Amandla

Preventive diplomacy: Delivering results, a recent report by the Secretary-General is dedicated to the memory of Dag Hammarskjöld, who died 50 years ago, on 18 September 1961, in a plane crash.

Resources on Dag Hammarskjöld

UN Resources

• Dag Hammarskjöld the UN years: timlines, documents, oral history
• UN Chronicle - Pursuing Peace: Commemorating Dag Hammarskjöld
• Remember the Fallen - 50th Anniversary Commemoration website

United Nations Resources on Preventive Diplomacy

• Preventive Diplomacy: Delivering results (S/2011/552)
• An agenda for peace: preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping (S/24111 - A/47/227) and other SG's reports
• Security Council open debate on preventive diplomacy: concept paper (S/2010/371) - meeting record (S/PV.6360) - presidential statement (S/PRST/2010/14)
• Rediscovering Preventive Diplomacy: A View From The United Nations, B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, 2010
• Preventive Diplomacy in West Africa, Politically Speaking, Fall-Winter, 2010-2011

Non-UN resources

• International Peace Institute : Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation
• Preventive diplomacy : the United Nations and the OSCE / edited by Daniel Warner

Book

• Preventive diplomacy at the UN / Bertrand G. Ramcharan

From UN Pulse

The Global Peace Operations program's Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2011 is the most comprehensive publication of its kind, covering both UN and non-UN peace operations during 2010. The Annual Review 2011, the sixth edition in a series begun in 2006, continues to inform policy-makers, academics, practitioners, the media, and peacekeeping stakeholders about peacekeeping trends and mission developments. Unique in its breadth of coverage, the Review provides analysis and detailed data on UN, AU, NATO, EU, and ad hoc peacekeeping missions. The print copy of the 2010 Report is available in the UN Library, New York.

From UN Pulse: Permanent Link: Global Peace Operations Annual Review 2010-2011

United States Institute of Peace

 

This glossary grew out of the development of courses for USIP’s new Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding, the education and training arm of the Institute.

We encourage users to submit comments in the comment boxes for the terms. To do so, users must first log in or register. Users may also contact us via the contact form.

• Access the online version of the glossary
• Download the PDF version of Peace Terms (PDF/2.4MB)

The second(GMUN) was officially launched on 14 August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The conference will run until 18 August. The theme of the conference is "Towards an Alliance of Civilizations: bridging cultures to achieve peace and development". Four hundred students are in attendance. The students, aged between 18 and 24, come from over fifty countries and are engaged in a realistic simulation of a UN General Assembly summit meeting. The conference is making use of a wide variety of online social media, in keeping with the youth-oriented theme, with regular updates being made to the conference blog, the conference twitter feed as well as to the conference online slide show.  More information on the Global Model United Nations Conference and on the student leaders can be found on the Conference website: www.un.org/gmun.

UN Pulse : Permanent Link: Global Model UN 2010 - Kuala Lumpur

The United Nations ( University for Peace ) has released the latest edition of Peace and Conflict Review . The Peace and Conflict Review is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to the publication of high quality academic articles in the field of peace and conflict studies.

From UN Pulse: 

Permanent Link: Peace and Conflict Review

The Elders are brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.

 

 

Report of the Secretary-General on peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict A/63/881-S/2009/304 was issued.

The report is submitted, after consultations with the Peacebuilding Commission, following the Security Council invitation (S/PRST/2008/16) to provide advice on how to support national efforts to secure sustainable peace more rapidly and effectively. The immediate aftermath of conflict, defined as the first two years after the main conflict in a country has ended, "offers a window of opportunity to provide basic security, deliver peace dividends, shore up and build confidence in the political process, and strengthen core national capacity to lead peacebuilding efforts thereby beginning to lay the foundations for sustainable development."

UN Pulse Permanent Link: Peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict

Walking the line: strategic approaches to peacebuilding in Lebanon
This site provides free access to the full text of the paper by M. Kraft, M. Al-Mazri, H. Wimmen, N. Zupan which was commissioned by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (hbs), the German Development Service (DED), the Forum Civil Peace Service (forumZFD) and the Working Group on Development and Peace (FriEnt) and published in January 2009. The 52 paper paper critically examines the nature of the conflict in Lebanon, and identifies challenges for German and other international peacekeeping teams in civil society, peace keeping and peace rebuilding initiatives in the region. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.frient.de/en/publications/detaildoc.asp?id=932

The first report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) has been issued (S/2009/59). The report covers the activities of the mission and developments in Sierra Leone from 1 October 2008 to 31 January 2009, including the establishment of UNIPSIL in accordance with Security Council resolution 1829 (2008).

