Marcel Smits

Background

About Marcel Smits

I am a strategist and adviser working at the intersection of peace finance, ESG, and business & peace, with more than 25 years of experience in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Over the past five years, my focus has been on shaping the emerging field of peace-positive investment—from developing standards and frameworks to designing projects and building investment pipelines that align capital flows with peace and stability outcomes. Through my roles with Finance for Peace and FCS Impact, I work with investors, development finance institutions (DFIs), and businesses to integrate ESG, CSR, and impact investment standards—drawing on frameworks such as the IFC Performance Standards— into fragile market strategies. My work connects social impact measurement, SDG alignment, and conflict-sensitive approaches to ensure investments are not only responsible but also credible, scalable, and investable. I am passionate about advancing accountability, risk and impact analysis, and multi-stakeholder dialogue that enable finance to deliver both financial returns and peace dividends—strengthening trust, resilience, and sustainable growth where it is needed most.