European Peace Institute / News

A delegation from UAE International Tolerance Institute in Dubai—an initiative of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tolerance Award—visited IPI’s central office in New York on December 14, 2017 to discuss opportunities for cooperation and strategic partnerships.

Present at the meeting were IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen; IPI-MENA Director Nejib Friji; and members of the UAE International Tolerance Institute delegation, Ahmed Khalfan Al Mansouri, Secretary-General, and Khalifa Shaer Al Suwaidi.

Related Coverage (in Arabic)

“The UAE International Tolerance Institute Delegation visits IPI in New York” (Alkhaleej.ae, December 18, 2017)
“Cooperation between The UAE International Tolerance Institute Delegation and IPI in New York” (Al Bayan Newspaper, December 18, 2017)
“A Delegation from the UAE International Tolerance Institute in Dubai visits IPI in New York” (Emirates News Agency, December 17, 2017)
“A Delegation from the UAE International Tolerance Institute in Dubai visits IPI in New York” (Al Watan Newspaper, December 17, 2017)

On December 7th, IPI together with the Permanent Missions of Italy and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN cohosted an event on “Reframing the Protection of Civilians Paradigm for UN Peace Operations.”

The Security Council first established protection of civilians (POC) as an explicit mandate for a peacekeeping operation in 1999. Since then, POC has gained prominence both conceptually and in practice, and has been institutionalized as a central paradigm for peace operations. The UN Secretariat has developed policy and guidance documents on POC, designed innovative tools, mechanisms and activities, and deployed dedicated personnel to enhance the multidimensional implementation of protection of civilians by its military, police, and civilian personnel in the field.

However, missions mandated to protect civilians face increasingly challenging environments in theatres where there is little peace to keep, no viable political process, and state authorities unwilling or unable to fulfill their own protection responsibilities. In this context, and in the context of a lack of a unified vision around POC, criticism over the potential tension between protection of civilians, political processes, and exit strategies has arisen.

IPI’s latest issue brief, which will serve as a backdrop to the discussion, analyzes these debates and explores possible directions to reframe the protection of civilians paradigm for peace operations, identifying several factors limiting effective delivery of POC mandates.

As the DPKO/DFS Policy on Protection of Civilians will be updated in 2018, and with the prospect of the secretary-general defining a new POC vision, this policy forum explored specific considerations on how the POC paradigm should be redesigned to fit hostile environments where peacekeepers are targeted, obstructed, manipulated, or sidelined. Participants also discussed ways in which to reconcile POC with political processes and exit strategies, and reinforce accountability.

Opening Remarks:
H.E. Mr. Inigo Lambertini, Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations
H.E. Ms. Lise Gregoire, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations

Speakers:
Dr. Namie Di Razza, Post-doctoral Fellow, International Peace Institute
Mr. Baptiste Martin, Former POC Advisor to the United Nations Mission in DR Congo and the United Nations Mission in CAR
Mr. Kevin S. Kennedy, Consultant
Ms. Ayaka Suzuki, Director of Strategic Planning and Monitoring, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
Ms. Naomi Miyashita, Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations

Closing Remarks:
Mr. Jonathan Allen, Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations

Moderator:
Mr. Jake Sherman, Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations

The Speaker of Bahrain’s House of Representatives, Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al-Mulla expressed strong interest in cooperation between the House and IPI-MENA on challenges to peace in the MENA region and beyond at a December 6th meeting in Manama.

Speaking with Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, and Abdulrahman Boumjid, Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and Member of the Arab Parliament, Mr. Al Mulla called for a research and capacity building partnership on human rights and other priorities to achieve sustainable development and peace in the region.

Mr. Friji briefed Mr. Al Mulla on IPI’s role in managing risk and building resilience, as well as IPI-MENA’s projects and activities ranging from regional integration, social peace, and the culture of peace to world heritage and interfaith dialogue.

Mr. Al-Mulla affirmed that the culture of peace, tolerance and coexistence is one of the pillars of Bahraini society and its authentic culture. He also pointed out that the coming period will witness joint cooperation with IPI, to support the Arab Parliament in achieving the goals of sustainable development.

