Latest Updates

Unpacking Prevention: Member State Perspectives

Prevention in action

Member states support the idea of a more preventive approach to conflict, but they have different understandings of what it means in practice. Many equate it with crisis management and political solutions to escalating conflicts, whereas others see it in light of long-term approaches to address conflict risks and strengthen natural resilience at national level. This briefing, which is the first in a series on prevention at the UN, unpacks the most common visions for prevention among member states, highlighting how each has implications for UN practice.

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Apr 16, 2019
Paige Arthur, Céline Monnier
Peace and Security

Can There be a US-Afghanistan Relation Beyond the Realm of Security?

Pundits who urge the US to stay in Afghanistan argue national security interests and point out to threats emanating from Afghanistan. Indeed, 17 years ago, it was national security that took the US military to Afghanistan. To date, the presence of more than 20 transnational terrorist groups in the region continues to justify the American military involvement in the country. However, a broader question that is rarely asked is whether counterterrorism is the only issue that brings the two nations together?

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Feb 19, 2019
Said Sabir Ibrahimi
Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

EVENT SUMMARY: Launch of UN Peacekeeping Missions in Urban Environments: The Legacy of UNMIL

David Yardley from the Permanent Mission of Australia; Malkit Shoshan from FAST; Paige Arthur from NYU Center on International Cooperation

The infrastructure, technology, and resources that a United Nations peacekeeping operation brings can open up new opportunities in key conflict-affected areas of the world. This finding is the subject of an ongoing, multidisciplinary project spearheaded by Malkit Shoshan of the Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory, with Leah Zamore at the NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC). The project has thus far focused on the evolution and drawdown of the UN Mission in Liberia. On November 30, 2018, the Missions of Australia, Liberia, and the United Kingdom co-hosted a launch event to discuss these findings in Peacekeeping MIssions in Urban Environments: The Legacy of UNMIL.

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Feb 07, 2019
Leah Zamore, Shavon Bell
Humanitarian Crises

UN Reforms—A Major Step Forward January 1, but Some Challenges Still to Overcome

Secretary-General António Guterres briefs the General Assembly on his priorities for 2019.

© United Nations Photo

UN Secretary-General António Guterres was appointed in 2016 on an explicit reform platform.  In 2017, we published commentaries on his reform proposals.  Now that those reforms that have been approved are moving into implementation, we publish this simple guide to what has been achieved and the potential potholes still ahead.

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Jan 28, 2019
Sarah Cliffe
Multilateral Reform

A Call to Action: Transforming the Global Refugee System

Launched today by the World Refugee Council (WRC), A Call to Action: Transforming the Global Refugee System is a compendium of evidence and ideas that converge in a series of recommendations, which, taken together, comprise a plan of action for the next decade and can bring about a refugee regime that is fair, properly funded and capable of managing a system in an orderly way. CIC Director Sarah Cliffe has been a councillor on the WRC since 2017.

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Jan 24, 2019
Humanitarian Crises

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Programs in Focus

  • Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

    China-U.S. Cooperation in Central and South Asia

    This publication examines the main cooperation fields between China and the US in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the post-NATO period. In doing so, this study looks at the initiation of various bilateral joint projects as a distinctive turning point in China-US relations. It argues that existence of such bilateral projects and cooperation in this region does not only produce added value for the countries in question but also have the potential to enhance the mutual relations between China and US. This study also reveals the main common priorities and practices between China and the US and concludes that they have a partial convergence in their attitude towards the infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

  • Congo Research Group

    All the President's Wealth: The Kabila Family Business

    For the past 20 months, the Congo Research Group has documented the vast and eclectic business portfolio of Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and his family. This report presents our conclusions, based almost entirely on legal documents.

    You can find the whole report and examine the underlying documents here

  • Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

    The Roadmap for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: A Call to Action to Change our World

    The roadmap was developed by the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, a group of member states, global partnerships, international organizations, and other partners.

    It is available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. For a summary, see the overview and presentation.

    The Pathfinders group is convened by the governments of Brazil, Sierra Leone, and Switzerland, with support from the Center on International Cooperation.

  • Peace and Security

    Global Peace Operations Review

    The Global Peace Operations Review is a website providing analysis and data on the spectrum of issues surrounding global peace and security, including civilian-led peacemaking and peacebuilding as well as uniformed peacekeeping by the United Nations, regional organizations and ad-hoc coalitions. The site’s objective is to contribute to the effectiveness of all peace operations.

    We seek to provide the most comprehensive overview of multilateral contributions to conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and post-conflict peacebuilding. In doing so, we seek to integrate thematic and cross-cutting issues including, but not limited to, the women, peace and security agenda and countering violent extremism.