 In 2018, Cavanaugh was appointed chairman of the Board of Trustees of International Alert.This major peacebuilding NGO was established in 1986, with Martin Ennals (former Secretary General of Amnesty International) as Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu as Vice Chairman.Headquartered in London, with a European office in The Hague, International Alert has staff based in 19 countries partnering with over 800 organizations on projects designed to shape policies and practices to advance peace and working with people directly affected by international conflict.