European Peace Institute / News

On Wednesday, November 29th, IPI together with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) are cohosting a policy forum event on “The Global State of Democracy.” At this event, which will feature opening remarks by H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Chair of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, speakers will discuss the global state of democracy, exploring its resilience and discussing the importance of implementing targeted and active inclusion in peacebuilding processes.

Remarks will begin at 3:45pm EST*

Recent media reports and public opinion polls point to apparent growing threats to democracy. They suggest that democracy is in decline. Indeed, given the recent wave of populist, anti-democratic governments in Europe and Asia, the rise of semi-authoritarianism, and continued violence marking many African elections, there are reasons to be concerned.

In contrast, International IDEA’s biennial publication, “The Global State of Democracy” (GsoD), suggests that four out of five key aspects of democracy, including the establishment of representative government, the protection of fundamental rights, checks on government, and participatory engagement, have seen progress since 1975. Despite these optimistic trends, however, the report warns that democracy requires continuous nurturing to maintain robust and resilient institutions. Indeed, delving deeper into specific experiences within countries and regions, the report finds several challenges and critical threats to democracy.

Post-conflict settings present an opportunity to build democratic institutions that can help prevent future conflict. If transitional processes are inclusive, nationally owned, and transparent, the resulting democratic system will be resilient. Inclusion, however, must go beyond quotas and numerical representation. It should be placed at the center of constitution-building processes, elections, and political settlements in order to enable access to decision making and foster the growth of local stakeholders.

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Over the past year, political and military actors and agendas in South Sudan have increasingly fragmented, and the political process has stalled. These developments have undermined the security of civilians, the stability of the country, the humanitarian situation, and the viability of efforts to pursue sustainable peace. The population’s mistrust toward international actors has further curtailed the ability of the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to implement its mandate.

In anticipation of the release of a review of UNMISS commissioned by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the expected renewal of its mandate by December 15, 2017, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report co-organized a workshop on November 9, 2017. This workshop aimed to help member states and UN actors develop a shared understanding and common strategic assessment of the situation on the ground in South Sudan. It was the seventh in a series of workshops analyzing how UN policies and the June 2015 recommendations of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) can be applied to country-specific contexts.

Participants suggested that UNMISS should postpone activities associated with classic peacekeeping operations in favor of those focused on local mediation, engagement with the South Sudanese population, and reduction of widespread violence against civilians. To accomplish these increasingly difficult tasks, the mission needs renewed support from the international community and the members of the Security Council.

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Ahmed Bin Mohamed Aljarwan, President of the Global Council for Tolerance & Peace (GCTP), expressed strong support for IPI and pledged cooperation on the “Culture of Tolerance and Peace” through joint programs, initiatives and events at a November 12th meeting in Manama.

Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, and Mr. Aljarwan stressed the need for a partnership “contributing to the dissemination of the culture of tolerance and peace,” calling on IPI’s cooperation with GCTP for the same. On the same occasion, Ebrahim Nonoo, representative of the Jewish community in Bahrain, explored cooperation with both IPI and GCTP.

The concept of the “Culture of Tolerance & Peace” seeks to shape a global platform to ensure that security, peace and stability can be integrated in a meaningful way for all human beings by overcoming the prevalent culture of prejudice, discrimination, religious sectarianism, xenophobia and the rise of nationalism and violent extremism in societies.

The Malta-based GCTP aims to achieve this objective through strategic conferences, cultural exchange programs and communication programs involving government bodies, academia and international organizations. IPI has coordinated initiatives like “Art for Peace,” in which prominent artists from the MENA region promoted the culture of peace earlier this year, as well as, regular interfaith dialogues and global conferences aimed towards creating roadmaps to cultivate a permanent culture of gender equality, tolerance and peace.

To that end, Mr. Friji welcomed GCTP President Aljarwan and stressed the need to institutionalize mutual cooperation in line with IPI’s mandate—highlighting that such partnership would meet the aspirations of the peoples of the MENA region and reinforce efforts to generate genuine tolerance and sustainable peace and development.

