European Peace Institute / News

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Forty foreign ministers and high-level officials, as well as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, gathered at IPI on September 21, 2016 to review the progress made in implementing of the recommendations outlined in the report of the High-Level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (HIPPO). They also discussed key future actions by the next UN secretary-general.

The working dinner, entitled “Taking Stock, Looking to the Future: A High-Level Dialogue on United Nations Peace Operations,” was hosted jointly by IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen and the foreign ministers of Finland, Indonesia, Rwanda, and Uruguay. For the fourth-year anniversary of this event, IPI’s Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations prepared an infographic highlighting the status of implementation of the HIPPO, as well as recommendations for the next secretary-general and member states, moving forward.

Other attendees included the Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Mongolia, Niger, Liberia, Netherlands, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, as well as high-level representatives from capitals of Angola, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. The conversation was conducted under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution.

Member state representatives highlighted progress made in the implementation of the HIPPO, notably on the side of peacekeeping capabilities and troop pledges. They, however, recognized the need to improve the performance and preparedness of troops. While acknowledging the creation of a planning and analysis cell in the executive office of the secretary-general, participants called for better integrated and strategic analysis and planning, starting from the top of the organization. They also emphasized the need for political strategies to guide and accompany a full spectrum of truly integrated peace operations, whether carried out by the UN or in partnership with regional organizations, that can make a difference on the ground and better respond to new challenges of the 21st century, including that of asymmetric violence and terrorism.

Participants stressed shifting away from reaction and developing better, and more, prevention and mediation efforts and mechanisms. Also key, they said, was assessing root causes of conflict, as well as taking into consideration social, development and human rights aspects. They underlined that the new commitment to sustaining peace could further help in breaking the silos between the three pillars of the UN, bring more coherence to activities in the field and ensure people-centric operations. Participants, however, lamented that there had been little progress overall on women’s representation, especially in leadership positions.

The dinner concluded by acknowledging the importance of the shared responsibility of member states and the secretariat to support the implementation of the recommendations of the HIPPO, and on the need for all to keep the momentum and encourage the next secretary-general to focus on concrete actions and show leadership in addressing those outstanding challenges.

A co-chair’s summary will follow.

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On Sunday, September 18, IPI held its Eleventh Ministerial Dinner on the Middle East in its Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, and Development. The working dinner drew the participation of foreign ministers, United Nations officials, special representatives of the Secretary- General to countries in the region, heads of humanitarian agencies and other high level representatives from the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and beyond.

The working dinner was chaired by Terje Rød-Larsen, President of IPI, and co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Luxembourg, represented respectively by Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Christian Braun, Luxembourg’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

In the roundtable conversation, conducted under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution, participants exchanged views on the changing political landscape in the Arab world, including Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and the flow of refugees and migrants to Europe.

Attendees included the foreign ministers of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lichtenstein, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, and Turkey.

Also present were Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States; Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies; Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council; Jeffrey Feltman, UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs; Jean-Marie Guéhenno, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group; Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe; Iyad bin Amin Madani, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross; Federica Mogherini, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee; Kevin Rudd, chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism; Ghassan Salamé, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Monday, September 19, 1:15pm EST
Transforming Humanitarian Action
Speakers will focus on the implementation of the “Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action,” as well as discuss the need to work for and with young people during all stages of humanitarian crises, in order to sufficiently respond to their needs.  Read more>>

Wednesday, September 21, 1:15pm EST
Pulling Together: The Multilateral System and Its Future
The Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) final report builds on the multilateral achievements of 2015—including the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement—and takes into account the three UN peace and security reviews conducted in 2015 and the subsequent outcomes. Read more>>

Thursday, September 22, 8:15am EST
The UN70 Initiative: Launching a New Agenda for the Next Secretary-General
At this year’s Trygve Lie Symposium, government officials, including Foreign Ministers from the UN70 partner countries, will be discussing the priorities of the next UN Secretary-General, and how member states can best support her or him. Read more>>

Friday, September 23, 8:15am EST
The Road to Peace: Why the SDGs are Good for Business
This event examines how the private sector, the UN, and governments can work together to create viable economic opportunities that contribute to inclusive growth and build peaceful and inclusive societies. Read more>>

On Friday, September 23rd at 8:15am EST, IPI together with the SDG Fund are organizing a breakfast forum on business and peace in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event will offer different perspectives on how the private sector is actively engaging in the implementation of the SDGs, connecting the dots between the work of the UN and global leaders in the private sector. It will also offer insights on how the UN can engage the private sector more systematically to implement the 2030 Agenda.