UN Pulse permalink

The Report of the African Union-United Nations panel on modalities for support to African Union peacekeeping operations (the "Prodi Report") was recently issued (A/63/666-S/2008/813). The report provides an overview of the main issues on the increasing engagement of the African Union in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. The panel makes several recommendations regarding the strategic relationship between the UN and the AU.

UN Pulse permalink

Peace in the Middle East: White House resources
This collection of materials forms part of the official White House website. It provides free access to press releases, statements, speeches and reports issued by the American president relating to American foreign policy in the Middle East. They include some recent photographs of presidential field trips and diplomacy in the Middle East. Materials relate to Israel; Jerusalem; Palestine; Egypt and Saudi Arabia. There are also materials concerning American involvement in the Middle East peace process and the Arab Israeli conflict, involving Palestine, West Bank and Gaza Strip. From: Intute.ac.uk
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/mideast/

Against the gathering storm: securing Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement
This site provides free access to the full text of the report by Edward Thomas which was published by Chatham House in January 2009. ISBN 978 1 86203 213 2. The 42 page report critically assesses the impact and achievenments of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and the Government of Sudan in 2005. It includes coverage of the drafting of the agreement and its implementation. Reference is made to the current state of security and the humanitarian situation in Darfur. From: Intute.ac.uk
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/view/-/id/688/

Religion and ethics in war and peace-making
'Religion and Ethics in War and Peace-Making' is a research and dialogue programme hosted by the Von Hugel Institute at St Edmund's College, Cambridge. The initiative, directed by Dr George R. Wilkes, seeks to investigate the impact of religion (particularly Christianity, Islam and Judaism) on war and peace-making, and to investigate the history of religious war for the lessons that could be learnt. It encourages interreligious dialogue, cooperation and better understanding of the ethical problems posed by armed conflicts, amongst policy-makers and religious practitioners. This homepage contains information about its worldwide network; the activities undertaken by its working groups; and past and upcoming seminars. Viewers can also find articles on the site and links to relevant websites. Intute.ac.uk
http://relwar.wordpress.com/

Middle East peace process: FCO resources This site is maintained by the British Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO). It provides free access to materials from the British government about the political situation in the region and British foreign policy towards the Middle East. This includes coverage of Israel, Palestine, Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It includes recent press releases, statements by the Foreign secretary, Foreign Office advice and links to related webcasts of parliamentary debates. Topics covered include political crises and conflict. The main emphasis is upon current news. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/newsfiles1/010-mepp/

2008 Yearbook on Peace
This website proivides free access to a annual report published by the Escola de Cultura de Pau (School for a Culture of Peace) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The 200 page textbook provides a detailed snapshot of the current state of conflicts (wars, civil wars and territorial disputes) in which peace negotiations are taking place. Entires include details on the background to the conflict, main actors, state of negotiations and timelines of key events in 2008. Also provided are mappings of the relationship between groups involved in the conflict plus links to related organisations and websites montoring the situation. [Includes African countries] Intute.ac.uk
http://www.pangea.org/unescopau/img/programas/procesos/08anuarii.pdf

Capacity survey: regional and other intergovernmental organisations in the maintenance of peace and security

This site provides free access to the full text of the first ever global survey capacities of 21 regional organisations active in the field of peace of security (conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, enforcement, and peace-building). It was published by the by the United Nations University (UNU-CRIS) in 2008. The 159 page survey provides information on the experience of the organisations, their organisational and resource capacity, enabling direct comparisons. Organisations surveyed are: African Union; Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) ;Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Commonwealth Secretariat (COMSEC) ; Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP); Council of Europe (COE) ; Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) ; Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ; European Union (EU) ; Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) International Organization of Francophonie (IOF) ; League of Arab States (LAS) ; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Organization of American States (OAS) ; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ; Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) ; Pacific Islands Forum (PIF); Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) ; Southern African Development Community (SADC). Intute.ac.uk
http://www.cris.unu.edu/fileadmin/user_upload/capacity_survey.pdf

