Programs

Map of the Balkans (Source: CIA World Factbook)

USIP has been engaged in the Balkans since 1996, starting in Bosnia immediately after the signing of the Dayton Accords, and later expanding its activities to Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia.

USIP identifies and applies best practices in seven topical areas whose issues cross each phase of conflict through this series of Centers.

Experts in serious crimes meet in Scotland

The Serious Crimes handbook is a reference tool for policymakers and practitioners who are designing strategies for tackling serious crimes in postconflict environments.

Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gustavo Olgiati

The threats and opportunities of the 21st century demand that increased attention be paid to practical questions about how to design and implement effective prevention strategies—beyond continual calls to "act early," instill a "culture of prevention," and, above all, mobilize "political will." To this end, USIP is currently developing intellectual capital on evidence-based prevention, early warning, and the prevention of mass atrocities.

USIP's advisory work on constitution making is focused on providing options to design and conduct participatory, inclusive, transparent, and nationally owned constitution making processes that enjoy legitimacy and promote national dialogue, reconciliation, and a consensual political community. 

Credit: CIA World Factbook

ROL provided technical assistance to Iraq's Constitutional Commission and its successor the Constitutional Review Committee, which in July 2009 submitted a comprehensive set of proposed constitutional amendments to Iraq’s Parliament.  ROL’s current efforts focus on implementation and realization of key constitutional rights, institutions, and processes, including the relationship between Iraq’s national, regional, and provincial governments and minority rights. 

The Constitution Making Project engages directly in ongoing constitution making processes, providing support and advice on issues of substance, process, and implementation to government, international, and NGO/civil society organizations in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, and DRC, among others.

Balance outside the judiciary (Nina Brantley/USIP)

Over 60 tribal, non-state systems of justice operate in South Sudan, alongside a struggling state legal system. Rule of Law is working with tribal chiefs, state judges, police and other stakeholders to map the law applied in each, improve cooperation between them, and develop an integrated approach to justice.

Rule of Law is examining the evolving legal and institutional arrangements for addressing violations of international humanitarian law (IHL). As part of this ongoing effort, USIP has just produced a guide to training programs in IHL for military personnel around the world.

INPROL is a web-based worldwide network of rule of law practitioners and experts created to support practitioners in the field.  Find out more information about becoming part of INPROL, and apply for membership.