Related Coverage in Arabic:
http://akhbar-alkhaleej.com/news/article/1100202
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcWhZIilYid/
http://alwatannews.net/article/747533
https://twitter.com/BhParliament/status/938304246927196160

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The diverse perspectives among five informal partners—Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and Australia (MIKTA)—help these countries to develop policies which promote their shared interest in an effective, rules-based global order. During a seminar on December 5th at the IPI MENA office in Manama, MIKTA government representatives told an IPI audience that their “innovative partnership” illustrates the efficiency of soft power diplomacy as a path to build inclusive societies. This coordination ultimately benefits international peace, they said.

In a rapidly changing world, new global issues have emerged which challenge efforts to cultivate stability and prosperity. It was against this backdrop that these countries came together in 2013. Since then, the coalition has worked together to build consensus in the areas like finance and economics, security, the environment, and sustainable development.

MIKTA officials including Hatun Demirer, Turkish Ambassador; Muhsin Syihab, Director for Development, Economic & Environmental Affairs, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Yoon Jiwan, Director of Policy Analysis, Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the progress made by their group on sustainable development, as one of their seven priority themes at the December 5th seminar.

Hatun Demirer emphasized Turkey’s focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), citing his country’s commitment to its “leave no one behind” principle. This “is not only a principle for an inclusive society in our countries, but it also means an inclusive international society,” she said, adding that rule of law, good governance, and strong institutional capacity are the “main pillars of sustainable development.”

As MIKTA Chair in 2017, Turkey “organized high level and expert meetings for keeping the dialogue atmosphere active among MIKTA countries,” Ambassador Demirer said. This deepened MIKTA cooperation in line with its core issues.

Muhsin Syihab said he could see the importance of MIKTA partnership to build inclusive societies. Indonesia “is attached to SDGs at the international level,” he said, and intends to use its upcoming MIKTA chairmanship to advocate for its members to complete all of their National Plans for the SDGs by January 2018. “We will also be holding several programmes like the MIKTA Interfaith Dialogue,” he said.

Yoon Jiwan said Korea considers MIKTA a key forum for “discussing global affairs and strengthening relations with like-minded countries.” He added, “We feel the need to do more to make the world a better place, whether through MIKTA, the G20, the UN, or the OECD.” Korea, he promised, “will strive to make inroads” to achieve the SDGs”.

Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, noted that MIKTA’s aim of strengthening multilateralism and global governance structures was much like IPI’s own strategic goal of managing risk and building resilience for a more peaceful world. “Today’s presentations on sustainable development priorities are timely, as we at IPI continuously seek to broaden engagements with various stakeholders to achieve sustainable development,” he said.

Mr. Friji concluded the presentation by calling for a “strong and sustainable collaboration with MIKTA in terms of building durable relations.” The speakers also shared their desire to engage with IPI on MIKTA’s seven priority themes—international energy governance and energy access; global security and counter-terrorism; peacekeeping; trade and the economy; gender equality; democracy, human rights and good governance; and sustainable development.

Ambassador Demirer also spoke to the shared values of IPI and MIKTA. “MIKTA aims to combat global problems, and as an informal gathering, we’re trying to contribute to global peace, which is the motto of IPI as well.” For his part, Mr. Syihab said, “IPI is the right entity to introduce MIKTA because of its credibility and credentials. The priorities of MIKTA align with those of IPI.” Mr. Yoon Jiwan said, “MIKTA looks forward to more of such opportunities. By involving IPI, we can benefit a lot by getting new perspectives and ideas.”

The presentation was followed by an interactive session with the audience. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed al Khalifa, the Under-Secretary for International Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bahrain said, “It is interesting to see how MIKTA nations have moved together since September 2013, in addressing a number of international issues. These five great nations have worked collectively to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and have a lot to offer.”

The seminar was attended by government officials, ambassadors, members of parliament & the Shura Council, representatives of civil society, the private sector, the media, and academia.

The event was co-organized with MIKTA.