IPI Live Event Feed

Businesses play an important role in advancing the SDGs and in promoting peace and preventing conflict. They can create new job opportunities and adopt hiring practices that ensure no discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender or religion. They can also support training and apprenticeship schemes to demobilize active combatants of armed forces, and support consumer awareness by including “conflict-free labels” in their products. These are just some examples of the links between business, the SDGs and the promotion of peace. This event will highlight the connection between all the goals and targets, particularly goal 16 (peaceful societies), goal 8 (economic growth and employment) and goal 17 (global partnership).

The breakfast meeting will focus on the following questions: Why are the SDGs good for business? How can the UN engage more systematically with global leaders in the private sector to advance the 2030 Agenda? How can the private sector, the UN, and governments work together to create viable economic opportunities that contribute to inclusive growth and build peaceful and inclusive societies?

Moderator:
Ambassador Terje Rod-Larsen, President of IPI

Panelists:
H.E. Ms. María Ángela Holguín, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (tbc)
H.E. Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment for the United Arab Emirates
Dr. David Nabarro, Special Adviser for the 2030 Agenda and Climate Change
Mr. Tonye Cole, CEO and Founder Sahara Group
Ms. Paloma Durán, Director Sustainable Development Goals Fund

Entitled “Pulling Together: The Multilateral System and Its Future,” this is the final report of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM), an ambitious two-year project conducted by IPI. The report identifies how the UN-based multilateral system can be made more “fit for purpose” for twenty-first century challenges. It comes as a new secretary-general prepares to take office and the wider public contemplates how to sustain our fragile global order in the face of the great and turbulent changes confronting it.

The ICM was launched in September 2014, with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as its chair and longtime Indian diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri as its secretary-general. In a highly consultative process, the ICM has involved more than 340 diplomats, UN officials, and civil society actors in retreats and meetings, and tens of thousands of people in person and online via public consultations.

The ICM’s final report suggests ten general principles to guide a revitalized multilateral system. It also makes concrete recommendations about how to address the specific challenges of our time across fifteen issue areas. This report will be followed by the release of fifteen issue-specific policy papers focused on each of these areas.

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David Bakradze, Georgia’s State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, described his country as “an island of stability in a turbulent region,” to an audience at IPI Vienna, September 13th.

Dennis Sammut, Director of LINKS, provided some historical context to Georgia’s rise. Georgia was the fourth Soviet republic to organize a referendum on independence in the early 1990’s, following Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Since then, “Georgia has risen from the ashes,” he said.

Mr. Bakradze described his country’s relations with neighbors like Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the policy of pragmatic cooperation with Russia. He noted Georgia’s good relations with the European Union, as well as efforts to open up to new markets like China.

He said that Georgia has moved from a process of democratic transformation to one of democratic consolidation. He highlighted reforms like universal health care and improvements in education that have been introduced, as well as freedom of the media and the independence of the judiciary.

There was considerable discussion about Georgia’s aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO,) as well as its interest in stability in the Black Sea.

The Minister also spoke about the government’s efforts to promote confidence-building measures in relations with the break-away regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Parliamentary elections will be held in Georgia on October 8th. It was noted in the discussion that the elections are expected to be the least polarized in recent Georgian history.

Several participants underlined the potential example that Georgia’s democratization, economic development, and constructive engagement could provide to other countries in the region.

The event was co-organized with LINKS.

On Monday, September 19th at 1:15pm EST, IPI together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are cohosting a policy forum to launch and discuss the “Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action.”