Venues in Durban and Cape Town: see below
Date: 06 November 2008
Time: 12H15 – 13H30

Why have certain African states become so especially vulnerable to conflict in the last two decades?   What are the long term effects of these conflicts likely to be?   What is needed to end them and make them less likely in future?  In this seminar Prof Tom Lodge is going to explore five hypotheses about the causes of modern African warfare.  These are: that these conflicts have accompanied and partly have been caused by the collapse of historically very weak states; that the collapse of central political authority followed the sudden ending of external support, a consequence of the end of the Cold War and of the imposition of harsher terms of structural adjustment; that warfare expresses rejection of elder authority by young men; that rebellions are a response to new opportunities and new or freshly available resources; and that conflicts are symptomatic of environmental and demographic stress.  He will then consider the impact of wars upon demography, borders, the distribution of power, and development.  Finally he will identify the contextual requirements for enduring peace.    
Cape Town: HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street , Cape Town . Contact Vuyokazi Ngxubaza, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or VNgxubaza@hsrc.ac.za, Cell: 082 0508453.
Durban:  First floor HSRC board room, 750 FRANCOIS ROAD, Ntuthuko Junction, PODS 5 and 6, Cato Manor, Contact Johannes Khoele, Tel (031) 2425400, Cell; 084 2406 003 or JKhoele@hsrc.ac.za,
Pretoria: HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria.   Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za , or Baby Twala, Tel (012) 302-2368, E-mail: Btwala@hsrc.ac.za .

Thanks to Fareeda Jadwat for this

The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs was created in 2006 as part of the office of Georgetown University's President. The mission of the Center is to build knowledge, promote dialogue, and to support action "in the service of peace." On the site's homepage, visitors will be presented with five primary sections, including "Programs", "Events", "People", "Media", and "Databases". Many visitors will want to head straight away for the "Databases" area. Here they will find resources designed for students, scholars, and citizens which address faith, gender, and development, along with faith-inspired organizations in the Muslim world. After having a look there, visitors will want to click on the "Recent Publications" section. There's some really terrific material here, including reports on evangelicals and foreign policy, international religious liberty, and religious pluralism. Finally, visitors who are planning a visit to Washington, D.C. can click on the "Events" section to learn about upcoming talks, lectures, and symposia sponsored by the Center. [KMG] Scout Report

 

 

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG722/

When most people think of international peacekeeping work, they might immediately think of organizations like the United Nations or NATO. What they might not know is that in recent years the European Union (EU) has become a very active participant in operations in countries such as Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire. These efforts haven't escaped the attention of policy analysts and scholars at the RAND organization, and this report released in July 2008 takes a close look at this phenomenon. The 344-page report is divided into ten chapters, which include case studies of EU activities in Macedonia, the Solomon Islands, and a chapter of conclusions and final remarks. Additionally, the report also contains a detailed chapter of comparative analysis that looks into thematic areas such as the civilian police force in each country, the return of refugees post-conflict, and international combat-related deaths. [KMG] Scout Report

The Strategic Framework fo Peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau 31 July 2008 has been issued (PBC/3/GNB/L.1). This document sets out the country-specific goals for the Peacebuilding Commission and Guinea-Bissau to work to acheive, in areas including:

• elections;
• economy;
• security sector reform;
• rule of law; and
• public administration.

UN Pulse Permanent Link: Guinea-Bissau Peacebuilding

The UN Peacekeeping website has redesigned its English homepage. While the content is similar to the previous design, there are a few new features including:

• The "Capstone Doctrine"-- the UN Peacekeeping Operations Principles and Guidelines (full text, pdf, 453 KB);
• List of recent statements of senior UN officials on peacekeeping;
• New webpages for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Field Support (DFS).
  UN Pulse Permanent Link: New DPKO website design

Relationship between the UN and the African Union

 The Secretary-General recently issued a Report on the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security (S/2008/186). Issued in response to the Security Council presidential statement of 28 March 2007 (S/PRST/2007/7), the report considered the important issues that define the nature of collaborative partnership in international peace and security between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular, the African Union and the division of responsibilities between them under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations.Permanent Link: Relationship between the UN and the African UnionUN Pulse 

 

Food – Who pays the price?

