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As part of Geneva Peace Week 2024, IPI in partnership with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), International Gender Champions, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), and the Berghof Foundation cohosted a peace panel on the topic of “A Feminist Peace Built by All: Pathways to Inclusive Visions of Peace” on October 15th.

Despite well-established normative frameworks for gender equality within the UN system, such as the WPS agenda, challenges still exist to achieving the vision of a sustainable and just peace. The theme of the 2024 open debate on WPS in the UN Security Council will focus on inclusive peacemaking by highlighting women’s roles in mediation especially in a changing geopolitical and technological environment.

This event provided a moment to reflect on these issues in advance of the open debate on WPS and the 24th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Panelists analyzed and identified strategies to mitigate these challenges to fully realize an inclusive peace. The event further connected different audiences in discussing how to build an inclusive feminist peace, because these efforts cannot be siloed across different agendas and agencies; they are strongest when they connect feminist actors across different sectors and locations.

Welcoming Remarks:
Thomas Greminger, Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Opening Remarks
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO, International Peace Institute

Speakers:
Madeleine Rees, Former Secretary-General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and co-chair of the WPS Impact Group in Geneva
Ingrid Münch, Mediation Support Officer, Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Peacemaking, Co-lead of the Gender and Inclusion Team, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
Callum Watson, Gender Coordinator, Small Arms Survey
Victoria Sandino Simanca Herrera, feminist leader, former Senator of the Republic of Colombia, negotiator during the peace process in Colombia, and ex-combatant of the FARC-EP

Moderator:
Phoebe Donnelly, Senior Fellow and Head of Women, Peace, and Security Program, International Peace Institute

Closing Remarks:
Ambassador OIKE Atsuyuki, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva

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On October 14th, IPI President Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein delivered the Peace Message at the Opening Ceremony of the 11th annual Geneva Peace Week at the Maison de la Paix in Geneva, Switzerland. This year’s theme was “What is Peace?” Speakers and participants sought to unravel the essence of peace and discover new pathways towards its attainment.

Speaking to the assembled delegates, President Al Hussein emphasized that peace is imperiled by the world’s current trajectory “toward the savagery of unconfined warfare, where being a civilian offers oneself no protection at all.”

However, he draws inspiration from the remarkable efforts of Israeli and Palestinian lawyers and activists behind the A Land for All initiative: “They are doing something rather remarkable. They seem to have pinned down not just a visionary but also a practical equation for achieving a just and lasting peace to the Middle East conflict.”

Read full remarks here >>

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Figure 1: Results of the Multilateralism Index 2024

Figure 2: Percentage of indicators that improved and deteriorated, by dimension, 2013–2023

There are growing calls to transform the multilateral system, which is widely seen as being in crisis. Yet solving the crisis of multilateralism requires understanding what that crisis entails. What parts of the multilateral system are in crisis, and what parts are still functioning? Where is commitment to multilateralism flagging, and where does it remain strong? Where is multilateral action failing to translate into concrete results, and where is it delivering? Who is being left out of multilateral engagement, and who is being included? And what are the trends over time?

To help answer these questions, the International Peace Institute (IPI) and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) developed the Multilateralism Index. This 2024 edition of the Index assesses changes in international cooperation between 2013 and 2023 across five domains: Peace and Security, Human Rights, Climate Action, Public Health, and Trade. Each domain is evaluated across three dimensions: Participation, Performance, and Inclusivity. Looking at each of these dimensions provides several broad takeaways:

• Participation: The Index does not find a major drop-off in participation by states in the multilateral system. In fact, participation increased across all domains except trade. This signals that member states remain engaged in the system, even if the nature of this engagement has shifted from cooperation toward contestation. At the same time, due to limitations in the indicators available, these improvements in participation should not necessarily be interpreted as a broad-based increase in commitment to multilateral action.
• Performance: Performance is the one dimension where the multilateral system saw a clear decline across most of the domains. The biggest decline was in peace and security. Human rights and climate action also saw significant declines. These declines may indicate that some global crises are outstripping the multilateral system’s ability to respond. At the same time, these shortcomings are not solely failures of multilateralism, as performance in many areas also depends domestic action by individual states. Moreover, despite these shortcomings, the gears of the multilateral system are continuing to turn.
• Inclusivity: Broad improvements in the Index’s inclusivity dimension point to two trends: the steady growth in the number of NGOs engaging with various parts of the UN system and the increase in women’s representation across many UN bodies. Limitations in the indicators available make it more difficult to assess progress in other areas, including geographic inclusivity and more substantive inclusivity of women beyond their formal representation at the UN.