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

Human rights violations and lack of accountability for such violations are often drivers of conflict. Monitoring human rights, therefore, could provide early warning of and help prevent destabilization of societies. Secretary-General António Guterres alluded to this in his April 2017 address to the Security Council, where he observed that “upholding human rights is a crucial element of prevention,” and “human rights are intrinsically linked to sustaining peace.”

This issue brief seeks to demonstrate that connecting the human rights and sustaining peace agendas offers a unique, strategic entry point to help shift from a culture of crisis management to one of prevention. It reflects on three countries that, in part through their commitment to uphold and safeguard the rule of law and human rights, have managed to remain relatively peaceful, despite internal vulnerabilities and external pressures: Mauritius, Senegal, and Tunisia.

This issue brief is part of the International Peace Institute’s (IPI) attempt to reframe prevention for the purpose of sustaining peace through a series of conversations. Other conversations have focused on how to approach the UN’s regional political offices, peace operations, the SDG on gender equality, and entrepreneurship from the perspective of sustaining peace, as well as on what sustaining peace means in practice.

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On December 1st, IPI hosted the latest event in its series featuring United Nations Humanitarian Coordinators and other senior humanitarian leaders from the field. This discussion with Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, Officer in Charge of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, focused on the humanitarian and development situation in Lebanon, and the way it is coping with the ongoing refugee crisis.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, Lebanon has seen a huge influx of Syrian refugees, adding to the already existing population of Palestinian refugees in the country, and putting a strain on the country’s public services. In addition, Lebanon is still coping with the consequences of its own civil war, and the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

This event helped to raise awareness of the obstacles and challenges faced by the UN and other humanitarian actors in Lebanon in delivering a multifaceted range of interventions, from emergency aid to development assistance.

Speaker:
Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, Officer in Charge of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President at IPI

Since the late 1990s, POC has continuously gained prominence, both as a concept and in practice, and has become the mandated priority for most UN peacekeeping operations. However, while POC has become a centerpiece of peacekeeping for many stakeholders, it has also become diluted as a consensual label used to justify diverse actions and approaches.

This issue brief explores debates around the concept and practice of POC to reframe protection of civilians for UN peace operations. As the secretary-general intends to lay out his vision for POC and to launch a campaign to champion the agenda, and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations is expected to update its official policy on POC, this is an opportune moment to readjust perspectives.

It concludes that, when framing his vision for POC, the secretary-general should reassign meaning and legitimacy to POC as the core of sound political solutions, reinvest in the full range of armed and unarmed protection tools, favor tailored interventions in a context of budgetary cuts, and establish a meaningful accountability system.

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Mapping of Mechanisms (Click for full graphic)

Comprehensive List of Investigations (Click for full list)

Author

Els Debuf, Former Head of IPI Humanitarian Affairs

Dr. Els Debuf is the former head of IPI’s Humanitarian Affairs. Her work focused on the delivery of healthcare in situations of armed conflict, forced displacement…

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Email: debuf@ipinst.org

Staff

Alice Debarre, Policy Analyst

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Email: debarre@ipinst.org

IPI’s research project on mechanisms to investigate attacks on healthcare aims to assist the Security Council, relevant UN organs, member states, and other stakeholders in operationalizing Resolution 2286 and the UN secretary general’s recommendations for its implementation. The project focuses on recommendations regarding the use of international mechanisms to ensure that the “full, prompt, impartial and effective investigations” required by Resolution 2286 are carried out when parties to the conflict are unable or unwilling to do so themselves.

Through a combination of desk research, key informant interviews, and an expert meeting bringing together stakeholders in the implementation of Resolution 2286 and experts on international fact-finding and investigation into violations of international humanitarian law, the project developed a set of tools, available on this page. These include:

• A general mapping of mechanisms that can or have been used to investigate attacks on healthcare (facilities, personnel, patients, and means of transportation);
• An interactive graphic of the mechanisms evaluated in more detail for the project, with detailed fact sheets on each of these them;
• A comprehensive list of investigations carried out by these mechanisms, highlighting those that looked into attacks on healthcare; and
• A research paper to supplement this broader set of tools, which should be read in conjunction with them.

