Wars regularly make headlines. Preventing them? Not so much. For the past 20 years, the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) has been quietly doing the journalistic equivalent of a tree falling in an empty forest: helping countries avoid violence, recover from conflict, and build more peaceful futures, all while the world's attention is glued to the latest explosion.

Today, the PBF is the UN's primary vehicle for investing in peace before things go completely off the rails. As the UN marks its first ever peacebuilding week - because nothing says 'we care about peace' like a themed week - here’s what you need to know about this innovative fund.

Described as a 'financial instrument of first resort,' think of the Peacebuilding Fund as the UN's emergency peace fund. Created by UN Member States in 2005, it provides rapid financing to countries either staring down the barrel of conflict or trying to piece themselves back together afterward. Unlike traditional aid programmes that take years to get off the ground - by which time the country in question has usually had at least three more coups - the Fund is designed to move fast. It has supported over 60 countries and territories, disbursing more than $1.5 billion since its inception, with a focus on national ownership and tailored, context-specific approaches.