Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace

Developing and implementing effective, evidence-based policies to prevent violent conflict around the world.

UN Peacekeepers from Senegal

After a period of decline, violent conflict has been increasing over the last decade. Today’s conflicts are proving increasingly difficult to resolve due to the proliferation of actors and forms of violence – such as criminal, local and unconventional warfare – creating complex systems of confrontation resistant to traditional conflict management techniques. The UN needs a strong understanding of these multi-dimensional conflict systems and also of how its tools for addressing violence can be adapted to these contexts to manage, resolve and – centrally – prevent this violence and conflict.

UNU-CPR aims to help the UN and its partners develop and implement effective, evidence-based policies to prevent violent conflict around the world. Our 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.

UNU-CPR designs and implements its work in collaboration with the UN Secretariat, other UN system entities, Member States, and a global network of research partners as well as UN missions in the field. It builds its projects jointly with UN agencies and other key research and policy partners, ensuring direct engagement with policy processes at multiple levels. UNU-CPR personnel have been invited to brief the Security Council on multiple occasions – for example, on children in armed conflict, transitional justice, sexual violence and sanctions, and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration.

UNU-CPR’s work has informed a variety of UN reform efforts and guidance reviews, including the revision of the Integrated Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS); Paris Principles Steering Group field handbook on prevention of child recruitment, release and reintegration; and the efforts of the Global Coalition for Reintegration. UNU-CPR personnel have also testified in national parliamentary proceedings, been invited to brief UN inter-agency groups and Resident Coordinators, and appeared in a range of media outlets.

Highlights

Report

UN Peace Operations and Human Rights: A Thematic Study

Examining how efforts to advance human rights contribute to the effectiveness and broader mission objectives of UN peace operations.

01 Mar 2024

Brief

Elevating the UN Peacebuilding Commission: Proposals for the Summit of the Future

Recommendations to improve the UN’s Peacebuilding Commission ahead of the Summit of the Future.

26 Jan 2024

Report

Conflict Prevention and Resolution in a Multipolar World: Priorities for the G7

The G7 can more effectively reduce the risks of large-scale violent conflict through investments in multilateral peacemaking and peacebuilding.

04 Nov 2022

Report

Conflict Prevention in the Sahel: Emerging Practice Across the UN

Supporting the UN’s understanding of the situation in the Sahel - and how it can better respond to current and emerging risks.

10 Jan 2019

Working Paper

Diversity Among Peacekeepers: Who Is Involved in UN Peace Support Operations and How Does It Matter?

Identifying potential correlations between the personnel characteristics of peacekeeping missions and national and cross-border stability dynamics.

18 Apr 2024

Report

The New Geopolitics of Converging Risks: The UN and Prevention in the Era of AI

The emerging impacts of AI convergence on the UN's prevention agenda.

03 Jan 2019

Recent Publications

Project

Conflict Prevention in the Era of Climate Change: Adapting the UN to Climate-Security Risks

Supporting the UN and its partners to develop climate-sensitive conflict prevention approaches.

21 Mar 2020

Commentary

Blog Post

How the UN Can Help Prevent Another Israel-Lebanon War

Three ways the UN can use a preventive diplomacy role to reduce the risks of another devastating conflict.

10 Jan 2024

Media Coverage

What is the Path to Peace in Gaza?

In a New York Times Op-ed UNU-CPR's Emma Bapt and Adam Day suggest a leading role for the UN.

13 Dec 2023

Media Coverage

Climate Financing and Peacebuilding Go Hand in Hand

Projects in conflict-affected and fragile spaces, while difficult, is certainly possible—and could be the surest investment for peacebuilding.

01 Dec 2023

Blog Post

Breaking Cycles of Violence: Prioritizing Mental Health to Foster Sustainable Peace

Psychological trauma can hinder peacebuilding. But recent advances in psychosocial support could help prevent future outbreaks of violence.

05 Jun 2023

Blog Post

Moving From Paper To Practice on UN Security Council Language on Women, Peace, and Security in Conflict-Affected Contexts

On International Women's Day 2022 we reflect on a recent event concerning Security Council language on Women, Peace, and Security.

