Since 2002, the United Nations has created three regional political offices—in West Africa, Central Africa, and Central Asia—to harmonize efforts to identify cross-border threats and defuse tensions. But while their mandates contain many elements related to prevention and sustaining peace, these offices remain focused on addressing the proximate causes of conflict rather than on reinforcing […]
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Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and three of his fellow Elders told a thronged audience at IPI on May 9th that multilateral diplomacy was the only way to address critical issues facing the world today like armed conflict, climate change, mass migration, nuclear proliferation, and bad governance.“We need to work across national borders to […]
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“When I hear most politicians speaking, they speak as if there’s a surge of violence on planet earth,” said Erik Solheim during his April 25th IPI Leading for Peace presentation. “They speak as if we’re living at the most violent of times, when the truth is exactly the opposite.”Mr. Solheim, who is the Executive Director […]
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As part of an ongoing effort to unpack the conceptual and practical contours of prevention for sustaining peace, IPI organized the third in a series of monthly high-level conversations among member states and other key stakeholders on April 10, 2017. The closed-door workshop explored what measures or changes the concept of sustaining peace implies in […]
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In its review of the peacebuilding architecture, the Advisory Group of Experts introduced the language of “sustaining peace.” With peacebuilding increasingly interpreted as time-bound interventions in fragile or conflict-affected states, sustaining peace seeks to reclaim peace in its own right and detach it from conflict. But what does sustaining peace mean in practice?This issue brief […]
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As member states continue to discuss what sustaining peace means in practice, it is important to examine how peace operations can be designed and implemented to help build self-sustaining peace rather than just prevent relapse into conflict. In particular, considering most current peace operations are deployed in countries with weak state institutions, we should consider […]
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As part of an ongoing effort to unpack the conceptual and practical contours of prevention for sustaining peace, IPI organized the second in a series of closed door high-level conversations among member states and other key stakeholders on February 24, 2017. These conversations seek to broaden the understanding of prevention as, not merely a tool […]
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“Sustaining Peace in an Urban World” was the subject of a series of four panels ranging across challenges that urban environments present for UN activities, on December 14, 2016, at the UN Headquarters in New York.Explaining the sessions’ purpose, Jimena Leiva-Roesch, Policy Analyst at the International Peace Institute (IPI)—one of the organizations co-sponsoring the event—said […]
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A growing body of evidence reveals the central role of gender in both peace and development. The economic empowerment of women gives them the resources, status, and networks required to enter the public sphere, to launch political campaigns or engage in civic activism. Gender equality is closely linked to peacefulness and violence prevention, and lays […]
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With the adoption of the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on sustaining peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a multilateral policy consensus is emerging around a common vision for peaceful societies. These global frameworks treat prevention as an integral part of effective and participatory governance and view peace as both an enabler […]
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The UN is struggling to stay relevant amid increased competition from a multitude of more informal and less inclusive actors. Informal coalitions and clubs are increasingly important tools for security, trade agreements, regulation…
When it comes to the narrative war, Russia is winning, evidenced by its successful domestic repression framed as national protection and its international portrayal of the conflict as an ideological battle against Western imperialism. The price to pay may be a fractured, more dangerous multipolar world…
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In this interview, Deqa Yasin recounts her experiences as a Somali Minister and a survivor of…
It is an especially dangerous time for civilians in conflict. Hichem Khadhraoui, Executive…
Around the world, states are using UN resolutions, policy guidance, and technical assistance to justify mounting human rights violations, frequently targeting activists and civil society groups. While there is a common desire to see the UN correct its course, for many in civil society, the risks and costs of such engagement currently may not be worth the benefits on offer. The post Independent Engagement on Counterterrorism with the United Nations: Is the Risk Worth the Reward for Civil Society? appeared first on IPI…
While it may seem paradoxical for the UN to simultaneously have a record budget and face a liquidity crisis, this speaks to the long-standing complexities of UN funding dynamics. A closer look at UN financing provides…
In this interview around this year's PoC week, Dirk Druet, a researcher, policy adviser and former official in international peace…
There is an urgent need to pursue coherent policies to support…
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The International Peace Institute is an independent, non-profit organization working to strengthen inclusive multilateralism for a more peaceful and sustainable planet. Through its research, convening, and strategic advising, IPI provides innovative recommendations for the United Nations System, member states, regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector. With staff from around the world and a broad range of academic fields, IPI has offices facing United Nations headquarters in New York.
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