IPI Live Event Feed

More than thirty humanitarian partners, including governments, NGOs, UN offices, youth led initiatives, and the private sector, signed the historic “Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action” during the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. The compact represents an unprecedented commitment of key actors to ensuring that the priorities, needs, and rights of young women, young men, girls, and boys affected by disaster, conflict, forced displacement, and other humanitarian crises, are addressed; and that they are informed, consulted, and meaningfully engaged throughout all stages of humanitarian action.

The event will provide a platform to welcome new partners to the Compact. Speakers will focus on the implementation of the Compact, as well as discuss the need to work for and with young people during all stages of humanitarian crises, in order to sufficiently respond to their needs. The following key questions will be addressed:

• How can the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action be effectively implemented into the complex humanitarian arena (humanitarian assistance systems and structures)?
• How can we ensure that, in delivering the Compact, institutional barriers are adequately addressed?
• Who are the critical partners in leveraging and widening ownership of the Compact?

Opening remarks:
Terje Rod-Larsen, President of the International Peace Institute (IPI)
Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Speakers:
Elhadj As Sy, Secretary-General, the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC)
Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Fatoumata Ndiaye, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
Foni Joyce, Refugee from Sudan
Marián Sedlak, Liaison Officer for Human Rights and Peace, International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations

Moderator:
Els Debuf, Senior Adviser on Humanitarian Affairs at the International Peace Institute (IPI)

On Monday, September 19th at 8:15am EST, IPI together with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are cohosting the ninth annual Trygve Lie Symposium on “The UN70 Initiative: Launching a New Agenda for the Next Secretary-General.”

IPI Live Event Feed

In order for the United Nations to advance the causes of peace, human rights, and development, improvements need to be made. Member states and the next Secretary-General must show leadership in adapting the UN to current global challenges and to increase the UN’s efficiency.

Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico, and Norway have joined forces in the initiative “UN70: A New Agenda,” to address these challenges and have agreed on five key recommendations for the next UN Secretary-General.

At this year’s Trygve Lie Symposium, government officials, including Foreign Ministers from the UN70 partner countries, will be discussing the priorities of the next UN Secretary-General, and how member states can best support her or him.

Panelists
H.E. Mr. Børge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
H.E. Ms. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ghana
H.E. Mr. Nasser Judeh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jordan
H.E. Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ethiopia
H.E. Ms. Retno Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia (tbc)
H.E. Ms. Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico (tbc)
H.E. Ms. María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Colombia (tbc)

Special guests:
Mr William Pace, Executive Director of the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy
Ms Sarah Cliffe, Director of New York University’s Center on International Cooperation

On Wednesday, September 21st at 1:15pm EST, the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM)is hosting the official launch of its Final Report, entitled “Pulling Together: The Multilateral System and Its Future.”

IPI Live Event Feed

The world is undergoing major transformations at unprecedented speed, putting great stress on our institutions of global governance. Multilateral institutions are struggling to adapt to the breadth and pace of change, with the United Nations in particular being tested as never before. As each day brings new social, political, and economic challenges, many are asking: Is the multilateral system still fit for purpose? In September 2014, and in consultation with the UN Secretary-General, the International Peace Institute (IPI) launched the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) to address this question.

With the Honorable Kevin Rudd as its Chair, the ICM decided to address the task at hand through sixteen thematic areas. This resulted in extensive consultation and engagement with Permanent Representatives of UN member states, issue experts and academics, senior representatives of the UN, and other stakeholders. For each thematic area, an issue paper was drafted and discussed at a high-level retreat. Following each retreat, a discussion paper—reflecting the input received from retreat participants—was prepared and discussed at a public consultation (and webcast), encouraging further input from embassies, civil society, the private sector, and other UN stakeholders.

The ICM report, entitled “Pulling Together: The Multilateral System and its Future,” outlines the key conclusions and recommendations from the comprehensive, two-year ICM process. The report builds on the multilateral achievements of 2015—including the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement—and takes into account the three UN peace and security reviews conducted in 2015 and the subsequent outcomes.

