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.
One in five elections worldwide is marred by violence—from burned ballot boxes to violent suppression of peaceful rallies, to assassinations of candidates. A USIP study of programs to prevent violence suggests focusing on improving the administration and policing of elections. The study, of elections in Kenya and Liberia, found no evidence that programs of voter consultation or peace messaging were effective there.
Building peace is a challenge we should all accept; how do you think we can achieve peace in your community and in Nigeria? On September 21, USIP held a Twitter chat on the International Day of Peace to participate in the #PeaceDayChallenge. Ideas were shared on how we can achieve sustainable peace in Nigeria by using #NGPeaceChat.
The threat of violent extremism is evolving. However, significant knowledge gaps continue to pose obstacles to those seeking to prevent and address it. The U.S. Institute of Peace and the RESOLVE Network joined for the Third Annual RESOLVE Network Global Forum on September 20 to explore new research angles and approaches for prevention and intervention of violent extremism in policy and practice.
On September 14, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), a Geneva-based training arm of the United Nations, and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent institute dedicated to the elimination of violent conflict, convened a strategic group of stakeholders to explore concrete ways the international community can support wider and more meaningful engagement of youth in peacebuilding.
South Sudan’s civil war is one of the most brutal and destructive conflicts of the 21st century. Could the war have been prevented? Could some of the atrocities and misery caused by the war have been avoided? On July 19 the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide hosted a discussion on what lessons should be learned from U.S. policy toward South Sudan in the years leading up to and during the civil war.
Senator Merkley, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy, spoke on Wednesday, July 11 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. about Congress’ priorities on humanitarian- and conflict-related issues in Africa.
Despite holding the country’s first peaceful, democratic elections in 2015-2016, the Central African Republic continues to suffer from violent conflict. Tensions escalated back to crisis levels in the capital on April 8, with the situation remaining tenuous as armed actors, the CAR government, and international organizations weigh their options and consider the ramifications for the larger peace process.
From Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s influence in the Iraqi elections to the involvement of religious actors in South Sudan’s peace process, the role of religion in conflict zones continues to dominate headlines. Please join field researchers and U.S. Institute of Peace experts on June 26, as they present an approach for mapping the role of religious actors and institutions to better understand their legitimacy and influence in contributing to peace and conflict, exploring findings from three recent mappings from Libya, South Sudan, and Iraq based on work from the field.
After two five-year terms and multiple delayed elections during the controversial presidency of Joseph Kabila, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has scheduled presidential elections for December 2018. Although hopes are high, and several Congolese contenders have publicly announced their intentions for candidacy, popular frustrations and distrust of President Kabila, whose term expired in December 2016, continue to fuel fears of rigged elections.
The U.S.-Sudan relationship is at an historic juncture, with the prospect of a broader normalization of relations with the United States coinciding with economic and political turbulence in Sudan. Amid the goals of the U.S. engagement process, the demands of Sudanese citizens for a peaceful, better governed country remain unfulfilled.