The work of building global security faces bewildering challenges. Global violence ticks upward, and hybrid warfare foments it in subtle, new ways. From neuroscience to data collection, technologies present solutions, but also newly complex problems. Interstate conflicts have sharpened, from Korea to Ukraine to the Middle East. USIP again joined the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the global network of conflict resolution specialists, to host this broadest annual examination of new challenges facing the critical work of building peace and security.

Eminent members of the peacebuilding community, diplomats, scholars, business leaders, military strategists and other specialists gathered from hundreds of organizations across dozens of countries at this first day of PeaceCon2018. Participants broadened their networks and heard new thinking from across the many sectors of conflict resolution work. Join the conversation with #PeaceCon2018.

Agenda

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM | Registration, Coffee, Tea, Conversation – Leland Hall

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Welcome and Keynote Address – Carlucci Auditorium

  • Ambassador Bill Taylor, Vice President, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Liz Hume, Vice President, and Acting CEO, Alliance for Peacebuilding
  • Robert Burke, Chairman, Alliance for Peacebuilding
  • General Anthony Zinni, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
  • Thomas Staal, Counselor, USAID, Keynote

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Global Policy Frameworks on Sustaining Peace: A Call for Collaborative and Collective Action – Carlucci Auditorium

  • Larry Attree, Head of Policy, Saferworld
  • Rosarie Tucci, Director of Inclusive Societies, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Darynell Rodriguez Torres, Executive Director, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict
  • David Steven, Associate Director, Center on International Cooperation, New York University
  • Katy Thompson, Team Leader – Conflict Prevention/Rule of Law, Justice, Security & Human Rights, Bureau for Programme and Policy Support, United Nations Development Programme
  • Moderator: Gary Milante, Director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s Peace and Development Programme 

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Break: PeaceTech Accelerator Exhibit – Leland

The PeaceTech Accelerator is collaboration between C5, Amazon Web Services, PeaceTech Lab and SAP NS2 to scale start-ups on the cloud and solve problems relating to peace, stability and security worldwide. Start-ups are supported by a highly-experienced group of prominent international technology entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and peace innovators. The fifth cohort (Weeseethrough, StegoSOC, Muster, Jetst, Fori, DevLess, Coven Works, Cognitiks) draws impact start-ups from five countries across three continents, from verticals as diverse as data analytics and professional services to agtech and cybersecurity. Each company fits at least one of seven core innovation themes. The entrepreneurs have joined us from Lagos, Accra, Islamabad, London, Raleigh and DC.  

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM | Building Peace in Hybrid War – Carlucci Auditorium

  • Maciej Bartkowski, PhD, John Hopkins University 
  • Sarah Mendelson, Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Head of Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Dmytro Potekhin, Founder and CEO, FakesRadar.org
  • Moderator: Charles North, Senior Advisor, Ukraine, U.S. Institute of Peace

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM | Harnessing Technology for Peace: Innovative Data Collection and Analysis Initiatives – Room B241

  • Daniel Creed, Manager for Analytics and Visualization, GroundTruth Global
  • Daniel Olsher, Founder and President, Integral Mind
  • Laura Walker McDonald, Director of Innovation, Global Alliance for Humanitarian Innovation
  • Austin Wright, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
  • Peter York, Principal and Lead, BCT Partners Data Analytics Team

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM | Engaging Multinational Corporations to Advance Peacebuilding: The Business and Economics of Peace – Kathwari 

  • Liz Hume, Vice President, Alliance for Peacebuilding
  • Catriona Gourlay, Executive Director, PeaceNexus Foundation
  • Teresa Jennings, Head of Rule of Law Development, LexisNexis
  • Jennifer Oetzel, Professor, American University, Kogod School of Business

12:45 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch – Great Hall

12:45 PM – 2:00 PM  | Break: PeaceTech Accelerator Exhibit – Leland

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Implementing the Stabilization Assistance Review: A Six-Month Status Update – B241 Auditorium

  • Peter Quaranto, Senior Advisor for Peace and Security, Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources, U.S. Department of State
  • Frances Z. Brown, Fellow for Democracy, Conflict, and Governance, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Jason Ladnier, Director for Partnerships, Strategy, and Communication, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State
  • Stephen Lennon, Director, Office of Transition Initiatives, USAID
  • Mark Swayne, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs 

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | The Future of Peacebuilding Funding – Kathwari

  • Polly Byers, Executive Director, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects
  • Melanie Greenberg, Managing Director for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation, Humanity United
  • Marc Fiedrich, Head of Unit, European Commission | Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI)
  • Veeraya Kate Somvongsiri, Acting Deputy Director Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID
  • Alexandra Toma, Executive Director, Peace and Security Funders Group

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM | What Do We Know About Conflict? Understanding the Impact of Peacebuilding and Development Initiatives in Conflict-Affected Settings – Carlucci Auditorium

  • Jessica Baumgardner-Zuzik, Director of Learning & Evaluation, Alliance for Peacebuilding
  • Michael Findley, Professor of Government and Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
  • Lise Morjé Howard, Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University
  • Renard Sexton, Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University and International Crisis Group
  • Rebecca Wolfe, Director of Evidence & Influence, Mercy Corps

3:15 PM – 3:45 PM | Break: PeaceTech Accelerator Exhibit – Leland

3:45 PM – 5:00 PM  | The Sustaining Peace Project: Synthesizing and Modeling the Science on Sustaining Peace for Research, Practice and Policy – Carlucci Auditorium 

  • Dr. Joshua Fisher, Director & Adjunct Faculty, Earth Institute, Columbia University
  • Dr. Douglas P. Fry, Professor & Department Chair, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Dr. Larry S. Liebovitch, Professor, Queens College of the City University of New York
  • Dr. Peter Coleman, Professor of Psychology and Education, Columbia University, Director, Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, Co-Director, Advanced Consortium for Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity, The Earth Institute at Columbia University

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