Demining War Zones: Opening Space for Building Peace
On April 25, USIP and HALO Trust, one of the world’s largest demining organizations, gathered experts for a discussion on the implications and results of demining.
Events
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.
Powering Mediation with Gender in Mind
The U.S. Institute of Peace discussed recent research, practice and policy on gender and mediation on Friday, March 31.
Stuck in the 'Man Box': Young Men, Identity and Why It Matters
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.
Building Colombia’s New Peace
USIP and Colombia’s University of Cartagena webcast a live forum March 24 with Colombian youth leaders and students working toward post-war reconciliation. A panel of peacebuilders discussed with them the growing roles for youth leaders in healing violent conflicts in Colombia and globally.
Peace at the Polls: Can We Prevent Election Violence?
On March 23, the U.S. Institute of Peace held a half-day event to discuss past and upcoming elections that illustrate the risk of violence, with the aim of identifying promising ways to realize peace at the polls. Panelists included ambassadors to the U.S., leading election scholars, and the contributing authors of Electing Peace, a new USIP book that examines the effectiveness of common practices to prevent election violence.
Building Inclusive, Stronger Peace Processes: Here’s How
Specialists in peace processes have understood in recent years that a vital element for ending or preventing warfare is inclusion—ensuring that all groups in a society have their voices heard and their critical concerns met. But what are we learning about how to do that, and do it better? On January 31, veterans of peace processes from Nepal to South Sudan to El Salvador to Turkey discussed the lessons offered by their recent experiences.
Colombia Peace Forum: Seeking Truth on the 'Disappeared'
While Colombia’s government and the guerrilla group known as the FARC work on the final details of a comprehensive peace deal, one part of the proposed accord is already in effect: the commitment by both sides to recover and return the remains of tens of thousands of “disappeared” people—those presumed to have been secretly killed in the conflict. USIP and the Latin America Working Group Education Fund held an event on April 22 for an early assessment of how implementation of the agreements on disappearances is proceeding.
Women in the Peace Process: Making Peace Last in Colombia
Women have played groundbreaking roles in Colombia’s peace process between the government and the country’s largest rebel group, the FARC. With a peace agreement in sight and on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the U.S. Institute of Peace held an event on March 8 that briefed on the status of women in peace processes, with a focus on the Colombia case. The discussion was co-sponsored by USIP’s Colombia Peace Forum and the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum.
Colombia: Human Rights Defenders Building Sustainable Peace
Despite widespread optimism that a peace agreement will soon be reached in Havana, the war in Colombia continues, marked by a rise in attacks on human rights defenders. The U.S. Institute of Peace and its co-sponsors held an event to hear four winners of last year’s National Prize for the Defense of Human Rights in Colombia discuss the challenges they and their fellow advocates face in their regions, and the role of human rights defenders in building sustainable peace in Colombia.
President Juan Manuel Santos in Washington, D.C.
On February 3, President Santos discussed Colombia's progress in security and governance over the last 15 years. He also reviewed the state of the negotiations with the FARC, the prospects for a country at peace, and the challenges that lie ahead.