Recent Meetings

As part of its Task Forces on Strengthening Multilateral Security Capacity, IPI convened a roundtable discussion of conflict prevention and the responsibility to protect (RtoP) at the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, & Development. It was the fourth and final roundtable of Task Force Two on Inter- and Intra-state Armed Conflict. Participants discussed the institutional and policy shortcomings related to conflict prevention and RtoP and the potential strategies to address them. The two-day roundtable, which began with a general discussion on conflict prevention and RtoP, closed with the development of ideas for action to improve multilateral efforts in the future.

IPI recently held a panel discussion to launch its new report, “Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities and the Responsibility to Protect: Challenges for the United Nations and the International Community in the 21st Century.” The report stems from a two-day roundtable in Stellenbosch, South Africa, jointly-convened by IPI, the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR), and the Office of the UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide (SAPG). The report addresses lessons from six case studies––Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Darfur––and poses a series of broader conclusions, identifying issues for further action.

As part of IPI’s Task Forces on Strengthening Multilateral Capacity, IPI organized a roundtable discussion on peacebuilding held at the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, and Development. It was the third of four roundtables of Task Force Two on Inter- and Intra-state Armed Conflict and featured intensive discussion on institutional and policy challenges related to peacebuilding. The event featured lively discussion of the UN’s new peacebuilding architecture (the Peacebuilding Commission, the Peacebuilding Support Office, and the Peacebuilding Fund) highlighting its early achievements and persistent obstacles, while placing this architecture in the context of broader peacebuilding efforts by the UN system and other multilateral and bilateral actors.

IPI recently held a panel discussion to launch the new volume, “The UN Security Council and War: Evolution of Thought and Practice Since 1945,” edited by Vaughan Lowe, Adam Roberts, Jennifer Welsh, and Dominik Zaum.

The International Peace Institute recently held a panel discussion to launch a new volume, The African Union and Its Institutions, edited by John Akokpari, Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, and Tim Murithi.

On June 25th, IPI convened a meeting of its Forum on World Affairs for a discussion on the political and security situation in Afghanistan. The high-level roundtable meeting attracted a select group of UN ambassadors and senior officials from the UN Secretariat, among others, who discussed the question “What are the strategies to address the Afghanistan’s political and security challenges?”

IPI hosted a closed-door meeting of civil society with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Professor Philip Alston, on the occasion of his Mission to the United States. The meeting, held at IPI’s Trygve Lie Center was intended to provide constructive thinking on how best to prevent and remedy contractor killings.

As part of IPI’s Task Forces on Strengthening Multilateral Security Capacity, IPI organized a roundtable discussion of peace operations held at the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, and Development. It was the first of four roundtables of Task Force Two on Inter- and Intra-state Armed Conflict and featured intensive discussion of institutional and policy challenges related to peace operations, options for overcoming these challenges, and the obstacles that may be faced in so doing.

The International Peace Institute recently held a panel discussion to launch a new book series, the “IPI Histories of UN Peace Operations.” Initiated by the UN Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations, this series aims to fill a critical gap in institutional knowledge in the field of peacekeeping. For all the academic literature on the topic, the “inside stories” of UN peace operations seldom get told. This series seeks to change that. The books will provide readable accounts of the key decisions made in each featured operation.

The International Peace Institute, together with the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations, organized an expert-level policy forum on counterterrorism capacity-building in Asia and Africa. Based on two reports examining the role of bi- and multi-lateral assistance to counter-terrorism efforts in developing countries, the standing-room-only event was designed to inform the forthcoming September 2008 Review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

The International Peace Institute (IPI) and the New York University Center on International Cooperation (CIC) convened an expert-level policy discussion on the way forward for the United Nations’ Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). Based on an April 2008 report by IPI and CIC, “Taking Stock, Looking Forward: A Strategic Review of the Peacebuilding Commission,” which assesses the PBC’s progress over its first eighteen months, the event allowed representatives from the UN Permanent Missions, the UN Secretariat and agencies, NGOs, and the academic community to discuss the future of the PBC, including how it may enhance its overall impact, while extending its reach to new cases.

IPI held a launch and discussion of a new book by H.E. Mr. Heraldo Muñoz, Permanent Representive of Chile to the UN, entitled, A Solitary War: A Diplomat’s Chronicle of the Iraq War and Its Lessons.

