The International Peace Institute (IPI) has entered into a partnership with the Council of Europe to work together on building peace and democracy.

The Council’s Director General of Democracy Snežana Samardžić-Marković signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the Council at IPI’s Salzburg Forum on “Mapping of the New Geopolitics” on September 4, 2017. Vice President Adam Lupel signed for IPI.

The strategic and operational partnership aims to foster resilient democratic societies through a culture of peace, democratic governance, human rights and democracy and the rule of law.

Envisioned in the memorandum of understanding is the pooling of networking capacities in organizing large international events like IPI’s Salzburg Forum and the Council’s World Forum of Democracy.

Ms. Samardžić-Marković took part in the IPI Salzburg Forum, presenting Secretary-General Thorbørn Jagland’s report on “The State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law,” which this year focused on “Populism – How Strong are Europe’s Checks and Balances?”

IPI’s President, Terje Rød-Larsen, is expected to take part in the plenary debate on “Multilateral Responses to Populism” at the Council’s Forum in Strasbourg in November.

In the longer term, the two organizations intend to convene smaller events and meetings at IPI, particularly in New York, or at the offices of the Council; to share knowledge through the production and distribution of joint publications; and to exchange policy advice on themes of common interest, including the prevention of violence, the reinforcement of democracy and democratic governance, and the challenges of mediation, peacebuilding and sustaining peace.
IPI’s mission is to manage risk and build resilience to promote peace, security and sustainable development, using a mix of policy research, strategic analysis, publishing and convening. The aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve greater unity between its 47 member states for the purpose of safeguarding and realizing the ideals and principles that are their common heritage. In pursuit of this objective, the core values for which the Council stands are human rights, democracy and the rule of law.