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With the participation of Miroslav Lajčák, President of the UN General Assembly, Bahrain hosted the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum (WEIF) from October 31 to November 1, 2017. Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, chaired the First Plenary Session held under the theme of “Entrepreneurship for Development & Innovation Towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” with an audience of hundreds of government officials, entrepreneurs, representatives of the private sector, financial institutions, regional and international organizations, government, and media.

Thanking the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for organizing the event, Mr. Friji, in reference to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN General Assembly, stated that, “Entrepreneurship is not only critical to achieving the SDGs on economic growth, but it also catalyzes progress towards the twin goals of prosperity and peace.”

He drew attention to the fact that “regardless of social, political, religious or any other differences, the need and desire to prosper economically constitutes common ground between groups,” thus stressing that entrepreneurs are those who drive systemic change and foster inclusive growth in society. He quoted the example of Jusoor, an entrepreneurship program in Lebanon aimed at teaching the next generation of Syrian business owners to rebuild what the conflict has destroyed, with the long-term objective of encouraging sustainable development, and in turn, peace.

Mr. Friji stressed the importance of empowering women and further enabling their participation in the global entrepreneurial arena to not only actualize the SDGs, but to drive the exponential growth of the economic sector. He concluded by reiterating the importance of shaping “peaceful and resilient societies” by empowering youth, both men and women alike.

Panelists included: Nael Kabriti, Chairman General Union for Arab Chambers, Sh Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Honorary Chairman of UNIDO, Arab International Centre for Entrepreneurship & Investment, Yousif Al Bassam, Chairman Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Hala Al Ansari, Secretary General, Supreme Council for Women, Bahrain, Amin El Sharkawi, UN Resident Coordinator, Bahrain, Adnan Ahmed Yousif, President & CEO of Al Baraka Banking Group, Dan Liang, Chairperson of Board of Directors, UN Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities Alliance, Sheikha Hessa Al Sabah, President, Arab Businesswomen Council, Galina Karanova, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Marcello Pittella, President Basilicata Region- Italy, Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi, Chief Executive, Tamkeen, Philip Auerswald, Co-chair and Executive Director Global Entrepreneurial Research Network, Recep Ali Erdogan, Vice President KOSGEB, Turkey.

The Central African Republic (CAR) has earned an undesirable reputation as one of the most troubled spots on earth. Many international and regional mediation efforts have attempted to resolve the conflict in CAR. Less discussed, however, are a multiplicity of local mediation efforts aiming to bring about tangible immediate change.

This report focuses on these local efforts, looking at who is involved, the nature of the deals, and their prospects. It also asks whether these constitute new approaches to conflict resolution and discusses the links (or lack thereof) between the various mediation tracks in CAR. Lastly, it addresses the role that the UN, particularly the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA), ought to play in supporting or conducting these efforts. Based on this assessment, it offers several recommendations to the UN mission, the UN Secretariat, and the Security Council:

• Explicitly make mediation support a priority: The Security Council should mandate MINUSCA to direct all the necessary resources to support local and national mediation initiatives.
• Develop a mission–wide mediation support strategy: MINUSCA should adopt a whole-of-mission approach that explicitly connects support for local and national mediation initiatives.
• Better leverage existing MINUSCA assets: UN leadership should leverage MINUSCA’s countrywide presence, military, and logistical capabilities in support of local mediation.
• Build up appropriate human resources and skills: MINUSCA should be provided enhanced mediation expertise, mediation training for relevant staff, and increased resources for analysis.
• Urge the government of CAR to take the lead in mediation and reconciliation efforts: The Security Council should encourage the government of CAR to shoulder its responsibilities.
• Compel armed groups to shoulder responsibility: The Security Council should effectively implement sanctions and possibly impose new ones against armed group leaders responsible for fomenting violence.

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On November 3rd, IPI welcomed researchers from the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity (AC4) at the Earth Institute-Columbia University to share their findings on the central attributes of peaceful communities. In attendance were representatives from various Permanent Missions to the UN, civil society representatives and UN staff.

