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.
Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson described the ongoing U.S. efforts to support regional partners in mitigating and eliminating the threat posed by the LRA, including the recent decision to deploy U.S. military advisers to work with regional militaries. He also discussed new opportunities and continuing challenges for this regional effort.
Since March, Syrians have taken to the streets calling for an end to the regime of Bashar al-Assad and a transition to democracy. However, the Syrian opposition has struggled to establish a unified leadership. The United States Institute of Peace hosted the first public discussion in the U.S. with founding members of the Syrian National Council, including opposition figures who are among the leadership of the SNC Council.
Over the past two years Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), Eric P. Schwartz has led the State Department’s principal humanitarian bureau. At this event, Assistant Secretary Schwartz will discuss the international humanitarian challenges confronting the United States and the U.S. interest in a coherent and effective response.
Four Francophone states in West Africa have recently held elections. In three, new presidents have taken office in processes that followed protracted periods of conflict and disputed rule; in Benin, a reelected incumbent has continued a democratic tradition of 20 years' standing. Despite the fact that the outcomes of some of these elections have been disputed, they nevertheless represent steps toward strengthening democracy in the region. This USIP event takes place in the past, please vie...
On June 1st, the Colombian Congress passed the ‘Victims and Land Restitution Law’, which constitutes the first piece of legislation enacted to redress the suffering caused to millions of victims and internally displaced persons by the country’s internal conflict. The implementation of the law is likely to face enormous challenges, particularly regarding the safety and protection of victims and human rights defenders. USIP and partners convened a public event to discuss these issues.
The U.S. Institute of Peace is marking South Sudan’s independence with a half-day conference highlighting views from the ground and the U.S. policy community toward the new country. Read the event coverage, U.S. Calls on Sudan to Halt Violence, Keep Its Promises
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.
USIP and the American Red Cross hosted a panel of distinguished experts to discuss the findings of a recent American Red Cross survey of America's first post-9/11 generation and relevance and importance of international humanitarian law.
USIP hosted a panel of distinguished experts to discuss the various aspects of security - political, economic, personal and criminal - in Haiti.
"Identities in Transition: Challenges for Transitional Justice in Divided Societies" (Cambridge University Press, 2011) is the first book project to look systematically at identity and transitional justice mechanisms. Please join the book editor, former project director at the International Center for Transitional Justice, Paige Arthur, and two of the authors, USIP Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow Cecile Aptel and Senior Program Office Lili Cole, for a roundtable discussion of the project.