Apart from introducing the topic and the research project and commenting on the project’s tools, the paper presents the project’s general findings on whether and how different mechanisms can be used to investigate attacks on healthcare. It also discusses their respective advantages and disadvantages and some of the inherent challenges in investigating violations of international law in situations of armed conflict. Finally, it submits a number of conclusions and a set of concrete recommendations to ensure existing mechanisms that could have a positive impact on the ground are used more systematically and effectively.

Detailed Factsheets for Selected International Mechanisms (Click on each mechanism below for their detailed factsheet)

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Peace and regional stability are at stake in the pensions crisis, Nejib Friji, Director IPI-MENA, warned an expert audience at the second annual TAKAUD Pensions Conference in Manama. The pressure on pension payouts is increasing with the regional and global elderly population expanding due to longer life expectancy, extended contribution in the labor market, and reduction in family sizes, Mr. Friji stressed. “This exacerbates generational tensions over limited public resources, which subsequently jeopardizes social peace in the long-run,” he said.

Mr. Friji said that if these issues are left ignored, by 2050, the projected 70 million elderly people in the MENA region alone will have no income, let alone the billions of people globally without pensions.

TAKAUD—a specialist provider of savings, investment and pension solutions for the MENA region—convened the conference on November 28th. Mr. Friji moderated a panel session, “Can Expat Pensions be introduced in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)?” Participants included Mohamed Suoodi, Chairman, Social Insurance Fund for the Government Sector, Egypt; Montserrat Pallares-Miralles, Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank Group; Martin McGuigan Partner, AON Hewitt Middle East and Mr. Philip Wheeler, Senior Manager, MENA Pensions Advisory, Ernst & Young.

“The need to retire in comfort and security is universal,” emphasized Supreme Council of Health president and chairman of the Al Hekma Society for the Retired, Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. He also urged the retirement age to be increased to 65-67.

“Global experience shows that pensions require multiple pillars—among the government, corporate and individual sectors—to be more sustainable. Building effective local models and institutional frameworks for pensions would be key prerequisites to move in this direction, which is the focus of this conference,” said Ebrahim K. Ebrahim, TAKAUD’s Chief Government Business & Communications Officer. “It is certainly time for the region to create a wider framework for more sustainable retirement options for people,” he added.

Mr. Friji said he was alarmed by a World Bank and International Labor Organization (ILO) finding that only 15% of the global population are covered by pensions. To put this in context, he added, “most people nowadays and in the future study for 30 years, work for 30 years and then retire around the age of sixty or more, for another 30 years or so. The World Bank estimates that there are currently over 600 million retirees in the world. Future estimations predict that this number will increase to 2.1 billion by 2050.”

“The MENA region has millions of expatriates with potential that has yet to be tapped vis-à-vis pension schemes,” he stressed. Recognizing expatriates’ contribution to the economic development of their host country can, according to Mr. Friji, change some perceptions and attitudes towards these guest-workers by national governments and societies and vice versa.

In addition to this, he said that in some developing and industrialized countries, pensions are the only source of income for a household, which may be home to three generations. Therefore, their very survival is predicated and dependent on these pension schemes. The threat this presents to social peace has regional and global implications, Mr. Friji said.

Of the 17 million foreign employees in the GCC, a staggering $80 billion was transferred from those foreign workers in the GCC to their home countries in 2014 alone. “Wouldn’t the billions in funding transferred externally constitute a hemorrhage to the economic development of a country?” Mr. Friji wondered while recognizing that the employee has the right to manage his or her funds. “With pensions, nations have been able to mobilize pension savings into large pools of assets, through creating jobs and employment,” he noted.

Evidently, solving this acute pension crisis is a prerequisite to maintaining a collective peace, Mr. Friji said. At the same time, the UN found the total number of migrants constituted 3.3% of the global population in 2015. These 244 million migrants were a 41% increase since the year 2000.

Mr. Friji said that fostering a positive outlook towards foreign workers could have the ripple effect of cultivating a more attractive local labor market and improving preconceived perceptions between guest-worker and host-countries.

