IPI Vienna’s main regional focus is Europe and Central Asia.

Among its current and recent activities are:

Peace and Health

In 2017, IPI will continue its strategic partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on issues related to peace and health. This includes research on the security situation in polio-affected regions of Pakistan in order to reduce risks and increase the effectiveness of the campaign to eradicate polio. IPI will also advise BMGF more broadly on issues related to peace and development in Pakistan. Further research includes a project on the need to strengthen capacity for health emergency responses in humanitarian crises, and work on the relationship between health and security, including the challenges of delivering healthcare in situations of armed conflict.

Migration and Refugees

In addition to work following up on this topic for the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, IPI’s annual Vienna Seminar in 2017 will focus on the challenges and opportunities of the unprecedented number of people on the move. This seminar will be an important opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of the May 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the September 2016 Summit for Refugees and Migrants. More importantly, it will provide an opportunity to gather insights on how to move forward to ensure a people-centered response to short-, medium-, and long-term needs and how to support countries of origin, transit, and destination to address the needs of people in a humane manner. The meeting will have an outcome document that will summarize the key points and proposals.

IPI Vienna Events

In 2017, IPI Vienna will organize three annual seminars: the Salzburg Forum, the Vienna Seminar, and the Reykjavik Forum.

a. Salzburg Forum

In the fall of 2017, IPI will hold the fourth annual Salzburg Forum at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria. The 2016 Salzburg Forum focused on the theme of “Open Society under Attack: The Return of Ideology.” The event brought together a diverse group of high-level participants including diplomats, journalists, academics, artists, and representatives of civil society to seek policy options for maintaining open yet secure borders in the face of transnational threats and challenges, including violent extremism, terrorism, and organized crime. The case of Tunisia was given special attention, taking advantage of the participation of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Abdessattar Ben Moussa. The forum is quickly becoming a high-level tradition, which IPI plans to continue in 2017.

b. Vienna Seminar

The annual Vienna Seminar is co-organized by IPI and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense and Sports and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs. IPI is looking for additional partners to support the 2017 seminar, which will focus on the topic of migration and refugees.

c. Reykjavik Forum on Geopolitics

From October 11 to 12, 1986, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Reykjavik, Iceland, to discuss the reduction of nuclear-armed missiles and the possibility of a nuclear-free world. Thirty years later, at a time of tension between Russia and the West, IPI organized a meeting in Reykjavik from October 10 to 11, 2016. The high-level meeting, which took place at the historic Höfđi House, recalled the significance of the 1986 summit, examined ways to improve dialogue and cooperation between Russia and the US, and discussed steps to promote nuclear non-proliferation. Participants included current and former diplomats, politicians, arms control experts, and representatives of civil society. Video messages were sent from George Schultz, who was US Secretary of State in 1986, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 2017, IPI seeks to gather again in Reykjavik for a high-level discussion on the margins of the Arctic Circle Assembly, an annual meeting in Reykjavik that gathers representatives from member states, civil society, and the private sector to discuss the future of the Arctic region. The IPI forum will explore how the “Spirit of Reykjavik” can be leveraged to improve geopolitical relations, especially between Russia and the West.