INTERNATIONAL PEACE INSTITUTE INC

In an increasingly interconnected world, international cooperation has never been more necessary, or more complicated. Countries must work together to meet common goals of peace and security, economic and environmental stability, public health and social wellbeing. This cooperation is especially critical during a global pandemic—and in view of current global trends of rising nationalism, protectionism, and xenophobia. Indeed, the coronavirus crisis has provided a stress test for institutions of all kinds, including governments around the world and the international system as a whole.

The International Peace Institute (IPI) inspires countries to work together. We see windows of opportunity, and we bring together great minds and diverse perspectives from across the globe to find solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. We work alongside policymakers and practitioners and help them develop pragmatic, multilateral approaches that account for both the geopolitical context and on-the-ground realities.

In this time of rising competition and growing division, the need for an independent institution to advance thinking on concrete ways to build and sustain peace, provide opportunities for dialogue, and generate objective, evidence-based research on issues of concern to the multilateral system is increasingly important. As we weigh the challenges of today, we are compelled to do more. Our plans call for developing effective leaders, creating inclusive systems, and strengthening international cooperation to make the world a safer, more peaceful, and more prosperous place.

World leaders have increasingly recognized that there is a need to work toward the long-term, strategic prevention of conflict to avoid the constant short-term reaction to the latest crisis. IPI’s research, strategic outreach activities, and events foster and support multilateral peace and prevention efforts:

Research: Through our independent, field-driven research, IPI provides timely, evidence-based analysis and practical policy recommendations to inform debate and guide decision making on complex and emerging issues. IPI publishes approximately 30 policy reports and issue briefs every year.

Strategic Outreach: As a trusted partner to governments and multilateral institutions globally, IPI provides strategic analysis and advice, drawn from our research and our expertise on UN and other multilateral processes. Each year, IPI partners with numerous member states to the UN, regional organizations, think tanks, universities, NGOs, and members of the private sector to conduct research, produce publications, and convene meetings and events.

Convening: Through our convening, IPI aims to stimulate debate, share cutting-edge research, and increase understanding of key contemporary challenges for peace, security, and sustainable development. IPI organizes approximately 110 events every year at its offices in New York and Manama, as well as at other international venues. The nature of events ranges from intimate, off-the-record discussions that facilitate strategic thinking and policy development, to open, attention-getting presentations on pressing issues concerning global affairs. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPI has developed a suite of innovative ways to host virtual events and meetings, reaching a wider audience than ever before.

IPI's staff of approximately 40 people represent nearly 20 nationalities and include former senior diplomats and staff with UN field experience and media expertise.

IPI's main office, directly across from the United Nations Headquarters in New York, allows IPI to engage with UN staff and member state representatives on a regular basis. The Institute maintains a unique niche in the New York-based UN community as a close, trusted, yet critical friend of the United Nations and its member states. Many of IPI's initiatives are conceived and carried out in consultation with a government or partner organization who shares a similar interest or priority.

IPI also increased its global presence and enhanced its outreach with a larger network of partners by opening a regional office in Manama, Bahrain (Middle East and North Africa office) in 2014.

With an annual budget of approximately $8 million, IPI receives support from over 20 government donors, private foundations, and individual donors, and continues to work on diversifying the Institute's sources of funding.

Recent events have created an inflection point for our world and the multilateral system. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put our system to the test and shown that we cannot take the norms and values the UN upholds for granted. The effects of the war have spread to all corners of the world, with rising food and energy prices putting stress on communities and threatening to destabilize already-fragile contexts. At the same time, other crises continue to demand our attention, including conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Ethiopia, as well as the climate crisis, which grows ever more dire. Yet recent events have also shown the importance and strength of the multilateral system, and threats to international law and order have brought together member states who have been clear in their desire to uphold the Charter.

Within this context, IPI’s role as an independent, not-for-profit think tank dedicated to managing risks and building resilience for the promotion of peace, security, and sustainable development is more important than ever. IPI works in the short term to inform debates and provide guidance to increase knowledge, skills and tools to enable policy makers in the medium term to develop and implement more practical, effective, and achievable policies that will in the long term contribute to a more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.

In 2023, IPI’s program of work consists of five thematic programs:

1. Our work on REVITALIZING MULTILATERAL COOPERATION analyzes the shifting geopolitical landscape, measures the transformation of the multilateral system, and identifies opportunities for multilateral solutions to transnational challenges.

2. IPI’s BRIAN URQUHART CENTER FOR PEACE OPERATIONS provides analysis and actionable recommendations for member states, the UN system, and external partners to help UN missions better implement their mandates and build the foundation for sustainable peace. While the work of CPO is anchored in UN-led peace operations, it also examines broader critical trends in international peace and security.

3. Through our work on PEACE, CLIMATE, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, IPI endeavors to support vulnerable countries in achieving more ambitious and urgent action on climate change.

4. IPI’s work on WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY promotes the meaningful participation of women in peace operations, conflict prevention, humanitarian action, and post-conflict recovery and promotes women’s leadership for lasting institutional change at the local, regional, and international levels.

5. Through our research and convening on HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, IPI seeks to bridge debates in Geneva and New York, with a focus on safeguarding humanitarian action at a time when principled aid and rights-based approaches are under increasing stress.