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On October 8th, IPI in partnership with the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the UN, cohosted a special preview screening of THE VETO, a short documentary film, followed by a panel discussion.

For close to eighty years, the UN Security Council’s permanent member veto power has been the subject of constant debate, both within the UN and without.

The veto itself isn’t going away—it’s “veto-proof.” But when vetoes are cast in the face of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, obligations under international law and the UN Charter must be considered. Such uses have led to massive loss of life, displacement of millions, and the multilateral order pushed to a breaking point.

The film, featuring leading global experts, puts aside assertions of the impossibility of change and explores real paths to breaking the Security Council deadlock.

The event video features only the trailer of the documentary. Production of the final film is forthcoming.

Welcoming remarks:
H.E. Mr. Christian Wenaweser, Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the UN

Conversation following the film:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace Institute
Professor Jennifer Trahan, NYU Center for Global Affairs; author, Existing Legal Limits to Security Council Veto Power in the Face of Atrocity Crimes (CUP 2020)
Tim Slade, Independent Filmmaker, Director and Producer of THE VETO

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The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which replaced AMISOM in 2022, is a UN peacekeeping mission with the mandate to support the Somali Security Forces (SSF) in combating al-Shabaab and securing the country. As ATMIS is set to conclude by December 2024, discussions are underway for a follow-on mission, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), to ensure continued support and prevent a security vacuum.

In this context, the International Peace Institute, Stimson Center, and Security Council Report convened a workshop to assess the ATMIS transition and future security arrangements in Somalia. The event aimed to discuss the complex security environment in Somalia, explore lessons learned, and consider strategies to ensure a seamless transition to AUSSOM while maintaining regional stability.

Key takeaways from the workshop included the need to secure predictable and sustainable funding for the new mission, strengthen the Somali security forces, and ensure the transition aligns with on-the-ground realities. Participants also highlighted the importance of preventing a security vacuum, strengthening partnerships between the African Union, United Nations, and Somalia, and focusing on long-term stabilization efforts.

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UN peacekeeping operations have a vital role to play in protecting and promoting civic space. Shrinking civic space undermines human rights, generates instability, and impacts the ability of missions to execute their mandates. Supporting civic space is also connected to core areas of missions’ work, including support to political processes, the protection of civilians, and the promotion of human rights.

This paper identifies how missions are contributing to the protection and promotion of civic space and the obstacles they face in doing so. It identifies how civic space has been reflected in mission mandates and analyzes whether the inclusion of explicit language on civic space has an impact on the work undertaken by missions. It also explores how missions have sought to protect and promote civic space and examines the challenges they face when engaging in these activities.

Despite these challenges, the paper concludes that peacekeeping missions have unique advantages in protecting and promoting civic space, such as their ability to protect civilians and connect civic space initiatives to broader political mandates. Yet their efforts are not always part of a common strategy for promoting and protecting civic space. The paper offers four considerations to help guide future exploration of the topic:

• Policymakers should consider the utility of adding explicit language on civic space to mission mandates and weigh the risks and benefits.
• Missions should consider how to connect the dots between their different efforts related to civic space.
• Missions that have implemented more systematic approaches to monitoring civic space should gather lessons on whether and how this monitoring has impacted their ability to respond to civic space restrictions.
• The UN should improve reporting on the collective impact of activities related to civic space to illustrate the role missions play and their comparative advantages.

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IPI and G20 Social cohosted a policy forum on September 26th entitled “The G20 and the Reform of Global Economic Governance Structures.”

Speaker interventions centered around the debate on the Reform of Global Economic Governance Structures. The discussion focused on: IMF Governance Reforms; gender and regional balance in international financial institutions; the role of MDBs in global governance and the “G20 Roadmap for Better, Bigger, and More Effective MDBs;” and the Global civil society agenda for new global governance. The event also focused on key points regarding Brazil’s G20 Social Initiative and how it will achieve its goal of increasing nongovernmental stakeholder participation in the work of the G20.

Welcoming Remarks:
Adam Lupel, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, International Peace Institute

Opening Remarks:
Fernanda Santiago, Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Counselor on the Superior Council of the Office of the Attorney General, and Attorney General of the Ministry of Finance of Brazil

Speakers:
Flávio Luís Pazeto, First Secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and responsible for the general coordination of the G20
Bruno Coelho Saraiva, Alternate Executive Director, Brazil IMF Office
Karin Costa Vazquez, General Coordinator for Multilateral Development Banks Reform on the Finance Track, Brazilian Ministry of Finance
Cristina Duarte, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
Jeroo Billimoria, Founder of One Family Foundation, Co-founder of Catalyst 2030

Moderator:
Tatiana Berringer, Coordinator of the G20 Social on the Finance Track, Brazilian G20 Presidency, and Senior Lecturer of International Relations at Federal University of ABC, Brazil

The post The G20 and the Reform of Global Economic Governance Structures appeared first on International Peace Institute.