Introduction by the Chair of the ICM:
The Hon. Kevin Rudd, 26th Prime Minister of Australia; President of the Asia Society Policy Institute; and Chair of the ICM

Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Børge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway and Co-Chair of the ICM
H.E. Ms. Hanna Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana and Co-Chair of the ICM (TBC)
H.E. Mr. José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Laureate; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Defense Minister, and Prime Minister and President of Timor Leste; former Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Guinea-Bissau; Chair of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations; and Co-Chair of the ICM
Dr. Alaa Murabit, Sustainable Development Goals Advocate for the United Nations; UN High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment & Economic Growth; MIT Director’s Fellow; Trustee for International Alert; and Trustee for Keeping Children Safe; and Founder of “The Voice of Libyan Women”

Moderator: 
Ambassador Terje Rød-Larsen, President of the International Peace Institute

The United Nations is now seventy years old, but the world of seventy years ago was a vastly different place than the world of today. This raises the question: Does the UN remain “fit for purpose” to meet the current needs of the international community? And if not, what can be done in practical terms to bring its mission, structure, and resourcing up to date to meet the formidable challenges ahead? It was to address these questions that the International Peace Institute (IPI) launched the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM) in 2014, with Kevin Rudd as its chair.

This is the Chair’s Report, in which Kevin Rudd provides his personal views on the world situation and suggestions for how the UN can be adapted to cope with the rapid pace of change. The report reflects the valuable insights Mr. Rudd has gained through his consultations and travels as chair of the ICM, as well as his vast international and domestic political experience. It will be followed by the launch of the full ICM report on September 21st.

The core argument of Mr. Rudd’s report is that the UN matters, and if it fails, falters, or fades away it would fundamentally erode the stability of an already fragile global order. But at the same time, he argues, we tend to take the UN for granted, overlooking the reality that its continued existence is not inevitable. The UN, while not yet broken, is in trouble. The report concludes, however, that the UN is capable of reinventing itself. This requires not one-off reforms but a continual process of reinvention to ensure the institution is responding to the policy challenges of our time.

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On Tuesday, August 30th, IPI is hosting a Global Leader Series presentation featuring the Honorable Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Australia, President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM). Mr. Rudd will be launching the Chair’s Report titled, “UN 2030: Rebuilding Order in a Fragmenting World.”

IPI Live Event Feed 

The core argument of Mr. Rudd’s report is that the UN matters, and if it fails, falters, or fades away it would fundamentally erode the stability of an already fragile global order. But at the same time, he argues, we tend to take the UN for granted, overlooking the reality that its continued existence is not inevitable. The UN, while not yet broken, is in trouble. The report concludes, however, that the UN is capable of reinventing itself. This requires not one-off reforms but a continual process of reinvention to ensure the institution is responding to the policy challenges of our time.

Mr. Rudd’s report also details his suggestions regarding a range of principles for UN reform, and outlines a series of recommendations for the future in peace and security, sustainable development, humanitarian engagement, and UN management.

The launch of the Chair’s Report will take place three weeks prior to the launch of the full and formal ICM report, which outlines the key conclusions and recommendations from the comprehensive, two-year consultation processes of the ICM.

The event will be moderated by Ambassador Terje Rød-Larsen, President of the International Peace Institute.

The 2015 report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) has been seen as an opportunity to make UN peace operations more fit for purpose in the face of new realities on the ground. However, the number and scope of the recommendations contained in the report, and the fact that the UN Secretariat and member states share responsibility for their implementation, makes the status of implementation particularly difficult to track.

This French-language meeting note aims to assess the implementation of the HIPPO report’s recommendations and to map the path forward, both for the remainder of 2016 and for the next secretary-general. The meeting note stems from a seminar IPI organized in Paris, France, on June 17, 2016, with the support of the French Ministry of Defense’s Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS).

The seminar discussions stressed that some recommendations, often the most straightforward and consensual, have already been implemented by the UN Secretariat (e.g., the creation of a planning and analysis cell in the Office of the Secretary-General and of a troop generation cell). Others are still being discussed or are in the process of being implemented. However, many of the more ambitious recommendations will require the sustained political and financial involvement of member states. Participants also discussed how peace operations are adapting to new environments, including by recognizing the need for better intelligence collection and analysis and by improving partnerships.

