For the safety of our guests and staff, USIP event formats are being considered on a case-by-case basis. Please, check this website for information on each event.
As a national, nonpartisan, independent Institute, the U.S. Institute of Peace draws on our exceptional convening power to create opportunities for diverse audiences to exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas necessary for creative solutions to difficult challenges. We serve as an important, neutral platform for bringing together government and nongovernment, diplomacy, security, and development actors, and participants across political views. The Institute’s events help shape public policy and priorities to advance peaceful solutions to conflict and strengthen international security.
On April 12, the U.S. Institute of Peace and U.N. Women hosted an international panel of judges, lawmakers and legal experts who discussed practical approaches to writing post-conflict constitutions that enshrine gender equality.
Provider, guardian, hero – cultural changes have been loosening these narrow roles for men, right? Maybe not as much as we think. New research on attitudes in the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico finds most men still feeling pushed to live in the ‘Man Box,’ a rigid construct of cultural ideas about male identity. USIP and the authors, partners, and sponsors of this research hosted a discussion on March 30 to discuss what these findings mean for men, women, and the prospects for peaceful societies.
The U.S. Institute of Peace and the Atlantic Council on Thursday, March 23 held a screening of “Women of Maidan,” a documentary that tells the stories of key players who became crucial to the movement. The film was accompanied by discussions with the film’s producer and director, Olha Onyshko, and four former U.S. ambassadors.
The U.S. Institute of Peace on Monday, March 13, hosted a discussion with experts about ways to ensure equality in reconstruction budgets and public finance institutions.
In countries worldwide, governmental and private agencies run programs to prevent violent conflicts and reduce their causes—notably broad social injustices, corruption and human rights abuses. But how effective are these programs? On March 7, a consortium of peacebuilding organizations presented improved ways to measure and maximize the impact of programs to prevent violence, stabilize conflict zones and build peace and security abroad.
The prototype of a woman in a war zone is still dominated by the image of a passive victims or, more recently at least, that of an activist working for peace and equal rights. Rarely do researchers and assistance efforts consider the unique role and impact of women agents of violence—combatants, spies, supporters. On March 1, the U.S. Institute of Peace held an event looking at examples from World War II, the Soviet-Afghan War and jihadi organizations to examine this blind spot in our analysis of war—and how it hampers our responses.
Georgetown University's annual Trainor Award and Lecture recognizes excellence in the conduct of diplomacy. It has been awarded to senior American diplomats and distinguished public servants from around the world. On Feb. 16, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted Amb. Zeid as he received the annual Trainor Award from Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. Amb. Zeid spoke on “The Impossible Diplomacy of Human Rights.”
On February 14, the U.S. Institute of Peace held a conversation with Douglas Lute — former Ambassador to NATO, retired Army lieutenant general, and National Security Council official in both the Bush and Obama administrations — to explore the changing security landscape in the 21st century.
Communities expect U.N. peacekeepers to protect them. Currently, 97 percent of uniformed personnel in U.N. peacekeeping operations serve under mandates to protect civilians. The “Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians” are a non-binding set of pledges to implement certain best practices in peacekeeping. This event aimed to familiarize the Washington, D.C. community with the Kigali Principles, and highlight how they might be used to improve the implementation of protection of civilians’ mandates in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
More than 200 million girls and women in 30 countries live with the medical and emotional complications of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), UNICEF estimates. As part of the United Nations’ global development goals, governments worldwide declared their intent two years ago to end this human rights violation by 2030. On December 2, USIP held a day-long conference in which expert educators, medical providers, law enforcement officials, religious leaders and others laid groundwork for an intensified global strategy that will be required to meet the 2030 goal.