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IPI in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and International Crisis Group cohosted the second Kofi Annan Lecture Series on September 26th featuring Maria Ressa, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and CEO of Rappler.

Maria Ressa has shown exemplary global leadership on critical issues facing today’s world—including combatting disinformation and promoting and advocating for democracy to support peace.

For her courage and journalistic integrity, Maria has received numerous accolades. In October 2021, she was one of two journalists awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”

In 2022, she was appointed by the UN Secretary-General to the Leadership Panel of the Internet Governance Forum and serves as its Vice-Chair.

She is a Professor of Professional Practice at the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she leads projects related to artificial intelligence and democracy.

She has also authored several books, including her most recent book: How to Stand Up to a Dictator, which has been translated into more than 20 languages.

The series provides an opportunity for leaders to set out new ideas and agendas for international cooperation and diplomacy, recalling Secretary-General Annan’s role in championing rules-based cooperation and sustainable solutions.

Welcoming/Opening Remarks:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace Institute
Elhadj As Sy, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Kofi Annan Foundation
Binaifer Nowrojee, President of the Open Society Foundations

Keynote Speaker:
Maria Ressa, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and CEO of Rappler

Closing Remarks:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace Institute
Comfort Ero, President and CEO of International Crisis Group

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Established in 2013 by the UN Security Council, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) aimed to stabilize the situation in northern Mali, support the political transition, protect civilians, and promote human rights amidst ongoing conflict and instability. The mission’s mandate evolved over its ten-year tenure to address the changing political and security landscape, leading to its withdrawal at the request of the Malian government in 2023.

In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report, with support from the German Federal Foreign Office and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, organized a workshop to discuss takeaways learned from MINUSMA’s ten-year presence in Mali. Held on June 13, 2024, the workshop brought together UN officials, member states, civil society stakeholders, and independent experts to assess successes and challenges related to the mandate, with the objective to draw lessons from MINUSMA’s experience that could ensure more realistic, effective, and achievable mandates in future UN peace operations.

Key takeaways from the discussion include recognition of MINUSMA’s crucial role in supporting the 2015 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, protecting civilians, and stabilizing urban centers. However, the mission faced significant challenges, particularly due to the lack of a stable peace to maintain and the volatile political environment following two coups. Despite its efforts to adapt, MINUSMA struggled with host-state consent, resource constraints, and the complexities of an asymmetric threat environment. The lessons learned from MINUSMA point to the importance of political consensus, multistakeholder partnerships, and realistic alignment between mandates and resources for the success of future peacekeeping missions.

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IPI, Keio University, National Institute for Environmental Studies, and Institute for Global Environmental Studies, with support from the Government of Finland, Stockholm Environment Institute, Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies, Japan Foundation, and Ministry of the Environment of Japan cohosted a policy forum on July 10th on the topic of “Exploring Synergies and Trade-Offs for Transformations to the SDGs and Beyond.”

According to the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), bringing about the transformation required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires facilitating synergies and eliminating trade-offs between different SDGs. Understanding these synergies and trade-offs is critical to assessing progress toward the SDGs through voluntary national reviews and to considering global goals beyond 2030.

The event introduced ongoing research on these synergies and trade-offs conducted by some of the institutions where members of the Independent Group of Scientists that drafted the 2023 GSDR are based. Implementation of the SDGs relies on localized actions and local contexts. Therefore, case studies and empirical data on context-specific synergies and trade-offs are critical for drawing lessons on how transformation takes place. Speakers discussed examples from Japan, Finland, and Sweden, and called for collaboration and partnerships on accelerating progress toward the SDGs by facilitating synergies and eliminating trade-offs.

Opening Remarks:
Yutaka Matsuzawa, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs (Ministry of the Environment of Japan）

Speakers:
Norichika Kanie, Professor at the Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan
Mustafa Moinuddin, Fellow, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Eeva Furman, Secretary General of the Finnish Commission on Sustainable Development
Ivonne Lobos Alva, Stockholm Environment Institute

Video Message:
Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

Moderator:
Jimena Leiva Roesch, IPI Director of Global Initiatives and Head of Peace, Climate, and Sustainable Development

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IPI together with the Office of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety and Global Citizen, cohosted on July 1st the US launch of “Make a Safety Statement,” a joint United Nations–JCDecaux Global Campaign for Road Safety.

