All counties are eligible to access the Immediate Response Facility (IRF) for peacebuilding support of up to $5 million for 24 months. Beyond this and for more substantial and medium term support for the Fund, a country must apply to the Secretary-General for eligibility to the Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility (PRF).

To be considered by the Secretary-General, the request for eligibility must be made by the Head of State or Government and is accompanied by a submission from the UN resident Coordinator which includes a conflict analysis to summarize the country¡¯s peacebuilding situation, identify the major peacebuilding needs and articulate why the PBF is an appropriate financing instrument. The request is accompanied by draft initial Concept Notes on proposed projects for the first phase of PBF support, typically the first two to three years of an eligibility cycle.

Ideally, the conflict analysis and the priority setting is part of other UN planning documents in agreement with the Government such as the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. PBSO reviews the request, and provides advice to the UN Secretary-General who takes the final decision.

Countries receiving eligibility are also invited, if they wish, to discuss their peacebuilding strategy to the Peacebuilding Commission. The eligibility is valid for 5 years and must then be renewed. Countries who are formally on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission are eligible during that period and for 5 years once the configuration is closed.

At the end of the cycle, PBSO usually conducts a third party evaluation on the impact of the support of the Fund over the last 5 years. The results of this evaluation is a critical element for any future request for re-eligibility. Please see the PBF guidelines for more details.