09 Mar 2022

Blog Post

The New Agenda for Peace: A Model for the Declaration on Future Generations?

Although far from perfect, the New Agenda for Peace offers a potentially transformative model for emerging and future risks.

19 Jul 2023

Blog Post

Protecting Civilians in War—Why Men Shouldn't Be Forgotten

When protection efforts exclusively focus on women and children, modern slavery risks facing men are often overlooked in data, policy, and practice.

21 May 2024

Blog Post

Breaking Cycles of Violence: Prioritizing Mental Health to Foster Sustainable Peace

Psychological trauma can hinder peacebuilding. But recent advances in psychosocial support could help prevent future outbreaks of violence.

05 Jun 2023

Blog Post

Thematic Review on Climate-Security and Peacebuilding

A new Thematic Review identifies entry points and pathways for building peace and mitigating conflict in climate-affected and fragile environments.

15 Apr 2023

Media Coverage

South Korea Wants the World to Wake Up to the Serious Threats of Cybersecurity

In a new PassBlue UNSCripted Podcast episode, Eduardo Albrecht contextualizes South Korea's increasing focus on cybersecurity.

13 Jun 2024

Media Coverage

Three options for the UN to lead in Gaza

Demands for a ceasefire should continue, but the organisation is capable of much more.

15 Dec 2023

Media Coverage

What is the Path to Peace in Gaza?

In a New York Times Op-ed UNU-CPR's Emma Bapt and Adam Day suggest a leading role for the UN.

13 Dec 2023

Media Coverage

Climate Financing and Peacebuilding Go Hand in Hand

Projects in conflict-affected and fragile spaces, while difficult, is certainly possible—and could be the surest investment for peacebuilding.

01 Dec 2023

Media Coverage

Climate-vulnerable communities are falling prey to armed groups

There are ways to break the link between climate change and instability, but they cannot be advanced without state and international support.

27 Jun 2023

Media Coverage

Beyond the UN Security Council: Can the General Assembly Tackle the Climate–Security Challenge?

The UN General Assembly could drive climate action across the multilateral system and even pressure the Security Council to take action more directly.

26 Jun 2023

Media Coverage

UN Peacekeeping Is Hamstrung by National Rules for Its Troops

National rules on UN peacekeeping troops.

16 Mar 2023

Media Coverage

Germany's Engagement in Crisis Contexts Lacks an Overarching Vision

Enhancing Germany's crisis engagement architecture.

15 Feb 2023

Media Coverage

Germany’s Cognitive Dissonance on Security Assistance: A Barrier to Better Protecting Civilians

Germany's evolving engagement in crisis contexts and the challenges it faces due to the lack of an overarching vision in its foreign policy.

08 Feb 2023

Media Coverage

Climate Change in the Security Council

Six potential approaches for the Security Council to advance climate issues in 2023.

31 Jan 2023

PBF Thematic Reviews

Project

Thematic Review on Youth, Peace, and Security

Examining how the Peacebuilding Fund has contributed to realizing the "YPS" agenda over the past five years.

09 Feb 2024

Project

Project: 2024 PBF Thematic Review: Synergies between Human Rights and Peacebuilding in PBF-supported Programming

Evaluating the Peacebuilding Fund's role in fostering synergies between human rights and peacebuilding.

30 May 2024

Project

Project: Thematic Review on Climate-Security and Peacebuilding

Identifying entry points and pathways for building peace and mitigating conflict in climate-affected and fragile environments.

24 Jul 2023

AI and Peacebuilding

Report

Predictive Technologies in Conflict Prevention: Practical and Policy Considerations for the Multilateral System

Adoption strategies that mitigate challenges related to the uptake of predictive technologies.

03 Jan 2024

Brief

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Disinformation and Conflict

New policy brief explores recent developments in Artificial Intelligence and their impact on disinformation-fueled conflict.