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), six international panellists … consider the future of global food production in the BBC World debate “Food – Who Pays the Price?”. Learn more on the IFAD website.Permanent Link: Food – Who Pays the Price? UN Pulse  

 

 

10 Stories, 2007

 The UN Department of Public Information has launched a list of ten stories that unfolded in the course of 2007 that the world may wish to hear more about. The list includes:

• Northern Uganda: Major steps towards peace in a decades-old conflict
• The Excluded: The hidden world of the stateless
• Extreme weather events are part of a “new normal” trend
• The suffering of the girl soldier
• At a fragile crossroads: Afghanistan and the international community must pull together
• A deadly disease no more – advances in malaria prevention and treatment
• Promotion and protection of human rights: The role of special procedures of the Human Rights Council
• Policing for peace: The law-and-order role played by blue berets
• Southern Sudan: A path to ‘indivisible peace’ in the country
• Bird flu pushed back – but threat of a human pandemic remains

  

The new Peacebuilding Portal aims to promote collaboration and consultation among organizations and individuals working in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Learn more about the Portal and explore the ways to access information through the site map or search.

This site was launched in conjunction with a redesign of the websites of the "three pillars" of the peacebuilding architecture:

• the Peacebuilding Commission,
• the Peacebuilding Fund, and
• the Peacebuilding Support Office

and is considered a fourth "virtual pillar", to facilitate information sharing.

Permanent Link: Peacebuilding Portal UN Pulse

Salam institute for peace and justice
This is the homepage of the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, a non-profit organisation based in Washington DC. It is dedicated to teaching, research and practice in the area of conflict resolution, and to fostering intra-Islamic and interfaith dialogue particularly between Muslims and non-Muslims. The institute is directed by Dr Mohammed Abu-Nimer, an associate professor at American University's School of International Service in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. This website informs viewers of their activities and the projects they are involved in. It allows access to articles, conference reports and the institute's newsletter. Links are also provided to a small number of relevant websites. An interesting resource for students of Islam and those working in the area of interfaith dialogue. Intute.ac.uk
http://www.salaminstitute.org/

The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has issued United Nations Peace Operations Year in Review 2007 (pdf, 5.67 MB, brochure symbol: DPI/2500). The report provides an overview of the activities and a summary of changes to the UN's work in peace operations, both at headquarters and in the field. The Secretary-General has restructured the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and has established a separate Department of Field Support. The report provides summaries of the major activities and tables and graphs of mission statistics. Permanent Link: Peacekeeping Year in Review 2007  UN Pulse

A new report of the Secretary-General provides an update on Peacekeeping Best Practices policy and impacts (A/62/593). The report describes the methods and tools used to identify, collect, and share the work of mission staff around the world and describes the system implemented by the peacekeeping departments (organizational charts for Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Department of Field Support). According to the report,

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Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

A Swiss based organisation which seeks to promote dialogue between warring parties and states. Its website provides information on its role, remit and recent conflict resolution work. It includes free access to press releases and documents. Key areas are reports from its conflict mediation programmes; civilian protection; the rule of law justice and post-conflict reconstructions, peacekeeping and research relating to small arms and disarmament. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.hdcentre.org

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In 1996, a UN report “The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children”, the Machel study, brought the issues faced by children in armed conflict to the world's attention (A/51/306, symbols of subsequent reports available from UN-I-QUE). Ten years later, the Machel Strategic Review has been convened.

UNICEF and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict have launched a youth report Will you listen? Young voices from conflict zones (pdf, 384 KB). This report compiles the views and recommendations of some 1,700 children and young people in 92 countries.

Read more in the SRSG's press release or get involved at UNICEF Voices of Youth website. See also our previous post.

