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USIP's Priority Countries and Regions
With over 100 active conflicts around the world, USIP must use its financial and staff resources wisely. Each year, USIP's staff and Board of Directors determine in which countries the Institute's work can have the greatest impact. We identify conflicts where our expertise can help, and gauge whether our work would fill a need not being addressed by others. This year, USIP is working on 20 countries and areas of the world, - to prevent conflict in six, resolve conflict in nine and promote reconciliation and stability in another six.
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USIP is working to strengthen Afghan society in several ways. The Rule of Law team has worked with government officials and international organizations to develop and implement Afghanistan's constitution, and continues to work to bridge gaps between Afghanistan's formal and tribal justice system. Grants from USIP are helping to seed a new generation of nongovernmental and civil society organizations. And staff are training a cadre of Afghan conflict managers and facilitators to help communities over the long term. |
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In spite of prolonged and chronic internal armed conflict, limited advances in peacebuilding have been realized in Colombia, including demobilization of paramilitaries. USIP is working on a number of initiatives, including ecumenical peacemaking in Colombia, the Cucuta Peacebuilding and Training Network and targeted investments in local peacebuilding projects. |
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo needs help to build governmental capacity, strong governmental institutions, human rights and womens' rights in particular, in order for any reconciliation and rebuilding to take hold after the violence stops. |
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USIP's Haiti team organizes a group of top experts to produce analysis and draw attention to isues facing Haiti, and works in country on issues that include legal reform, criminal violence and conflict resolution. |
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The Institute's efforts in Iran include: the Iran Policy Forum which regularly convenes specialists from the D.C. policy community, a number of research projects, and an exchange program between U.S. and Iranian religious leaders |
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USIP has maintained an office in Baghdad since early 2004 and works to promote security and stability at community, regional and national levels. The Iraq Program provides opportunities for dialogue among groups who might not ordinarily meet; we have trained and continue to develop a network of Iraqi facilitators; we support the growth of independent nongovernmental organizations, and we work with educators and government officials. |
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The Institute seeks to present a balanced approach to its work relating to Arab-Israeli relations by supporting research, programs and grants that improve understanding, develop capacity and analyze the issues in ways that can be useful to all parties who are seeking peace.
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The Kashmir conflict pits two nuclear powers (India and Pakistan) against each other along with the multiple political agendas of the Kashmiri population. Following independence from British rule in 1948, competing claims over the region led to war between India and Pakistan. The war ended when a cease-fire was declared and a Line of Control (LOC) was drawn separating the two sides into the India administered areas of Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, and the Pakistan administered areas of Azad Kashmir and the Northern areas. Since then the issue has been directly and indirectly linked to subsequent wars and crisis that have had a devestating human toll and a damaging effect on the economic and geopolitical potential of both India and Pakistan. |
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Post-election violence following Kenya's December 2007 election resulted in 1,000 deaths and the displacement of 600,000 Kenyans. The Institute funded Kenyan civil society efforts in support of the reconciliation process, and continues to work with organizations in Kenya to further key provisions of the National Accord. |
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USIP's goal in Lebanon is to develop proposals, ideas and policy recommendations that will prevent conflict within Lebanon and across its borders. Towards that goal, USIP facilitates expert groups on Lebanon and Arab-Israeli relations and runs the Muslim World Initiative. These programs and additional work increase the policy community's knowledge about Lebanon and encourage communication and collaboration among experts in and outside of Lebanon. |
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Nepal has experienced a series of remarkable changes over the past year as it has transitioned from Hindu kingdom with a Maoist insurgency to a secular republic with a Maoist-led government. USIP is supoprting Nepal's transition through programs focused on security sector reform, rule of law, and transitional justice. |
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Nigeria faces a host of internal problems that threaten its political legitimacy and stability: the growing violence in the oil rich Niger Delta; ethno-religious struggles; and political conflict that manifests in electoral violence and the struggle for political advantage. Nigeria’s size, its political importance and its oil reserves mean that a large-scale crisis in the country will have negative consequences far beyond its borders. |
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Through innovative research and the hosting of an expert group of DPRK analysts, USIP provides up-to-date analysis on key issues affecting North Korea, its neighbors and ultimately the U.S. |
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The Institute is conducting a number of analytical projects related to militancy in Pakistan. On the ground, we are engaged in education reform and strengthening civil society. |
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Arab-Israeli relations have deteriorated to their lowest point in a generation, with intensifying and widening violence. However, the severity of the problems may drive the parties to reconsider long-stagnant issues and create opportunities for new efforts to resolve the conflict. In order to seize on the prospects for renewing negotiations, USIP is conducting both policy-relevant analysis and innovative programming in support of local initiatives to build support for peace.
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For the past 17 years Somalia has been without an effective central government and most of the country has been in turmoil. Several peace conferences have been held and interim governments have been named, but none has gained legitimacy. Widespread violence, hunger and displacement plague the Somali population. Based on an agreement mediated by the UN in 2008 a more inclusive parliament and executive have been selected, but an insurgency persists & the political outlook is far from clear.
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USIP's work informs policymakers in the U.S. and throughout Asia because of strong ties to researchers and experts in the region, complemented by frequent visits to exchange information and develop ties. |
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After twenty-six years of civil war, in May 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka announced it had defeated the separatist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While Sri Lanka has subsequently entered a post-war stage, it is not yet a post-conflict state. A future of sustained peace in Sri Lanka requires a political settlement reached through an inclusive process to address the grievances of the Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil and Muslim communities. |
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Sudan faces challenges on many fronts, among them an ongoing conflict in Darfur, a fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the north and south that ended decades of civil war, and upcoming nationwide elections at every level of government in 2010 (the first elections since 1986). The US Institute of Peace is engaging all of these issues in an effort to help build a more stable Sudan.
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The Institute's engagement in Zimbabwe aims to document the efforts and roles of the key civil society groups in Zimbabwe and the region that are working to promote a negotiated solution to the crisis; support civil society efforts to resolve the crisis; and work with regional and diaspora groups to prevent or reduce conflict caused by the growing number of Zimbabwean refugees. |