The event, held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution, was opened by Youssef Mahmoud, IPI Senior Adviser, who outlined the main features of IPI’s ongoing work on sustaining peace, which focuses in on modalities and processes for identifying and strengthening the existing resilient capacities of societies under stress, rather than the factors that drive and sustain conflict. To do this, he said, it is important to uncover and measure the factors that are associated with durable peace.

The participants then heard a presentation from lead researcher Peter T. Coleman, Executive Director of AC4, and his team, Douglas P. Fry, Larry S. Liebovitch and Jaclyn Donahue, which showcased the recent findings of their project entitled The Science of Sustaining Peace. They outlined the research being done at AC4, which aims to identify, map and model the factors relating to sustaining peace and the prevention of destructive conflict.

The research utilizes historical and anthropological data, among other sources, to identify the key factors present in peaceful societies throughout history and in the present day. The data shows, firstly, that peaceful societies are possible and war is a relatively new idea in the span of human history.

Secondly, the data reveals some key factors that peaceful societies have in common such as interconnections between subgroups and forms of interdependence, a culture of nonviolence and an overarching social identity. Dr. Coleman also highlighted that though these factors are common throughout peaceful societies, the relationships between them are sometimes unclear in the context of complex societies. Promoting one factor may have unforeseen consequences in relationship to other factors.

To better understand the relationship between these complex factors, the team at AC4 has created both a qualitative and a mathematical model. The models are intended to map data and factors, and foster a better understanding of the relationship between factors. These outputs will be used to assist policymakers in understanding the effects of interventions, and hopefully inform future policies on the road to sustaining peace.

Though the project is still ongoing, Dr. Coleman ended the presentation by offering preliminary policy recommendations on the implementation of sustaining peace. Research has shown that one of the key investments policymakers can make is in peace education. By promoting education at a young age that focuses on topics such as conflict resolution, non-warring values, cooperative learning, and violence prevention, children will learn to think critically and make decisions that will promote peaceful societies throughout their lives.

The floor was then opened to participants for comment. Speakers noted that existing work on the topic contains considerable gaps, such as incomplete research and inadequate consultation with local voices in sustaining peace. It was also noted that existing research often lacks a gender component, which is integral to sustaining peace. Speakers further argued that in-depth research that incorporates inclusive consultation will greatly assist their work as policy makers. Many speakers expressed interest in knowing how the research presented by AC4 and other institutions can be translated into coherent policy recommendations that make the sustaining peace agenda more effective.

Mr. Mahmoud closed the event by reiterating that emphasis must be put on mapping sustainable peace as well as spotting drivers of conflict. He commended the research produced by AC4, and he noted that evidence-based analysis will continue to be important to understanding and implementing sustainable peace.

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Miroslav Lajčák, President of the UN General Assembly, called upon leaders in the MENA region to join the body’s mission of “delivering for the people.”

Mr. Lajčák spoke on November 2, 2017, to an audience of representatives of government, civil society, media, academia, culture, diplomacy, youth, and the private sector at IPI-MENA in Manama.

Referring to issues of priority to the international community, Mr. Lajčák highlighted the importance of multilateralism to address key agenda items of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly; conflict prevention, peacebuilding, migration, youth, water issues, and streamlining the body’s agenda in line with ongoing UN reform.

He urged the governments of Bahrain and the MENA region as well as civil society leaders to provide support to the UN on a range of security, peacebuilding and development issues, with the aim of “providing for the people” in line with, among others, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and women’s empowerment.

Mr. Lajčák concluded by stressing it would be the General Assembly’s priority to implement “credible concepts that can yield meaningful outcomes” for the people.

On his side, Abdulla Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of DERASAT, expressed his country’s adherence to the implementation of the SDGs and its support to the General Assembly’s efforts in that regard. He highlighted that his country has invested in “human capital,” which is the “most valuable asset.” He referred to the first Strategic Partnership Framework (SPF) signed recently with the UN Country Team as a vital example of the “Bahraini government’s support to development.”