IPI’s Coping with Crisis program organized a roundtable meeting on small arms and light weapons at the Millennium Hotel in New York City. It was the fourth of five such meetings of “Task Force One: Transnational Security Challenges.” The roundtable opened with a general discussion of current policies on small arms and light weapons (SALW) control and possible strategies for improvement, before moving on to sessions dedicated to further analysis some of the most important dimensions of SALW.

As part of its work on strengthening multilateral capacity, IPI’s Coping with Crisis program held a roundtable meeting on countering global terrorism at the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, and Development. The roundtable was the third in a series within IPI’s “Task Force One: Transnational Security Challenges.”

IPI’s Coping with Crisis program held a roundtable meeting on weapons of mass destruction at the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, and Development. It was the second roundtable of “Task Force One: Transnational Security Challenges.”

The Turtle Bay Club is a new series of evening receptions hosted by IPI at its new conference facility, the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, & Development. Each reception features a leading personality in international affairs speaking on current issues and engaging with a select group of Ambassadors and other members of the UN Community.

The Middle East Program at IPI recently held a Policy Forum aimed at dissecting and better understanding the role of the United Nations in Iraq. Entitled “Constructing Political Space in Iraq: Examining the UN’s Role,” the event was part of a series convened by IPI with leading intellectuals and political figures from or engaged in the Middle East.

IPI’s Coping with Crisis program held a roundtable meeting on transnational organized crime at the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel. The roundtable was the first of five such events to be held for “Task Force One: Transnational Security Challenges.”

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) and The Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations held a panel discussion and book launch for A Billion Lives: An Eyewitness Report from the Frontlines of Humanity, by Jan Egeland.

The International Peace Institute (formerly International Peace Academy) held a launch and discussion of a new book by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun, Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) in cooperation with the Peacebuilding Support Office, held a policy discussion on poverty and conflict with economist Paul Collier, director of the Center for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) held a book launch for Friends Indeed? The United Nations, Groups of Friends and the Resolution of Conflict (Washington, DC: USIP Press, 2007) by Teresa Whitfield, Director of the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum at the Social Science Research Council.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) held a roundtable on a new report prepared by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the UN.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) held a policy forum at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN to present “The UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Program: What Lies Ahead”, a new report by Eric Rosand, Alistair Millar, and Jason Ipe of the Center on Global Counter-Terrorism Cooperation.

Roundtable on the Final Report by the Four Nations Initiative: Towards a Compact – Proposals for Improved Governance and Management of the United Nations Secretariat

The International Peace Institute (formerly International Peace Academy) launched its most recent book, Greater than the Sum of Its Parts? Assessing “Whole of Government” Approaches to Fragile States, by Stewart Patrick and Kaysie Brown.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) was pleased to host one-day international policy seminar on the pacific settlement of boundary disputes. The seminar was titled: “Lessons from the Resolution of the Bakassi Dispute,” (as the Cameroon-Nigeria boundary disagreement is commonly referred to in the policy community.) The meeting was co-hosted by International Peace Institute (IPI), the University of Yaoundé II in Cameroon and the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs. The seminar was also supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria. It brought together senior government officials and policymakers from both countries, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations, the African Union and regional economic communities. The seminar brought mediation practitioners and academics from the continent, Europe and North America.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) was pleased to organize the latest event in our “SRSG Series” entitled The Future Status of Kosovo & the UN. This event featured Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the future status process for Kosovo. Mr. Ahtisaari spoke about the latest developments in the status process and his recommendations to the UN Security Council on how to reach a sustainable future in Kosovo.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) launched the new strategic dossier by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) entitled “Nuclear Black Markets: Pakistan, A.Q. Khan and the rise of proliferation networks.”

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) organized the latest event its “SRSG Series” which featured Mr. Ian Martin, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Nepal and Head of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). Mr. Martin spoke about the challenges of the rapidly evolving peace process in Nepal and the role of United Nations.

IPI (formerly International Peace Academy) organized a policy workshop on “Coping with Conflict and Violence: Challenges for the UN and International Conflict Management.” The workshop launched a new series of IPI Working Papers on trends in armed conflict and organized violence and the challenges posed for international response. The Papers form part of a larger series of studies on global issues and international crisis management conducted by IPI’s Coping with Crisis program.