Meeting Notes - November 17, 2011

New IPI Meeting Note: Elections and Stability in West Africa

This meeting note summarizes the discussions at a conference organized by the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) in Praia, Cape Verde on May 18-20, 2011. The conference addressed the need for a sustained effort to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa as a means to consolidate peace and democracy in the region.  

Panel Discussions - September 26, 2011

Elections and Stability in West Africa: The Way Forward

There is no single recipe for providing electoral assistance—this was a critical takeaway from a September 26th roundtable discussion at IPI on “Elections and Stability in West Africa: The Way Forward.”  

Speaker Events - September 22, 2011

President Ouattara: Main Issue for Côte d’Ivoire Is Reconciliation

“The main issue that we’re addressing—reconciliation,” Alassane Ouattara, the President of Côte d’Ivoire, told an overflow audience at IPI on September 22nd. The President, who took office in May, outlined steps that he was taking to bring people together in his country, which was convulsed by violence in the six months following the November election when the loser, former President Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down.  

Speaker Events - June 09, 2011

Darfur, UNAMID, Doha, South Sudan: IPI Meeting

On June 9, 2011, IPI hosted a World Affairs Forum discussion with Dr. Ibrahim Gambari, Joint AU-UN Special Representative for the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  

Podcasts - May 26, 2011

Podcast: Jason Stearns on the Collapse and Future of the Congo

Jason Stearns, journalist and author of Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: the Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa, spoke at IPI on May 17, 2011, on his experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  

Meeting Notes - May 23, 2011

The Future of South Sudan

While this is an exciting period for the people of South Sudan, the future presents them (and their neighbors in the North) with many difficult challenges. The status of Abyei and postreferendum issues between North and South—such as citizenship, oil sharing, border demarcation, currency, and debts, among others—are yet to be resolved.  

Panel Discussions - April 29, 2011

Lessons Learned from the Southern Sudan Referendum Process

On April 29th, IPI hosted a lunchtime policy forum on "Lessons Learned from the Southern Sudan Referendum Process.” Professor Mohamed I. Khalil and Justice Chan Reec Madut, the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, respectively, made opening remarks on the lessons learned from the year-long process to enable the people of Southern Sudan to exercise their right to self-determination.

Professor Khalil has served the Republic of the Sudan as Minister of Justice, Speaker of the Constituent Assembly, and as the first Dean of Law at Khartoum University.

Justice Chan most recently served as the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Southern Sudan and as Legal Adviser to the First Vice President of the Republic and President of the Government of Southern Sudan.

The event was held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution. It was moderated by Dr. Edward C. Luck.

Speaker Events - March 18, 2011

Løj: Elections "Test Case" for Liberia

Ellen Margrethe Løj, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Mission in Liberia, said at an IPI event on March 18th that the fall elections in Liberia "would be a test case for the Liberians’ willingness to continue on the road to sustainable peace and development."  

Panel Discussions - March 14, 2011

Panel on the Future of South Sudan

While this is an exciting period for the people of South Sudan, they (and their neighbors in the North) are facing many difficult tasks and challenges.  

Panel Discussions - February 07, 2011

Ambassador Bamba: Cote d'Ivoire Crisis "Real Test of Democracy"

The crisis in Côte d'Ivoire is a "real test of democracy," said Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba of Côte d'Ivoire, addressing a standing-room-only audience at IPI.