This CSDN Background Paper presents the results of a participant survey conducted ahead of the July 2026 CSDN Funding Instruments Meeting on trends in peace, security, stability and crisis response funding under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034). Prepared on the basis of responses from 15 civil society organisations and think tanks, the paper captures how practitioners assess the current funding architecture and what they would like to see carried forward.
The paper looks at the added value of different EU funding types, from the predictability of long-term thematic programming to the flexibility of Rapid Response funding, and reviews how organisations rate the relevance of the current 2021–2027 Multi-annual Indicative Programme on Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention. It also captures respondents’ assessment of the evolving context, marked by rising geopolitical tensions, protracted conflicts, shrinking civic space and a widening gap between funding for peacebuilding and funding for hard security responses.
It further explores respondents’ views on the structuring of future programming and how priorities within each area should evolve to reflect locally-led approaches, the Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agendas, and emerging risks such as the climate-security nexus and digital threats.
