UNU research focuses on the challenges faced by the United Nations and its Member States. Our current research portfolio supports all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to inspire global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges.
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Fragile Contexts Are Increasingly Battlegrounds in Geopolitical Contests
Rising global involvement in civil wars demands preventive measures like diplomacy frameworks and anti-intervention incentives.
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The Shia View of Dealing With ISIS Suspects in the Hands of Iraqi Justice
The degree of support among Iraqi Shia for current legal practices regarding ISIS suspects and their openness to alternative leniency approaches.
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What Works in UN Resident Coordinator-Led Conflict Prevention: Lessons From the Field
Lessons from Resident Coordinator-supported preventive action in nine countries, where such support has generally been effective.
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The Limits of Punishment: Transitional Justice and Violent Extremism
If, when and how transitional justice can contribute to transitions away from conflict in settings affected by major jihadist groups.
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Capturing UN Preventive Diplomacy Success: How and Why Does It Work?
The impact the UN can have in conflict settings and the many challenges in linking short-term interventions with longer-term sustainable peace.
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Assessment Framework for UN Preventive Diplomacy: An Approach for UN Mediators and International Policymakers
A clear layout of the methodological challenges in evaluating political interventions in conflict and an impact assessment tool for practitioners.
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Preventing Tomorrow’s Conflicts and Sustaining Peace
Informing UN policy deliberations with a proactive, over-the-horizon approach to prevent and sustain peace.
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Protecting the Legitimacy and Effectiveness of UN Sanctions
Challenges in UN Security Council sanctions, particularly in counter-terrorism.
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Children and Extreme Violence: Cradled by Conflict
Understanding child recruitment by armed groups, including terrorist organizations, and identifying obstacles to releasing children from such groups.
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Group Cohesion and Peace Processes
Internal cohesion of non-State armed groups during peace processes.