As an agile think tank with deep-rooted experience of the wider UN system, UNU-CPR is in a position to innovate, identifying new ways to solve interrelated public policy challenges. In some cases, these may be short-term priorities. In others, they may be the beginning of long-term projects that we undertake and to help lead UN policy debates into new and emerging areas of interest to the United Nations and its Member States.
For more information on our research strategy see UNU-CPR's Strategic Priorities 2022-2026.
UNU-CPR's research is delivered through three research pillars:
Anticipatory Action and Innovation
Our focus on prevention has meant building a foresight capacity, delivering scenario-based futures analyses, identifying new trends that may affect the work of the multilateral system, and offering innovative solutions for them. In particular, it has meant work on the role of AI-driven technologies in creating new risks, researching the effects of newly generated large-scale population movements, and examining how the COVID-19 response may have affected the health and wellbeing of people around the world.
Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace
This research programme helps the UN and its partners develop and implement effective, evidence-based policies to prevent violent conflict around the world. Its goal is to combine evidence and analysis to influence policy discussions in New York and other policy centres and – equally or even more importantly – inform prevention and conflict resolution initiatives in the field.
Equitable Development
The Equitable Development pillar advances insights and research in economic development cooperation and reforms to the international financial architecture, as well as evidence-based policy solutions to promote more inclusive economic governance toward inclusive growth, achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and improved human mobility.
UNU-CPR research is implemented via strategic projects:
For a full list of current and completed projects aligned with our research pillars and tailored to the needs of our partners and target audiences within and beyond the UN system visit the UNU-CPR Projects page.