He reiterated his country’s support to the General Assembly’s vision for development and peacebuilding in the Middle East, calling on “the international community to support governments, private sector, civil society and individuals who provide the necessary support for the youth to achieve the SDGs.”

Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, stressed the importance of the General Assembly as crucial “in the development of a global agenda on prevention” and referred to IPI’s milestone Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) report that stressed the centrality of the General Assembly in the development of a “road map for the implementation of a UN peacebuilding architecture on all levels: international, regional, national, and local.”

The General Assembly is the highest body in the UN structure and holds substantial power. This power stems from the fact that it equally represents all the nations across the globe.

The event was held as part of IPI’s Global Leaders Series.

Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, moderated the conversation.

United Nations Peace Operations Reform Scorecard 2017 (Click for full graphic)

Timeline of Review Processes and Outcomes (Click for full graphic)

UN peace operations are confronting crises from all sides: they face ever more complex operating environments in the field, while in New York they face divisions among member states over the very nature of peace operations, a “peacekeeping fatigue” aggravated by scandals, and cuts to the peacekeeping budget. These are some of the reasons why, two years after the release of the report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO), progress on peace operations reform has been slow.

In this challenging context, this report asks whether the reform agenda put forward by Secretary-General Guterres would—or would not—help realize the four strategic shifts called for by HIPPO—recognizing the primacy of politics, viewing peace operations as a continuum, strengthening partnerships, and focusing on the field and on people—and under what circumstances. It also provides preliminary analysis of the five streams of reform presented to date: (1) the renewed focus on prevention and sustaining peace; (2) the creation of a new UN Office of Counter-Terrorism; (3) the reform of the UN development system; (4) the restructuring of the peace and security architecture; and (5) organization-wide management reform.

It concludes that the challenge for the secretary-general will be to translate these parallel tracks of reform into a concrete and coherent approach that will be true to his overarching vision for the organization and have a real impact in headquarters and, most importantly, in the field. While the temptation inevitably will be to focus on short-term structural reorganization, change will also need to come from improvements in working culture, methods, and processes over time.

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On Wednesday, November 8th, IPI is hosting a Distinguished Author Series event featuring Edward Luce, author of “The Retreat of Western Liberalism.” The conversation will be moderated by IPI Senior Adviser for External Relations, Warren Hoge.

Remarks will begin at 6:20pm EST*

In “The Retreat of Western Liberalism,” Edward Luce provides a detailed projection of the consequences of the Trump administration’s actions and attitudes and the rise of populism and nationalism in Europe. He also examines what those who believe in enlightenment values must do to defend against the multiple onslaughts they face. With resources scarce and the future insecure, the West should question whether people will continue to uphold democracy simply as a matter of principle. Luce believes that we are in a menacing trajectory brought about by ignorance of what it took to build the West, arrogance toward society’s economic losers, and complacency about our system’s durability. The West’s crisis, he writes, is “real, structural, and likely to persist,” but, he adds, “Nothing is inevitable. Some of what ails the West is within our power to fix.”

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On Monday, November 6th, IPI together with the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations are cohosting an evening policy forum event to discuss IPI’s recent publication, “Peace by Pieces? Local Mediation Initiatives and Sustainable Peace in the Central African Republic,” by Marie-Joëlle Zahar and Delphine Mechoulan.

Remarks will begin at 6:30pm EST*

The report “Peace by Pieces? Local Mediation Initiatives and Sustainable Peace in the Central African Republic” focuses on local mediation efforts in CAR. What do these mediation efforts entail? Who is involved? To what extent do these efforts contribute to conflict resolution and sustainable peace? What is the relation between local efforts and regional and international efforts?

By describing and studying many local mediation efforts, their stakeholders, their outcomes, and their impact, Ms. Zahar and Ms. Mechoulan highlight the potential and limits of these initiatives, focusing in particular on the role of the United Nations in supporting local mediation in CAR. Ahead of the renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in CAR (MINUSCA) on November 15th, this policy forum will focus on furthering the understanding of mediation efforts in CAR and will offer recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders involved in building sustainable peace in the country.

