Peace and Stabilization Operations Program
Violent conflict, rising state fragility and hybrid threats are reshaping the global landscape—escalating faster, crossing borders more easily, and putting unprecedented pressure on international stability. Confronting these challenges demands adaptive and flexible programming paired with pragmatic diplomacy to strengthen peace, security, and stability where Canada engages.
Canada’s Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs) delivers agile, coordinated responses that help prevent crises, address emerging threats, and support resilience in affected regions.
Established in 2016, PSOPs builds on Canada’s long history of peacekeeping and diplomacy. It brings together government expertise, international partnerships, and inclusive programming to address complex security challenges, including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and other hybrid threats.
As global conditions become more volatile, PSOPs adapts. It strengthens Canada’s role in conflict prevention, promotes stability, expands partnerships, protects supply chains, and supports crisis response. Through this integrated approach, PSOPs reinforces our commitment to multilateralism and collective security.
The global environment has become more fractured, more contested, and less anchored in the rules‑based international order that has underpinned decades of stability. In this increasingly challenging context, PSOPs helps reinforce the institutions and partnerships essential to global cooperation.
By working through NATO and the United Nations, and deepening ties across Europe, the Indo‑Pacific, and other regions, PSOPs pushes back against the drift toward disorder. It also works with local communities to strengthen peace, protect civilians and bolster stability where needs are greatest, while supporting global norms for peacebuilding.
On this page
About PSOPs
PSOPs is housed within the Peace and Security Programs Bureau in the International Assistance Partnerships and Programming Branch at Global Affairs Canada (GAC). It is a key tool for responding to international security crises that affect our national interests.
Through responsive programming that targets violent conflict, state fragility, and hybrid threats, PSOPs enables rapid, coordinated action across government. By advancing multilateral cooperation and working closely with allies, international partners, and local organizations, PSOPs reinforces Canada’s commitment to security and stability in priority regions.
How PSOPs works
PSOPs is a flexible instrument that enables the Government of Canada to address evolving threats in conflict‑affected regions before they reach Canadian shores. PSOPs works with Canadian and international organizations, foreign governments, and local communities to build resilience where it matters most.
Through strategic deployments, global cooperation, and inclusive programming, PSOPs delivers impactful, locally driven solutions to complex security challenges. In many cases, PSOPs programming also lays the foundation for long-term sustainable development and more predictable global economic environments where Canadians, and Canadian companies, live, work, and travel.
Within the Peace and Security Programs Bureau, PSOPs works alongside:
- Counter‑Terrorism Capacity Building Program
- Weapons Threat Reduction Program
- Anti‑Crime Capacity Building Program
PSOPs programming reinforces and complements the efforts of these related initiatives. It also complements the security assistance delivered through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Defence, the Canada Border Services Agency, Public Safety, and Canada’s broader humanitarian and development programming.
PSOPs also works with the full suite of GAC tools such as peace operations policy, conflict analytics, civilian deployments, and Women, Peace and Security. Together, these integrated efforts amplify our ability to prevent conflict, strengthen institutions, and respond to emerging security challenges. As a rapid‑response mechanism, PSOPs brings agility, flexibility, and a high tolerance for risk, enabling Canada to act quickly and effectively in volatile environments.
Where PSOPs works
PSOPs delivers visible, concrete programming in fragile and conflict‑affected contexts. These are environments where conflict, violence, weak governance, or hybrid threats strain social, political, and economic systems. These settings often face deep structural challenges that impede development, peacebuilding, and humanitarian action.
Programs are tailored to each context. They aim to:
- Support peaceful political solutions
- Improve safety and security
- Strengthen societal resilience to emerging threats
- Address causes of conflict
- Enable political dialogue
Across all programming, PSOPs applies the following cross‑cutting principles:
- Localization
- Conflict sensitivity
- Gender equality and inclusion
- Diverse economic partnerships
What PSOPs does
PSOPs designs and implements targeted programming at the country, regional, and thematic levels.
Key areas of focus
- Countering hybrid threats
- Advancing economic security
- Protecting civilians
- Providing security sector assistance
- Managing conflict
- Mine action and small arms control
- Promoting justice and accountability
- Supporting peace operations
Results
In recent years, PSOPs has advanced a diverse portfolio of initiatives that have delivered tangible results including:
- Deploying justice experts to 71 missions supporting justice and accountability efforts in 24 conflict‑affected countries.
- Supporting local initiatives in Mali, Ukraine, and Myanmar that counter hybrid threats by addressing mis/disinformation and promoting peace.
- Building early warning and mediation capacity through programming that trained more than 2,000 community‑based mediators in the Sahel and supported the adoption of national peace agreements across Asia, West Africa, and East Africa.
- Enhancing security sector capacity by strengthening the operational effectiveness of the Haitian National Police and contributing to the Multinational Security Support Mission Trust Fund, enabling operations to curb gang violence.
- Increasing the capacity of Ukrainian police to address war‑related public safety challenges.
- Strengthening national security institutions in Iraq and Lebanon to deliver more inclusive and accountable security services.
- Supporting civilian protection initiatives that established peace committees across North and South Darfur, improved the effectiveness of UN peace operations, and enhanced community coordination during emergencies.
- Improving peacekeeping readiness by facilitating pre‑deployment training for more than 200 uniformed medical personnel from troop‑contributing countries and developing UN training materials on explosive hazard awareness, misinformation, and unmanned aerial systems.
- Delivery of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) investigation training to 900 officers to strengthen deployed Zambia Police Service personnel’s ability to respond to SGBV cases during UN peacekeeping missions
Applying for funding
Applications may be considered for funding if aligned with PSOPs’ mandate and approach. If the concept paper submitted is reviewed favourably, then the organization will be invited to submit a full proposal. Please note that an invitation to submit a full proposal does not guarantee funding.
Concept paper requirements
Submit a concept paper (maximum 3 pages) including:
- Organization information, including contact person
- Organizational capacity to deliver the project, including previous experience with Global Affairs Canada and experience in project subject and geographic areas
- Project title, notional budget, time frame and geographic scope
- Initiative description, context description and problem statement
- Description of the chosen approach
- Potential project risks and mitigation strategies
- Expected results (including an indication of gender equality results)
- Brief overview of intended activities
Please also include the following in your application:
- Proof of legal status
- Financial statements (audited preferred) for the past two fiscal years
Please consult the following references to help you incorporate best practices into your initiative and application:
- Results-Based Management Tools at Global Affairs Canada: A How-to Guide
- What is Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+)
- Policy on Gender Equality
- Framework for Assessing Gender Equality Results
- Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security
Submission
Email your concept paper to PSOPs-application@international.gc.ca in English or French and in .doc, .docx or .pdf format.
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