Mr. Friji said it is the duty of both the state and private sector to equip the salary-makers to first meet the expatriates’ rights, but also to work on sustainable development and peace to avoid and prevent social unrest.

The “pension-less” population will constitute a challenge if not a threat to social peace, Mr. Friji warned.

Mr. Friji called on the multilateral system, the UN and Bretton Woods institutions to work on a preventive plan like the Marshall plan which could, in effect, serve as a mitigation plan that solves the current pension funds crises and could be aimed at preventing this crisis from becoming a serious threat to social peace and stability.

The second annual Pensions Conference was organized by TAKAUD.

Mr. Friji moderated the panel session.

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To prevent civil strife and reinforce social unity, Muslim countries need to engage in a culture of mediation at the domestic level, Nejib Friji, Director, IPI Middle East & North Africa, told an audience at the first Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States Conference on Mediation in Istanbul, November 23rd.

The conference, organized by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brought together an audience of representatives of government, civil society, media, academia, and diplomacy to discuss the “Surge in Mediation: The Role of the OIC.” The Istanbul Conference established the need for strengthening and enhancing the capacity for mediation by including new actors at the community level, and women and youth in the mediation processes. Considering the peaceful resolution of conflicts and mediation as highly important, Turkey maintains that greater engagement in mediation by regional organizations would have a positive effect on overall peace and stability.

Mr. Friji noted that the number of fatalities in the MENA region increased six-fold between 2011 and 2015 as a result of conflict. He emphasized the effects of the OIC’s mission priorities in mediation and conflict resolution. For Iraq, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Nigeria, Somalia, and the Central African Republic (CAR), the OIC plays a significant role “in facilitating the diplomacy of prevention,” he said.

He drew attention to the OIC’s Group of Friends in Mediation, founded in 2010, as a crucial example of promoting the culture of mediation and engaging more regional organizations and women in mediation. Mr. Friji also emphasized the diversity of the OIC member-states as a “reflection of pluralism within Islam,” which enables them to “offer a model for non-violent, sectarian cooperation and collaboration in cases of violence pertaining to Islam or Muslims–whether it be states, non-state actors, or minority communities.”

He highlighted the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, which steered the country away from the brink of civil war, as a prime example of the way in which “an effective mediation process at the domestic level responds to the specificity of the conflict.”

In line with the Final Report of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, and IPI’s Lost in Transition publication by Francesco Mancini and José Vericat, he affirmed that “instigating mediation on the national level increases inclusivity and has direct impact on the ground.” He underlined the need to create a quality education system to help establish a culture of constructive behavior, mediation and social partnership— with a curriculum that could be incorporated at the primary and secondary school levels, as well as by universities. He reiterated the need to develop a good governance strategy based on participatory, inclusive, and rights-based sustainable development strategies to establish effective preventive mediation.

Noting the importance of increasing the involvement of women in mediation efforts, he pointed out the Nordic Women Mediators Network (NWMN), the African Union-led FemWise-Africa, the recent formation of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, and the Tunisian Quartet as prime examples of initiatives led by women which brought about lasting peace agreements.

Mr. Friji stressed the need to prioritize homegrown mediation roadmaps and establish a structure that facilitates dialogue between regional and sub-regional organizations, educators, mediation practitioners and researchers to form the foundations of a culture of national mediation.

Turkey, as the current Chair of the Summit and the Executive Committee of the OIC, organized the First OIC Member States Conference on Mediation in Istanbul on November 21, 2017.

Organized in collaboration with the OIC General Secretariat, the conference was opened by Ahmet Yıldız, Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Abdallah Alim, Assistant Secretary General of the OIC for Political Affairs.

Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA (Second from right) calling on OIC Members to promote preventive mediation

Panelists from left: Turkish Amb. Burak Akçapar, Esra Albayrak, Sociologist & TÜRGEV ​​Board Member, Nigerian Amb. Mohammed Lawal Rafindadi, Nejib Friji, Director of IPI-MENA, Berat Albayrak, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

The audience at the First OIC Member States Conference on Mediation

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.

*If you are not logged into Facebook, times are shown in PST.

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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