Opening Remarks:
Kai Sauer, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations, TBC
Marcien Aubin Kpatamango, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Central African Republic to the United Nations

Speakers:
Marie-Joëlle Zahar, Senior Fellow, IPI
Delphine Mechoulan, Policy Analyst, IPI
Asif Khan, Chief of Mediation Support Unit, United Nations Department of Political Affairs

Moderator:
Arthur Boutellis, Director for Peace Operations, IPI

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On Tuesday, November 7th, IPI together with the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations, and the International Network of Historians without Borders, are cohosting a Global Leader Series lunchtime discussion with H.E. Mr. Erkki Tuomioja, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Remarks will begin at 1:15pm*

Leveraging historical knowledge is pivotal for countries seeking to implement policies aimed at promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. Indeed, discussing historical narratives can be a useful tool for identifying lessons learned and, more importantly, to recognize elements of peace and resilience within societies. At this event, Mr. Tuomioja will discuss the importance of history and the use of historical knowledge in sustaining peace.

Founded in May 2016, the International Network of Historians without Borders (HWB) brings together historians from across national frontiers to bridge the gap between academia, civil society, and policy making. Through public and expert discussions, participating in general debate, and carrying out research, HWB aims to deepen general knowledge and understanding of history, promote open and free access to historical material, and stimulate interactive dialogue between various perspectives to promote peace.

Mr. Tuomioja was first elected to the Finnish Parliament as a student and peace activist for the Social Democratic Party in 1970. He has been a member of parliament for over 35 years and is the longest serving Minister for Foreign Affairs in Finnish history (2000-2007 and 2011-2015). He has also served as Minister of Trade and Industry, Chair of the Parliament Grand (European Affairs) Committee, and Deputy Mayor of Helsinki. Mr. Tuomioja is the founder and President of the International Network of Historians without Borders.

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Civil society played a pivotal role in the Arab uprisings. By reconfiguring the social contract in a region distinguished by gender inequality, these revolts brought the status of women to the fore, and equal citizenship became a central goal. Social actors were therefore particularly active in contesting the constitution-making processes that were launched.

Based on field research produced by Egyptian and Tunisian civil society activists and academics, this report analyzes the influence of civil society during the constitution-making processes in those two countries through the lens of women’s rights. These processes reflect in particular the struggle between the Islamists, the former regimes, and civil society over the identity and the future of the region.

The 2012 constitution in Egypt, the drafting of which was led by Islamists with little appetite for compromise, was far from satisfactory to civil society, though it did improve on its predecessor in some areas. Egypt’s 2014 constitution represented major progress for women’s rights, but the process itself was exclusive, paving the way for a campaign of repression of basic rights. In Tunisia, on the other hand, the constitution-making exercise has become in many ways a model to follow, demonstrating that Islamism and the Western liberal order are not necessarily incompatible and that the process of drafting a constitution may be more important than the content of the document itself.

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The Central African Republic (CAR) is currently experiencing an increase in violence against civilians and a slide toward instability, while attempts to find a solution through a political process have stalled. Despite efforts to strengthen state authority outside Bangui, the state is not present in most of the country, and Central Africans do not trust their government to represent them or the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA) to protect them.

In anticipation of the expected renewal of MINUSCA’s mandate in November 2017, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report co-organized a workshop on October 3, 2017, to help member states and UN develop a shared understanding and common strategic assessment of the situation on the ground in CAR. This workshop was the sixth in a series analyzing how UN policies and the June 2015 recommendations of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) can be applied to country-specific contexts.

Participants suggested that, when reviewing MINUSCA’s mandate, the Security Council should prioritize the protection of civilians and increase MINUSCA’s troop ceiling. It should also articulate a clearer role for MINUSCA in the political process, strengthen support to local peace capacities, encourage the mission to make more strategic use of its mandate to adopt urgent temporary measures, strengthen the mission’s efforts on security sector reform, and redefine the mission’s role in promoting inclusive and representative state institutions.

