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.
Peacebuilding organizations are under increasing external pressure to demonstrate the impact of their programming. From within the field as well, there is a growing desire to develop effective evaluation systems that can create accountability to funders and beneficiaries of peacebuilding initiatives.
Many conflicts on the international scene today involve extremist groups that employ violence to achieve their goals. But should states and international bodies engage entities such as the Taliban, Hamas, and Hezbollah, and if so, which ones, when, and how?
On June 14, USIP and the Institute for Social Policy Understanding convened a discussion tackling the twin challenges of Pakistan's health and education sectors. Panelists identified obstacles and opportunities for Pakistan in building robust social sector infrastructure.
As Southern Sudan's independence fast approaches, a fragile peace hangs in the balance. USIP has been involved in Sudan for nearly 20 years working on the ground, advising and collaborating with local organizations to find peaceful solutions to flashpoint issues. As the world looks to Sudan's leaders to resolve critical issues before July 9, the Institute was pleased to host H.E. Lt. General Dr. Riek Machar, vice president of the Government of Southern Sudan.
USIP has been conducting innovative research on the ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan about the challenges and opportunities in a peace process for Afghanistan. On June 13, 2011, USIP hosted a discussion about what the key research findings suggest about how to move toward a durable peace.
In spite of the compelling challenges associated with building legitimate governments, health systems development in post-conflict and fragile states has experienced important successes. The conference reviewed the last decade in health programming in post-conflict and fragile states, as well as addressed key questions about the intersection of health in "fragile states" and development, national security policy, and considered a way forward.
This November, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will hold the first round of presidential elections amidst decreasing levels of human security and stability. USIP and the Great Lakes Policy Forum hosted a discussion on how the United States and the international community can defuse a potential political crisis in the DRC. Over the past two years, USIP has actively undertaken projects on improving governance in the DRC through its diaspora dialogue series and a focus on peace, developm...
For this second annual conference on conflict prevention, USIP brought together experts and policymakers to discuss challenges and opportunities for conflict prevention around the world. The goals of this conference were to spotlight the importance of prevention, discuss specific challenges facing prevention efforts, and identify priority areas for USIP's future work on conflict prevention. Read the event coverage, Peace: Trending Positive
On May 26, USIP hosted a panel discussion examining the three main obstacles to normalization of India-Pakistan relations, and the road ahead for India and Pakistan. Read the event coverage, Palestinian Delegation Visits USIP
USIP hosted a panel of distinguished experts to discuss the various aspects of security - political, economic, personal and criminal - in Haiti.