Participants also mentioned that, with the current secretary-general close to finishing his term, member states should formally request a report on the status of implementation of the HIPPO recommendations. However, they also stressed that member states should take ownership and carry forward some key HIPPO recommendations beyond the transition phase. In order to maintain this momentum, it is also important for the UN Secretariat and member states to remain mobilized and to move beyond rhetoric to action. The upcoming AU summit in Kigali in July, follow-on to the 2015 Leaders’ Summit in London in September, and summit on peace operations in francophone contexts in Paris in October can provide opportunities to do so.

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The International Peace Institute Middle East and North Africa (IPI MENA) hosted a presentation on the “Peace Readers Forum” with Sultan Buti Bin Mejren Al Marri, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace (MRAWP).

“Reading Forums” are MRAWP UAE Cabinet’s initiative following Abu Dhabi’s declaration of 2016 as the UAE Year of Reading. This is in line with the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who launched two initiatives focusing on the importance of reading in support of Arabic language—“Pulpits of Peace Readers” and “Peace Libraries”—in order to promote the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace.

Its first initiative, “Pulpits of Peace Readers,” relies on mobile electronic platforms. Visitors will be able to read book summaries and select books. Based on thier choices, the platform will allow them to sit on respective seats where the selected books will be ready to read. They will also be able to get print editions of important noted works, based on their selections. Three designated locations have been designed with accessibility in mind for interested parties with physical disabilities. These platforms will be moved to several malls in all the Emirates of UAE and the Gulf Countries.

The second initiative, “Peace Libraries,” are small libraries placed in residential complexes, based on the idea of “take a book, leave a book,” for the exchange of culture through reading. Dubai is teeming with more than 200 nationalities, so this will serve as a unique means of exchange of that cultural diversity. Both initiatives were launched in line with the declaration by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE of 2016 as the year of reading.

Mr. Al Marri emphasized his relationship with IPI MENA is a follow up on the initiative by the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in 2016 to promote peace through the activity of reading. MRAWP and IPI, MENA are joining efforts to promote the culture of peace through the “The Reading Forum” that are held in public places where people are given electronic access to their favorite readings.

In addition to advocating Reading for Peace, IPI MENA is building on the UAE initiative aiming at an integrated national literacy strategy and a framework to produce a “reading generation.”

The presentation commenced after members of the audience consisting of members of Government officials, diplomats, academia, faith leaders, the corporate community and Members of the IPI MENA Advisory Council observed a moment of silence at the initiative of IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji in memory of victims of terrorism and in particular the horrific assassination of Father Jacques Hamel by terrorists in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in France. Hamel and his church had donated a piece of land to the Muslim community to build a mosque in 2000, Friji noted.

Mr. Al Marri called on Arabs and Muslims to put further effort to strengthen peace around the world and emphasized the importance of reaching the younger generation by adhering to their right to education. MRAWP Peace Library containing over 50 million books aims at providing access to the public by the means of electronic devices.

Reverend Hani Aziz of the National Evangelical Church decried on behalf of the IPI MENA Interfaith Dialogue the “alarming misuse of social media by extremist groups thereby drawing more youth into their infernal fold.” He stressed the necessity for a reading that teaches mutual respect and tolerates diversity.

The younger generation had their voices heard when Adam Jade Kadia, possibly the youngest writer devoted to peace, addressed the audience from France via Skype.

Mr. Jade Kadia called on all children, their parents, and tutors all over the world to read good books that will help them understand other civilizations, other cultures and have access to knowledge in order to build a world based on peace, mutual understanding, dialogue and friendship.

The young writer called on Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace and others to recognize many children like him around the world, who have the writing skills and talents in order to encourage them to write in adequate conditions and with the noble objective of serving world peace.