This publication is part of a project funded by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) with resources provided by the German Federal Foreign Office.

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On October 18th, IPI welcomed local peacebuilders from across the globe to examine how community-led peace networks can develop more inclusive and integrated peacebuilding processes.

At the roundtable authors’ workshop, six peacebuilders talked about their upcoming reports on peacebuilding networks in their case study countries. The event marks the conclusion of a two-year project with the Carnegie Foundation to explore local peace networks in eight case studies, examine how local and international peace actors can complement each other, broaden participation in peacebuilding programs, and improve overall peacebuilding outcomes.

Lesley Connolly, Policy Analyst at IPI and Youssef Mahmoud, IPI Senior Adviser, opened the event with a discussion on the relevance of sustaining peace at the local level, noting the shift from peacebuilding to sustaining peace at the United Nations following dual resolutions in the General Assembly and the Security Council on sustaining peace passed in 2015. The speakers underlined that sustaining peace is a long term process, not only for countries which have gone through conflict, but all countries, and requires inclusive participation at the local level.

The first session, chaired by Arthur Boutellis, Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations at IPI, featured presentations from Stephen Kirimi, Regional Programme Manager at the Life and Peace Institute in Ethiopia, Kessy Ekomo-Soignet, Executive Director of URU in Central African Republic and Dr. Webster Zambara, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa. Each presenter shined a light on local peace networks in Kenya, Central African Republic, and Zimbabwe respectively.

Sarah Taylor, IPI Research Fellow, chaired the second session, which included presentations from Nicolas Chamat Matallana, Researcher at Centro de Recursos para el Analisis de Conflictos in Colombia, Hasini Haputhanthri, independent consultant on peacebuilding and reconciliation in Sri Lanka and Masana Ndinga, Senior Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in South Africa.

Two peace networks were showcased per country, each working on initiatives such as civic engagement, policy advocacy, women and youth engagement and conflict mapping and prevention. The commonality between all networks is that they strive to engage local communities in peacebuilding. The participants discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the network structure, as well as complex topics such as peacebuilding in conflict and post-conflict countries, avoiding political capture, and issues related to sustainable funding. Recommendations on how the international community could better support these networks’ work and how knowledge from local voices could be better integrated into the international community’s policies were also presented.

Lesley Connolly closed the event by emphasizing the value of peacebuilding networks in empowering local voices and bringing those perspectives to the United Nations policy community.

“Networks are able to connect to the debates and show the voices of local actors,” she said. “These networks help us understand what is working in society and how we can leverage this to sustain peace.”

She pointed out that we will only understand how to sustain peace in a society if we know what is working and how it is working.

“As the date of the Secretary General’s report on sustaining peace grows closer, the international community needs to identify, in practice, how to connect peace and development in a holistic manner,” she said.

“Building awareness for sustaining peace requires bringing voices from the field to this debate,” she said. “Sustaining peace is ultimately a shared task and should include a broad range of views and voices, especially of those impacted by violent conflict and currently working to prevent it.”

“Without investing in strengthening local peace capacities, even the most aspirational declarations at the UN and in capitals around the world will fail.”

On Tuesday, October 17th, IPI and Peace Direct cohosted a policy forum to better understand the connection between sustaining peace and the work of local peacebuilders. The event focused on some of these connections and hear from four local peacebuilders about their experiences of sustaining peace and how the United Nations and international community can better support their work in the name of sustaining peace.

To understand sustaining peace, there is a need to hear the voices of local peacebuilders working in their communities. In order to learn more from local actors and their views on sustaining peace, the International Peace Institute and Peace Direct shared an informal, qualitative survey with forty respondents from twenty-two countries in four regions to hear their views on sustaining peace and the work of the UN. This survey aims to unpack views of local peacebuilders around the world and connect that to the policy discussions underway in New York.

