aim

To be a facilitating agent and a leading voice for the creation and strengthening of international programmes and strategies which recognise the importance of early childhood to build integrated and peaceful societies.

The International Network on Peace Building with Young Children is a global initiative set up by early childhood practitioners, children’s rights advocates, researchers and civil society organisations working to promote a peaceful and safe life for young children. The Network comprises organisational or individual membership from countries living in, emerging from or under the threat of conflict.

“Mobilising support of all kinds for children and young families.”

— INPB Strategic Plan 2019-2024

Network Impact

The International Network on Peace Building Project has created an important sustainable international network on peace building with young children, which has made visible the impact of conflict on young children and the power of early childhood services to be an important medium for peace building initiatives in regions of conflict and those emerging from conflict.

The development of a Master’s Programme in Applied Peace Building with Young Children in partnership with INCORE, Ulster University. This innovative development was piloted for three years (2009-2012) and is now mainstreamed within the University.
The development of an International Programmatic Toolkit Manual for work with young children, parents and teachers in regions experiencing or emerging from conflict. The toolkit has been adapted for implementation in the Balkans, Palestine, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the ARNEC (Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood) region.
The Network is recognised as a major source of expert advice on peace building with young children activities internationally with members of the network supporting UNICEF in a number of regions in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa (Tajikistan, Krgyzistan, Mali, Egypt, East Timor and Vietnam).
An advocacy strategy aimed at developing a UN Resolution on Peace Building with Young Children has been developed which has made visible the importance of work with young children in the countries involved in the Network. Critical country, regional and international partnerships have been formed to drive the peace building agenda within the UN Sustainable Development Goals with a particular focus on highlighting and linking the importance of Goals 4 and 16.
The Network is a founder member of the Early Childhood Peace Consortium with UNICEF, Yale, Sesame and ACEV.
The Network participated in the Contributions of Early Childhood Development Programming to Sustainable Peace and Development. The research and evaluation activities carried out by Network members have contributed to the development of new knowledge in peace building with young children.
The Network has been involved in the development of a new social emotional programme on resilience and peace building with two year old children, which is currently being piloted and evaluated in Northern Ireland (2018-19).
The Network was a leading partner in the Una Global Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity Peace Building Learning Group and produced two research papers.