As a national, nonpartisan, independent Institute, the U.S. Institute of Peace draws on our exceptional convening power to create opportunities for diverse audiences to exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas necessary for creative solutions to difficult challenges. We serve as an important, neutral platform for bringing together government and nongovernment, diplomacy, security, and development actors, and participants across political views. The Institute’s events help shape public policy and priorities to advance peaceful solutions to conflict and strengthen international security.
To better understand the intersections of nonviolent action and peacebuilding processes, USIP hosted the first in a series of four events on people power, peace, and democracy. The event series highlights multiple groundbreaking research projects and features insights from activists and international practitioners and policymakers to provide viewers with actionable takeaways.
On March 11, USIP and American University in the Emirates hosted a virtual discussion that aimed to better understand gender dynamics in conflict by convening experts in the field and sharing the lessons learned from initiatives that build the resilience of women during war and throughout post-war recovery.
In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, USIP, Oxfam International, and FEMRITE—the Ugandan Women Writers Association—hosted a discussion about how women’s literary voices can contribute to building a deeper understanding of the impact of conflict in South Sudan and inspire progress toward peace.
On March 4, USIP hosted Libya’s ambassador to the United States and Libyan civil society leaders for a look at stories of positive community cooperation during the current crisis—as well as a discussion on how Libyan and international organizations can build off these successes to navigate Libya’s complex conflict and ensure a peaceful future for the country.
On February 24, USIP co-hosted an event with the RESOLVE Network and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) that examined the role of non-state actors and local communities in preventing the spread of violent extremism.
On February 23, USIP hosted a discussion about a new report published by the National Committee on North Korea and the broader implications of market participation on North Korean society. The report’s authors joined leading experts on the Korean Peninsula and civil society to discuss how market participation has fostered the beginnings of a public sphere and how linkages between market activities and the building blocks of civil society may help promote the rights and livelihoods of the North Korean people—and shift the ideological framework through which the state must operate.
On February 3, USIP hosted the co-chairs of the Afghanistan Study Group for a discussion of the group’s findings and the report’s recommendations for how the United States can fully align our policies, practices, and messaging across diplomatic, military, and assistance efforts toward the overarching goal of achieving a durable and just peace in Afghanistan.
For the past 20 years, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) has convened national security leaders after every change in administration to affirm the peaceful transfer of power and the bipartisan character of American foreign policy through its signature Passing the Baton event.
On January 28, USIP honored the 30th anniversary of German reunification with the establishment of “Reconciliation Hall” in the Institute’s George H. W. Bush Peace Education Center. This virtual event, featuring preeminent figures in the U.S.-German partnership, looked back at the lessons German reunification provides to peacebuilders around the world, and explored why continued cooperation between the two nations will be as essential to meeting the challenges of this century as they were in meeting the challenges of the 20th.
On January 19, USIP hosted a discussion on the underlying political dynamics that drive this movement—as well as a look at the tactics the protestors have deployed to mobilize in Thailand’s restrictive environment, where the protest movement may go from here, and how the U.S. government might constructively respond.