Conferences - Thursday, March 22, 2007
The UN Secretariat: A Brief History
At a recent reception, IPI launched its latest book, The UN Secretariat: A Brief History, written by Dr. Thant Myint-U and Dr. Amy Scott.
In recent years, much debate at the United Nations has centered on the reform of the Secretariat and its management. This long-standing discussion, nearly as old as the UN itself, is certain to continue into the future. Yet the successes and failures of past reform attempts are often quickly forgotten and rarely written down.
With the publication of The UN Secretariat: A Brief History, IPA aims to fill a gap in existing literature about the UN by providing a concise history of the Secretariat and attempts to reform it. The book outlines the evolution of the Secretariat's role and its relationship to other organs of the UN, describes the history of its structure and management and delves into recurring issues, such as senior appointments and budget crises. Coinciding with the arrival of a new Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, IPA hopes that this book will encourage historically informed and engaged discussions on a UN organ critical to the organization's overall success.
The Global Observatory
Interview with John Prendergast, Co-Founder, Enough Project
Mr. Prendergast discusses the international justice system and the new ground forged by Invisible Children's Kony2012 campaign.
Key Global Events to Watch in May
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
The Global Observatory is a new website by IPI, providing timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.
Recent Events
May 10, 2012
Arbour: What the Rule of Law Means
“In my understanding of the rule of law, fundamentally, what the rule of law means is that it embraces the principle of equality before the law,” Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told an IPI audience on May 10, 2012. Ms. Arbour outlined that this means that no one is above the law and everyone has both equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 
May 03, 2012
Shachtman: Cyber Threats Akin to South Bronx, Not Pearl Harbor
“There’s not a danger of a cyber Pearl Harbor… it’s more like the South Bronx circa 1999, where there’s a danger that it becomes such a tough neighborhood that no one wants to set up shop there and people move out,” Noah Shachtman, editor of the Danger Room blog at Wired magazine and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, told an IPI audience at a panel on cyber security on May 3, 2011.
April 27, 2012
Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems
An April 27th roundtable discussion at IPI titled “Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems” examined the progress, prospects and challenges of regional and international early warning and response mechanisms to monitor, anticipate, and mitigate potential conflict situations in Africa.