On April 27, 2016, the UN General Assembly and Security Council passed identical resolutions on sustaining peace, marking a watershed shift in the understanding of peacebuilding and setting in motion many consultations, meetings, and reports that will culminate in a high-level event on sustaining peace in practice (set for April 2018). Over the past year, a number of peacebuilding actors at UN headquarters have been working to unpack what sustaining peace means in practice and highlight why it is vital to ensuring long-term peace, development, and prosperity. For more information on these initiatives and the survey results, please see the concept note.

This event is part of a project that receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Opening Remarks:
Ms. Lesley Connolly, Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute
Ms. Bridget Moix, US Senior Representative, Peace Direct

Speakers:
Ms. Sawssan Abou-Zahr, Journalist and Local Peacebuilding Expert, Lebanon
Mr. Michael Olufemi Sodipo, Coordinator, Peace Initiative Network, Nigeria
Ms. Martine Kessy Ekomo-Soignet, Executive Director, URU, Central Africa Republic
Mr. Webster Zambara, Senior Project Leader, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, South Africa

Respondent:
Ms. Chelsea Payne, Policy Officer, United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office

Moderator:
Ms. Lesley Connolly, Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute

IPI President Terje Rod-Larsen, and Shaban Abdelhamid Osman, CEO of 1958 PMM, sign the MoU in the presence of Nejib Friji, Director of IPI MENA.

Using preventive diplomacy to find sustainable solutions to water-related challenges in the MENA region is the strategic objective of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on October 17, 2017 by IPI President Terje Rod-Larsen, and Shaban Abdelhamid Osman, President & CEO of 1958 Project Management & Marketing S.P.C (1958 PMM).

During the signing ceremony held at IPI’s Middle East and North Africa office (IPI MENA) in Bahrain, both parties stressed that water diplomacy is proving instrumental “now more than ever” in order to prevent fast-escalating water-related divides from developing into threats to peace.

IPI and 1958 PMM will seek to identify ways different actors can address water resources and scarcity within and among countries of the region, and find frameworks to allow sustainable peace-based solutions by embedding them in a comprehensive and collaborative strategy that links solving water-related differences to broader cooperation in the region.

IPI and 1958 PMM will jointly identify and rely on regional and international expertise through studies, convening, and outreach, including with multilateral institutions and other relevant organizations.

About 1958 PMM

1958 PMM offers services like project management, finance, consulting, BPM, business analysis and many others. 1958 has more than 40 years of experience doing business worldwide, but with special expertise in the Middle East. Supporting society and promoting overall prosperity being their core business belief, 1958 promotes and executes responsible entrepreneurship.

The dual “sustaining peace” resolutions adopted by the Security Council and General Assembly in April 2016 did not mention how this concept might be applied to responses to violent extremism. Nonetheless, given the failure of existing responses and the constantly evolving, multi-faceted nature of the problem, there is a clear need to examine the issue from this perspective.

This issue brief examines how the sustaining peace agenda is well-positioned to recalibrate responses to violent extremism. It can help to mobilize political will for meaningful change among actors within the multilateral system while also encouraging civil society, the private sector, women’s and youth groups, and other sectors to be agents for change in their own countries and communities. In order to achieve this change, proponents of sustaining peace will need to:

• Advocate moving away from reactive, security-focused responses to violent extremism in isolation from other approaches;
• Acknowledge that countering and preventing violent extremism (CVE/PVE) are broadly compatible with sustaining peace;
• Increase awareness of the state-centric nature of CVE/PVE and work to make these efforts more inclusive;
• Compel policymakers and practitioners to consider the broader range of causes of instability and conflict beyond just violent extremism; and
• Encourage actors within the UN system and its member states to focus more on factors that contribute to peaceful societies rather than only on those that contribute to conflict.

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On Tuesday October 3rd, representatives from member states, the UN Secretariat, independent experts and members of civil society met at IPI to discuss how to apply the 2015 recommendations of the High-Level Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) to the context of the Central African Republic.