Permanent Link: Young Voices from Conflict Zones  UN Pulse 

The Report of the Secretary-General on Interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace highlights the activities carried out by key United Nations entities involved in the field of intereligious and intercultural dialogue (A/62/337). The report complements the information contained in the annual progress report of the Director-General of UNESCO on the International Decade for Culture and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001-2010 (A/62/97). UN Pulse Permanent Link: Interreligious and intercultural dialogue

International Peace Research Institute, Oslo The International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) was founded in 1959 and was one of the world's first independent peace research centres. Its main areas of concern are: security; ethics; conflict resolution and peacebuilding. It also hosts a centre for the study of Civil war. The website provides information on the centre's ongoing research. It includes tables of contents from its leading academic journals: Security Dialogue and the Journal of Peace Research. Some selected articles and datasets from these can be read in full text online free of charge. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.prio.no/

Yesterday, a high-level meeting of the Security Council met to discuss Peace and Security in Africa. Read the official meeting record (S/PV.5749), get an overview from the News Story, or a summary of the discussion from the Press Release. You may also watch the archived webcast (links to English and original language versions).  UN Pulse Permanent Link: High-level Security Council meeting

This day "provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date." The site features the U.N. resolutions designating this day, a listing of events throughout the world, educational resources, and links to related material. This site "is provided by Pathways To Peace, the International Secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (formerly We The Peoples Initiative), a United Nations-designated Peace Messenger Initiative."

URL: http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/

LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24487

International Day of Peace Vigi

This site describes the "global 24-hour spiritual observation for peace [on September 21 that] is meant to demonstrate the power of prayer and other spiritual practices in promoting peace and preventing violent conflict." Includes a FAQ and lists of groups making vigil commitments throughout the world (back to 2002). International Day of Peace Vigil is supported by the United Nations and other organizations.

URL: http://www.idpvigil.com/

LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24488

Peace Operations Monitor is a project of the Peace Operations Working Group (POWG), a working group of the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee (CPCC). It paims to provide an independent source of information about current United nations and other non-UN peacekeeping missions and forces worldwide. At present it is covering three main regions Afghanistan, Sudan (Darfur) and Haiti, although other materials may be added. Each country entry includes details about the mandate of the mission, its deployment and links to news and full text reports analysing it from a variety of sources. These include the United nations and other relief agencies and human rights groups. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.pom.peacebuild.ca/

http://www.h-net.org/~peace/

Founded in 2003, the H-Peace electronic network seeks "to broaden understanding about historical and contemporary peace, justice, and disarmament concerns." As part of the larger H-Net network, H-Peace, also affiliated with the Peace History Society, is a most welcome addition. As with other lists and networks within H-Net, visitors can view reviews of books within the field, peruse past discussion logs, investigate high-quality bibliographies, and even browse syllabi submitted by H-Peace members. Visitors wishing to get a basic idea of the discussions offered online can look through the "Recent Messages" area on the homepage. Finally, the site also contains direct links to related lists, such as H-1960s, H-Democracy, H-Genocide, and H-War. [KMG] Scout Report

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Ethics of war, peace and terrorism multimedia resources

Philosophers on war, terrorism and peace

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Peace Institutes database

United Nations peacekeeping documentation: research guide

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This site created in 2005 (60 years after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945) describes "numerous radio and TV programs relating to the atomic bombings and peace ever since those tragedies occurred. Approximately 400 of such programs are stored in the NHK Archives." Also includes selected video clips. In English and Japanese. From NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). Note is copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.
URL: http://www.nhk.or.jp/peace/english/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24192

The UN Peacebuilding Commission has released a provisional report covering its work since the Commission's inauguration in June 2006 (PBC/2/OC/L.1).

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G-8 activities to enhance African peace support operations capabilities This site provides official information about the role of the G8 (Canada, France, United Kingdom; Germany; Italy; Japan; Russia; USA; and the European Union) in supporting peace negotiations, conflict resolution and peace keeping forces in African nations. The website includes information on the aims and activities of the G8. It includes statements and documents from G8 summits from approximately 2002 onwards.
http://www.g-8africapso.net/

From Intute.ac.uk

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The Peacebuilding Commission has issued a report on its mission to Burundi in April 2007 (PBC/1/BDI/2). Annexes include the terms of reference and composition of the mission, as well as the programme of visits and meetings. From the report:

"The primary purposes of the mission were to obtain first-hand information about the situation in Burundi and assess the challenges to peacebuilding; discuss with the Government and other stakeholders gaps within priority areas for peacebuilding and the development of an integrated framework/strategy for peacebuilding; and communicate the main principles and purposes of the Peacebuilding Commission to stakeholders on the ground."

Permanent Link: Peacebuilding mission to Burundi UN Pulse

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/bnote.htm

Includes a map and links to the various Missions, Operations and Forces.

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Comprehensive report on strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to manage and sustain peace operations (More)