Mr. Jade Kadia expressed hope that “Forums For Peace” arriving in Manama would allow people to read, write and work together to make this world a better place. He called on children of the world to read good books that promote mutual understanding and tolerance to fight ignorance around the world. He also urged the adults to encourage talented young writers by providing them with an environment that fosters their skill. Adam was awarded a tablet computer by MRAWP as a token of appreciation for this contribution towards peace, and for his easy writing in the future. His mother Meriem Kadia accepted the award on his behalf.

IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji called for a greater level of co-operation between the Arab countries on peace based educational programs.

The participants also stressed the need to improve educational curricula and the quality of education to create a peace-minded generation. They reiterated their commitment to the promotion of the culture of peace.

Noting that the advocacy for reading for peace does not end with this conference, Al Merri announced that at the joint MRAWP and IPI, MENA initiative and the cooperation of UAE Majid Al Futtaim Group, a Peace Readers Forum Festival is going to be launched in Bahrain’s largest City Centre Mall from 28 July to 1 August to promote reading for peace to the public, in the first of its kind event outside the UAE.

The event was co-hosted with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace.

Related Coverage:
“Peace Readers Forum Fest to be launched today,” DT News (July 28, 2016)
“Curriculum revamp proposed to Foster Peace in Education,” Gulf Daily News (July 28, 2016)
“IPI MENA, MRAWP co-host ‘Peace Readers Forum,'” Bahrain News Agency (July 27, 2016)

In Arabic:
Al Wasat (July 28, 2016)
Al Bilad (July 28, 2016)
Al Watan (July 28, 2016)
Akhbar Al Khaleej (July 28, 2016)
Al Ayam (July 28. 2016)
Bahrain News Agency (July 28, 2016)

Television coverage (in Arabic):
Bahrain News Agency (July 27, 2016)
Bahrain News Agency (July 27, 2016)

This expert seminar on environmental governance and peacebuilding was held in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 20, at the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA)’s Headquarters. Researchers from multiple institutions including the Environmental Law Institute, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Stockholm University, University of Maryland, and Uppsala University, presented their most recent findings in the field of environmental governance, climate change and peacebuilding. Participants also included representatives from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, FBA and IPI. The day started with a message from Isabella Lövin, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation.

The purpose of the seminar was to unpack and revisit the links between environmental factors and issues pertaining to peace and conflict and to discuss how environmental governance and climate change policies can contribute to peacebuilding. For organizations working in the field of peacebuilding and conflict prevention, there is a growing need to understand these linkages, and integrate environmental factors in their programming.

While each environmentally-related component discussed at this seminar – such as climate change, environmental degradation, and natural resource management – all deserve a more in-depth analysis in terms of its relationship to, and implications for, peacebuilding – the seminar considered the challenges that environmental factors and climate change can pose to peace and explored how risk reduction and resilience can be included in the peacebuilding agenda. The seminar also emphasized the role that environmental governance can play in building durable and sustainable peace.

The seminar was the fourth in a series of four global gatherings of the International Expert Forum (IEF)—a joint project of the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), the International Peace Institute (IPI), theSecDev Foundation, and the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF). The meetings gather leading academics, experts, and policymakers seeking to address the next generation of peace and security challenges.

Between 2011 and 2013, the IEF has focused on conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy, innovative ways to mitigate the consequences of violent conflict, peacekeeping operations, and peacebuilding. Starting in 2014, the IEF turned its focus to twenty-first century peacebuilding. The seminars in the series included “Assessing Links Between Peacebuilding and Organized Crime,” “Peacebuilding in Cities,” and “Governance, Peacebuilding, and State-Society Relations.”

Download the meeting note

With UN peace operations involved in increasingly volatile and dangerous situations, there appears to be growing acceptance among member states that UN missions need greater capacity to generate intelligence, both to protect themselves and to fulfill their mandates more effectively.

