Panel Discussions - April 18, 2012

Pires: In Fragile States, War Costs More Than Development

“It is a simple equation,” Emilia Pires, Minister of Finance of Timor Leste, said. “War costs more than development. When I began as Minister of Finance, even I was staggered by how citizen-state contracts could help solidify security, help rebuild lives, and put the state on a path to stability.” 

Meeting Notes - March 29, 2012

New Publication: Strengthening Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation

In July 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey hosted an informal retreat for members of the UN Security Council in Istanbul, organized by IPI. This report, “Strengthening Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation: Istanbul Retreat of the UN Security Council,” captures the discussions that took place during this meeting. 

Speaker Events - March 14, 2012

İhsanoğlu: OIC in Forefront of Changes in Muslim World

“When you look to what happened…you will see the OIC was in the forefront,” Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), told an IPI lunchtime forum on March 14, 2012, discussing the response to the Arab uprisings that began last year.  

Comment & Analysis - January 23, 2012

A Quiet Diplomat for Challenging Times

Ban Ki-moon was appointed to a second five-year term as Secretary-General of the United Nations in his typical style: quietly. In a time of divisive power plays in the Security Council, all 15 members supported him and, a week later, the General Assembly gave its unanimous consent. No other candidate had been put forward and no fuss was raised among Member States.  

Speaker Events - January 20, 2012

Moreno-Ocampo: "I Follow Evidence, Not Politics"

“I follow evidence. I’m a criminal prosecutor, I’m not a political analyst,” Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), told an IPI policy forum on January 20, 2012.  

Policy Papers - January 06, 2012

Preventive Diplomacy: Regions in Focus

Over the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in employing preventive tools to thwart the outbreak and escalation of violent conflict. This paper looks at the state of and challenges ahead for preventive diplomacy in four different regions of the world: Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia.  

Meeting Notes - December 06, 2011

Meeting Note: The OSCE-Mediterranean Partnership and the Arab Uprisings

This meeting note summarizes discussions at an IPI workshop in Vienna, held on October 25, 2011, about how the uprisings and changes in the Arab world affect the partnership between the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and its Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation (MPCs). 

Meeting Notes - November 17, 2011

New IPI Meeting Note: Elections and Stability in West Africa

This meeting note summarizes the discussions at a conference organized by the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) in Praia, Cape Verde on May 18-20, 2011. The conference addressed the need for a sustained effort to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa as a means to consolidate peace and democracy in the region.  

Policy Papers - October 26, 2011

The UN Security Council and Conflict Prevention: A Primer

In September 2011, the office of the UN Secretary-General released its first report focused specifically on preventive diplomacy; the report was subsequently discussed at the Security Council. This paper aims to contribute to these ongoing discussions by providing a primer on the UN’s work on conflict prevention and ideas for improvement.  

Panel Discussions - October 25, 2011

The OSCE-Mediterranean Partnership and the Arab Uprisings

On October 25th, IPI’s Vienna office hosted a discussion on how the changes in the Arab world affect the OSCE-Mediterranean partnership, and whether the time is ripe to intensify a dialogue on strengthening security and cooperation in North Africa and the Middle East.