About 150 leading policymakers, scholars, diplomats, and NGO leaders participated in an all-day conference entitled "Preventing Violent Conflict: Principles, Policies and Practice," organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention on July 1, 2010.

Recognizing that conflict prevention is widely endorsed in principle—including in the new National Security Strategy—but too rarely put into serious practice, this conference was designed to help narrow the gap between rhetoric and action in preventing violent conflicts. The central focus of the conference was on the unique challenges and opportunities associated with preventing the initial onset of large-scale violence- what is sometimes called primary prevention.

The keynote address was given by Ambassador Mary C. Yates, Senior Adviser for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council. The first panel on regional challenges highlighted the potential conflicts that are at risk of breaking out in various regions. The second panel focused on how preventive strategies should address critical cross-cutting challenges such as governance, weapons proliferation and economic drivers of conflict. The final panel reflected on global conflict prevention initiatives by the UN, U.S., regional and subregional organizations, and civil society.

The conference was followed by a tribute to Dr. David Hamburg, president emeritus of the Carnegie Corporation, which attracted a high-level turnout including Senator Richard Lugar.

Multimedia

• Watch the video of the Opening Remarks and Panel I: Regional Challenges
• Watch the video of Panel II: Cross-Cutting Challenges
• Watch the video of Panel III: Global Conflict Prevention Initiatives

09:00am Welcome by Dr. Richard H. Solomon, President,USIP

09:15am Keynote Address by Amb. Mary C. Yates, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Planning and Institutional Reform, NationalSecurity Council

10:00am Break

10:15am Panel 1: Regional Challenges

• Amb. Marc Grossman - Chair
  Vice Chairman, Cohen Group
• Amb. William Bellamy
  Director, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University
• Dr. John Park
  Senior ResearchAssociate, USIP
• Dr. Nikolas Gvosdev
  Professor, U.S. Naval War College
• Peter Hakim
  President Emeritus, Inter-AmericanDialogue
• Dr. Shibley Telhami
  Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland

12:15pm Lunch Break (lunch will be provided to participants)

1:15pm Panel 2: Cross-cutting Challenges

• Amb. Nancy Soderberg - Chair
  President, Connect U.S. Fund
• Clare Lockhart
  CEO, Institute for State Effectiveness
• Dr. Ramesh Thakur
  Professor, University of Waterloo
• Paul Hughes
  Senior Program Officer, USIP

2:45pm Break

3:00pm Panel 3: Global Conflict Prevention Initiatives

• Tara Sonenshine - Chair
  Executive Vice president, USIP
• Dr. Edward C. Luck
  Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, United Nations
• Heather Conley
  Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS
• Amb. John E. Herbst
  Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, U.S. Department of State
• Peter Van Tuijl
  Executive Director,ECCP/GPPAC GlobalSecretariat
• Lawrence Woocher
  Senior Program Officer, USIP

5:15pm Conclusions by Dr. Abiodun Williams, Vice President,Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, USIP

5:30pm Tribute to Dr. David Hamburg,President Emeritus of the Carnegie Corporation