The OSCE’s Conceptual Approach to Building Sustainable Peace The prevention of violent conflict and the building of sustainable peace have been at the forefront of the organization since its inception. Since its early days, including at the time of the then Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), efforts to build peace have played a major role in fostering European stability. The OSCE came into being as a result of the willingness of its participating States to overcome and reconcile different narratives. In particular, their aim was to create mutually acceptable standards and guidelines for future relations among states and to respect those already put in practice by the United Nations (UN) and in other multilateral forums. Building sustainable peace is a critical component of these efforts and forms an important part of the OSCE’s toolbox to address all phases of the conflict cycle, which encompasses early warning, early action, crisis management, post-conflict rehabilitation, and reconciliation. The first two phases of the tiered approach to conflict prevention used by the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) encompass early warning and early action mechanisms, followed by crisis management if a conflict has escalated. Tertiary prevention takes place in the post-conflict phase, in which transition, rehabilitation and reconciliation form the core of the OSCE’s 13