This policy paper strives to unpack the concept of intelligence in UN peace operations by explaining its needs and requirements, existing structures, and limitations and to clearly define the concept of intelligence within the limits of the UN’s fundamental principles and its multilateral and transparent nature. It aims to clarify and demystify the debate on intelligence in UN peace operations and to propose a specific UN approach. In order to reform and strengthen its analytical capacities and capabilities in peace operations, this paper proposes that the UN:

• Develops a definition of intelligence different from the traditional military definition, which focuses on serving the national interest and operating against a clearly defined adversary—the primary aim of intelligence for a UN peace operation should be to contribute to a political solution in the long run;
• Implements an organizational framework that clearly defines the ethical and legal limitations of intelligence in UN peace operations—the UN cannot engage in covert or clandestine operations;
• Creates guidelines to frame a more structured process of information collection, analysis, and sharing, as well as effective and collective decision making;
• Establishes a comprehensive information-management system rather than new intelligence infrastructure, which most member states are likely to oppose for reasons of funding and politics;
• Applies a people-centered approach to intelligence by emphasizing human intelligence as a key capability that is at present underdeveloped;
• Creates a secure system for information sharing at all levels with clear and distinguishable levels of classification of different levels of access;
• Initiates and implements a culture of intelligence in the organization, to ensure that information and analysis is shared across silos with the objective of supporting decision makers; and
• Trains senior mission leadership on what intelligence assets are at its disposal and how to set intelligence priorities, request information, and provide feedback.

Download

On Wednesday, July 27th at 1:15pm EST, IPI is hosting a Global Leaders Series presentation featuring H.E. Ms. Christiana Figueres, candidate for the position of UN secretary-general.

IPI Live Event Feed

If you can’t see the above video, view it directly on Facebook here (this works even if you don’t have a Facebook account).

At the event, Ms. Figueres will discuss her experience and how it informs her vision of the future of global politics and the United Nations. She will address questions including how she would shape the job of UN secretary-general and define her priorities in office.

The Costa Rican Government formally nominated Ms. Figueres as a candidate for the position of UN secretary-general in July 2016. From 2010 to 2016, Ms. Figueres served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Assuming this global leadership role shortly after the COP15 in Copenhagen, Ms. Figueres devoted herself for six years to rebuilding the global climate change negotiation process based on trust-building, fairness, transparency, and collaboration, leading to the 2015 Paris Agreement, widely recognized as a historical achievement.

Ms. Figueres initiated her life of public service as Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Costa Rica in Bonn, Germany in 1982. Returning to Costa Rica in 1987, she was named Director of International Cooperation in the Ministry of Planning. She served as Director of Renewable Energy in the Americas (REIA), part of the Organization of the American States (OAS), and in 1995 founded the Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas (CSDA)—a nonprofit organization providing capacity building to countries in Latin America—where she served as Executive Director for eight years.

On Wednesday, July 20th IPI together with the Quaker UN Office, and the Permanent Missions of Finland, Mexico, and Morocco to the United Nations co-hosted a policy forum event to discuss the links between the SDGs and the upcoming summit that will address large movements of refugees and migrants.

Event Video

This is the first year of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The goal of the event was to connect the dots between the 2030 Agenda and the upcoming Summit on September 19th that will address large movements of refugees and migrants.  It will also support a positive narrative towards refugees and migrants and will call for an ambitious multilateral response to “reach the farthest behind first”. Currently we have the largest number of people on the move. What does the 2030 Agenda mean for them?

The spirit of the 2030 Agenda is of universality and inclusion. It aspires to “ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives.” As such, these new principles also apply to all migrants and refugees. Some of the questions that were discussed are: Can the 2030 Agenda provide a framework to support the needs of refugees and migrants? At the policy level, can the spirit of the 2030 Agenda permeate the global compacts to be adopted in the upcoming Summit on refugees and migrants?”

Introductory Remarks:
H.E. Mr. Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment of Finland
Mr. Peter Sutherland, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration
H.E. Mr. Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco and upcoming Co-Chair of the Global Migration Group

Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Miguel Ruiz Cabañas, Deputy Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico
Ms. Karen AbuZayd, Special Adviser on the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants
Ms. Christine Matthews, Deputy Director, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – New York Office

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice-President, International Peace Institute

On Tuesday, July 26th at 8:30am EST, IPI is hosting a Global Leaders Series presentation featuring H.E. Ms. Susana Malcorra, candidate for the position of UN secretary-general.