The event was the sixth in a series of workshops co-organized by IPI, Security Council Report, the Stimson Center, and the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN to examine how the recommendations related to mandating, planning, and analysis in the 2015 HIPPO report and the follow-up report of the Secretary-General can be applied to country-specific contexts. A similar workshop was held in July on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (main conclusions available here).

The closed door meeting, held under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution, allowed participants to discuss the challenges that face the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA), as well as current national and international responses to these challenges. A political strategy on the prioritization and sequencing of the mandate for MINUSCA was also considered ahead of the mandate’s renewal in November.

The first session, chaired by Youssef Mahmoud, IPI Senior Adviser, began by identifying the realities and challenges that MINUSCA currently faces, as well as challenges confronted by the Central African government and civilians on the ground. Speakers were encouraged to not only identify areas of struggle, but also areas of success upon which sustainable peace can be built.

The lively discussion explored a variety of issues such as the protection of civilians, economic drivers of the conflict, troop size and the status and return of refugees. The role of MINUSCA was central to these conversations; particularly in restoring state capacity through security sector reform and supporting capacity building for the national military and police force. In this context, participants assessed what a regional presence in CAR should look like for MINUSCA.

The second session, chaired by Ian Martin, Executive Director of Security Council Report, built on the topics identified as being of key importance, and centered on the prioritization and sequencing of these issues in the future mandate. With a robust mandate and limited resources, many felt that the responsibilities of MINUSCA should be decreased, in an effort to increase the efficiency of a few key tasks. This called into question which tasks should be prioritized as central to the mandate, and what resources MINUSCA would need to achieve these tasks.

The meeting was attended by representatives from Egypt, Canada, Italy, Sweden, China, Central African Republic, France, United States, Russia, Bangladesh, South Sudan, Portugal, Ethiopia, as well as UN staff and members of civil society such as Invisible Children, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, Stimson Center, Security Council Report and the United States Institute for Peace.

Current deployment of civilian and military air assets to UN peace operations

Number of helicopters in current UN peacekeeping missions

Aviation assets, which include fixed-wing aircraft, utility and attack helicopters, and unmanned aerial systems, are key enablers that give peace operations the mobility and agility they need to deter and prevail against hostile actors. They are also force multipliers that enhance the effectiveness of multidimensional operations, allowing them to implement their mandates. However, peace operations face a chronic shortage of air assets with the right capabilities, and pressure to cut costs is likely to push missions to further rationalize and reduce the use of air assets.

This report looks at how missions’ air assets are organized, generated, managed, tasked, controlled, and commanded. It also makes a number of recommendations to address persistent shortcomings:

• At the headquarters level, the UN should take a more strategic approach to deploying air assets, facilitate multinational rotation contributions, encourage triangular partnerships, share air assets among missions, and review the policy for command and control.
• At the mission level, the UN should require civilian and military components of aviation units to be better integrated, implement existing policies and procedures, provide training on standard operating procedures, and restrict the use of special flights.

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The global health architecture is increasingly under strain. Pandemics and epidemics are occurring at an unprecedented rate in recent years, and the Ebola crisis in particular revealed serious flaws in the capability of the system to prevent and respond to these crises. As the links between health, development, and security challenges become ever clearer, the multilateral system anchored in the United Nations must address these issues with renewed focus.

This policy paper maps the landscape of public health challenges and provides an overview of current debates. Based on extensive consultations with representatives of states, various UN entities, and civil society, as well as subject-matter experts, this paper details recommendations laid out in the ICM’s final report, published in September 2016. These include to:

• Reaffirm the centrality of the World Health Organization (WHO);
• Strengthen normative frameworks for accountability;
• Forge partnerships and reinforce linkages beyond the WHO; and
• Recall the primary responsibility of states to prepare for epidemics and strengthen health systems.

To stand with those who are committed to working multilaterally and reforming the international community, we are asking people to use the hashtag #MultilateralismMatters. For more, including sample tweets and graphics, read IPI’s Social Media Toolkit here.

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