08 Sep 2023

MONUSCO Conducts Joint Operation with Congolese Forces in Beni

Climate-Security and Peacebuilding

Examining global trends and approaches to sustaining peace through climate-security efforts, and taking stock of climate-security projects funded by the UN's Peacebuilding Fund to understand best practices and identify areas for programming improvement.
Download Thematic Review 

Climate, Peace, and Security

Media Coverage

Beyond the UN Security Council: Can the General Assembly Tackle the Climate–Security Challenge?

The UN General Assembly could drive climate action across the multilateral system and even pressure the Security Council to take action more directly.

26 Jun 2023

Brief

Elevating the Environment in the Multilateral System

Enabling the UN to play a more meaningful role in a global transition towards a more sustainable relationship with nature.

10 Nov 2023

Report

Conflict Prevention in the Era of Climate Change: Adapting the UN to Climate-Security Risks

Supporting the UN and its partners to develop climate-sensitive conflict prevention approaches.

10 Mar 2020

Blog Post

Thematic Review on Climate-Security and Peacebuilding

A new Thematic Review identifies entry points and pathways for building peace and mitigating conflict in climate-affected and fragile environments.

15 Apr 2023

Projects

Project

Thematic Review on Youth, Peace, and Security

Examining how the Peacebuilding Fund has contributed to realizing the "YPS" agenda over the past five years.

09 Feb 2024

Project

Project: 2024 PBF Thematic Review: Synergies between Human Rights and Peacebuilding in PBF-supported Programming

Evaluating the Peacebuilding Fund's role in fostering synergies between human rights and peacebuilding.

30 May 2024

Project

Improving Multilateral Approaches to Countering Organized Crime in Conflict-Affected States: Mali and the Central African Republic

Examining why certain conflict-affected states have developed high levels of organized crime - and exploring multilateral responses.

25 Jul 2023

Project

Project: Thematic Review on Climate-Security and Peacebuilding

Identifying entry points and pathways for building peace and mitigating conflict in climate-affected and fragile environments.

24 Jul 2023

Project

Inclusion and Gender Sensitivity for Effective Peace Mediation

This project showed that women’s inclusion and gender sensitivity in peace mediation are inseparable but not interchangeable.

09 Feb 2022

Project

Stress Testing the UN’s Regional Prevention Approaches

This project was driven by the key question: How can the UN better integrate its regional prevention work to more effectively respond to major crises?

24 Jul 2023

Event

Peacebuilding and Authoritarianism: The Unintended Consequences of International Engagement in Post-Conflict Settings - Report Launch

In this virtual launch event of Peacebuilding and Authoritarianism, experts responded to a new UNU-CPR report on peacebuilding.

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News and Events

Event

Event: Understanding Climate-Related Mobility in Contexts of Urbanization

This roundtable examined the challenges of climate-related mobility and processes of urbanization in the Global South.

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News

New Policy Brief Helps Financial Sector Address Crisis-Driven Modern Slavery Risks

Identifying the steps financial institutions can take to prepare for and address risks associated with crises and displacements.

06 May 2023

News

Strengthening the G7’s Role in Conflict Prevention and Resolution

What policy options can the G7 adopt to strengthen its global conflict prevention and resolution role.

07 Dec 2022

News

New Guidelines Provide First Global Policy Framework on Protecting Children on the Move in Face of Climate Change

Nine principles address the unique and layered vulnerabilities of children.

25 Jul 2022

Conversation Series

Peacebuilding in the Wake of Ukraine and Sudan

TOKYO: On 31 August 2023, UNU will host a conversation with Dr. Sukehiro Hasegawa, Distinguished Professor, Kyoto University of the Arts.

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Event

Stronger Partnerships, Regional Prevention, and the New Agenda for Peace: A Dialogue Towards the Summit of the Future

Critical considerations for the upcoming Summit of the Future.

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Event

Partnering on Peacebuilding, Climate, and Security in the Sahel Region: Opportunities and Lessons Learned

This high-level side event to the UN General Assembly took stock of recent learning on climate-security and peacebuilding.

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