Peace Direct is an international organization dedicated to supporting local peacebuilding efforts around the world. By empowering grassroots organizations and activists, Peace Direct works to transform conflict-affected communities through sustainable, locally led initiatives. Their work spans conflict resolution, capacity building, and advocacy, ensuring that those most affected by violence have the resources and support needed to drive lasting peace. They challenge top-down approaches by prioritizing local knowledge and leadership, emphasizing that peace is most effective when it originates from within communities.

In January 2024, a cohort of local peacebuilders from around the world launched Peace Starts Here, a global movement dedicated to highlighting the effectiveness and necessity of locally led peace initiatives. This campaign seeks to amplify the voices of grassroots peacebuilders, advocating for increased international support and a deeper understanding of the realities they face in conflict-affected regions.

At the heart of the campaign lies the Peacebuilders' Manifesto, a document outlining five key demands to reshape the global approach to peacebuilding:

1. Make space for local peacebuilders: The manifesto calls for more inclusive avenues for local peacebuilders to lead, shape, and influence peace processes within their regions.

2. Fund more local peacebuilding efforts: It emphasizes the need to remove barriers to funding for genuine grassroots initiatives, proactively channeling resources to those closest to conflict.

3. Support and strengthen local peacebuilders: The manifesto advocates for building the capacity and resilience of local actors, enabling them to participate in sustainable peacebuilding and build trust with policymakers, funders, and donors.

4. Center peacebuilding around local people: It urges investment in human-centered, collaborative, and community-led approaches, encouraging local peacebuilders to play an active role in decolonizing global peace efforts.

5. Join the movement: The manifesto invites individuals and organizations to share their thoughts on these demands and sign in support of the campaign.

The campaign's website, serves as a hub for stories from local peacebuilders, providing insights into their challenges, successes, and the innovative strategies they employ to foster peace. By sharing these narratives, the campaign aims to humanize the concept of peacebuilding, moving beyond abstract policies to the real-world efforts of individuals dedicated to creating lasting change.

"Peace Starts Here" is more than a campaign; it's a movement that seeks to transform the global peacebuilding landscape by centering the voices and experiences of those most affected by conflict. By advocating for systemic change, increased funding, and greater recognition of local efforts, the campaign aspires to create a more inclusive and effective approach to building peace worldwide.

In essence, "Peace Starts Here" underscores the belief that sustainable peace is rooted in local communities. By empowering those on the frontlines of conflict with the resources, recognition, and support they need, the campaign envisions a world where peace is not imposed from the top down but cultivated from the ground up.

Beyond their core peacebuilding efforts, Peace Direct played a crucial role in developing the concept for the Edit Village digital platform during Concept Validation. Their wealth of knowledge and radical approaches to marketing and communications were invaluable in shaping the platform’s direction. By bringing their expertise to the roundtable, Peace Direct helped ensure that Edit Village could effectively connect and support grassroots organizations in innovative ways, demonstrating the power of collaborative peacebuilding in the digital age.