IPI Live Event Feed

If you can’t see the above video, view it directly on Facebook here (this works even if you don’t have a Facebook account).

At the event, Ms. Malcorra will discuss her experience and how it informs her vision of the future of global politics and the United Nations. She will address questions including how she would shape the job of UN secretary-general and define her priorities in office.

On May 23, 2016, Ms. Malcorra was officially nominated by Argentina for the position of UN secretary-general. She has been Minister of Foreign Relations since November 2015, named by Argentine President Mauricio Macri to his inaugural cabinet. In assuming the role, Ms. Malcorra resigned her position as Chef de Cabinet for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a position she had held since March 2012. As Chef de Cabinet, she was also a member of the UN Senior Management Group (SMG), chaired by the UN Secretary-General, which serves as a forum for planning and information sharing in response to emerging challenges and cross-cutting issues.

Prior to this, in March 2008, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Ms. Malcorra as Under-Secretary-General for Field Support—a role that provides dedicated support to UN peacekeeping field missions and political field missions. In her role as Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Malcorra served as the leading staff member at UN headquarters, overseeing more than 120,000 military, civilian, and police personnel deployed around the world.

Between 2004 and 2008, Ms. Malcorra served as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Throughout her tenure, she supervised emergency and humanitarian operations in more than 80 countries, including leading the initial phase of the operational response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004.

Prior to entering the international civil service, Ms. Malcorra worked for 25 years in the private sector, advancing to leadership positions at IBM and later at Telecom Argentina, where she served as the first female Chief Executive Officer.

On July 18th, IPI together with the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations cohosted a policy forum and report launch to unpack the concept of intelligence in UN peace operations.

Event Video

While the use of intelligence to support UN peace operations through an improved situational awareness has over many years proved to be indispensable across all operations, the concept has traditionally been controversial due to the multilateral nature of the UN. Today, with UN peace operations involved in more and more volatile and dangerous situations, there seem to be growing signs of acceptance among member states that the strengthening of the intelligence capacity in UN missions is necessary, not only to fulfill mission mandates more effectively but importantly to ensure the improved safety and security of UN staff. Furthermore, in 2015, the report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations and the follow-up report of the Secretary-General on The Future of Peace Operations made calls to strengthen the analytical capabilities of peace operations to better be able to deal with complex environments. In advance of the launch of the UN intelligence framework currently being developed by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, this policy forum will reflect on the nature of intelligence in UN peace operations, as well as its modalities and limitations.

A new report by IPI, CIC, and NUPI, titled “Demystifying Intelligence in UN Peace Operations: No Magic Bullet,” presents recommendations for the UN and its member states. Panelists reacted to this report, which strives to unpack the concept of intelligence at the UN through identifying the organizational needs and requirements for analysis and processed information, as well as assessing the current structures in place at UN headquarters and in field missions, paving the way for suggestions on how decision-makers could better be supported.

Panelists discussed how the approach of the UN has developed over the years, and how missions in the field have adapted in different ways to fill the crucial gap of information needed for early warning, the protection of civilians, and the safety and security of its staff. They also reflected on ways to consolidate the interests of member states, and to energize them to assure that UN field missions can best be equipped to fulfill the objectives set out in their mandates.

Speakers:
H.E. Mr. Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Hervé Ladsous, United Nations Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (TBC)
Dr. Alexandra Novosseloff, Senior Visiting Fellow, Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Ms. Olga Abilova, Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute (IPI)

Moderator:
Mr. Arthur Boutellis, Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute (IPI)

On Thursday, July 14, 2016, IPI hosted Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia at a lunchtime Global Leaders Series event featuring official candidates vying to become the new UN secretary-general. After making a presentation, he participated in a wide-ranging question-and-answer format with members of the audience and those following via video.

Mr. Lajčák is a career diplomat currently serving his 3rd term as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

This event is part of IPI’s Global Leaders Series featuring UN Secretary-General candidates. Click here to read more.

IPI Live Event Feed

If you can’t see the above video, view it directly on Facebook here (this works even if you don’t have a Facebook account).