Every year, road traffic deaths claim the lives of a staggering 1.19 million people and leave countless others with severe injuries. In response to this urgent global issue, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, in collaboration with JCDecaux, with the support of Saatchi & Saatchi, launched a worldwide campaign under the motto “Make a Safety Statement.” This initiative is being launched in 80 countries and 1,000 cities and represents a call to action, amplifying the message of the New Decade of Action for Road Safety, aiming to halve the number of road-related victims by 2030.

In the US, road crashes are the second biggest cause of accidental death, after firearms. According to the World Health Organization, the US fatality rate is estimated at 12.7 per 100,000 people, while the rate in Europe is 6.5 per 100,000 people. Pedestrian deaths in the US rose over 40% from 2010 to 2018, more than twice the pace of any other OECD country.

The campaign aims to promote road safety and create secure, inclusive, and sustainable streets worldwide. Through active involvement in the “Making a Safety Statement” campaign, we can decrease risk factors, especially in urban areas, enabling people to safely walk, live, and enjoy their environment. The initiative aims to enhance the quality of life for individuals and safeguard the well-being of our planet and people.

Speakers focused on creating “safe and sustainable mobility in the city, from NYC to Marrakesh.” During the event, Street Art for Mankind artist Dragon76 created an original piece of art that was unveiled at the conclusion of the event.

Street Art for Mankind is a nonprofit organization that strongly believes in the power of art to trigger social change. With the support of over 80 prominent international street artists, the organization curates and produces large murals, interactive exhibitions, and live performances around the world to bond communities and generations around human rights.

Welcoming remarks:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace Institute
Jean Todt, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety
Jean-Luc Decaux, President & Co-CEO of JCDecaux North America

Opening remarks:
H.E. Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the UN
H.E. Hedda Samson, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to the UN

Speakers:
H.E. Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the UN
Ydanis Rodriguez, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation
Lucrecia O’Har, Account Manager – Local Government (NYC), ESRI
Dani Simons, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs – Americas, Alstom

Closing remarks and call to action:
Jean Reno, Actor and Road Safety Advocate
Audrey and Thibault Decker, Co-Founders of Street Art for Mankind
Dragon76, Artist

Moderator:
Esra Sergi Bertani, Communications Officer, UN Office for Partnership

There have been several efforts to make UN peace operations mandates more realistic, effective, and achievable over the past two decades. Most notably, the 2015 report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) recommended that the council “make use of sequenced and prioritized mandates as a regular practice.” However, several challenges have inhibited efforts to make mandates more fit for purpose, and the extent to which mandates have become more prioritized and sequenced varies. In parallel, the council has sought to move away from lengthy “Christmas tree” mandates in favor of greater streamlining. However, while streamlining is intended to make mandates more focused, these changes have implications for missions’ budgets and operational capabilities, and mission leaders’ decision making.

In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report cohosted a roundtable discussion on May 14, 2024 to reflect on UN Security Council efforts to prioritize, sequence, and streamline mandates. This roundtable brought together representatives from the UN Secretariat and member states as well as external experts.

Overall, participants agreed that, over the past ten years, the council’s decisions to prioritize and sequence mandates have impacted missions’ work and resource allocation. Participants expressed differing opinions over whether and how the council should prioritize and sequence mandates in the future. Participants also identified the budgetary and operational opportunities and risks presented by streamlining mandate language moving forward.

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If the average global temperature rise is to be limited in line with the 2015 Paris agreement, climate finance will need to increase to about $9 trillion a year globally by 2030, up from just under $1.3 trillion in 2021–2022. To identify ways forward, IPI hosted a virtual panel discussion on June 18th on “Mobilizing Finance for Climate, Inequality, and Sustainable Development: New Taxes and Levies.”

Countries are converging around the idea of new global taxes to fund action to address a wide variety of needs, including inequality, poverty, and climate action. Levies on shipping, fossil fuel production and subsidies, air travel, and financial transactions feature prominently in agendas to reform the international financial architecture. Barbados, France, and Kenya have launched an International Tax Task Force on climate-related levies to judge the viability of these and other options for global taxes. Brazil, in its chairmanship of the G20, has promoted the idea of a “billionaire tax” on extreme wealth.

Such ideas are hardly new, but they are newly relevant given recent progress on international tax cooperation. Since 2021, when OECD countries agreed to impose a minimum effective rate of 15% on corporate profits, 140 countries have signed on to this policy. Tax reform efforts in the UN have also picked up speed. Following a historic breakthrough at the UN General Assembly in November 2023, the UN has now started negotiations on the terms of reference for a new Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

Some of the questions under discussion included:

• The Marshall Islands are on the frontlines of climate change impacts, particularly the rise of sea levels. It is also on the frontlines of efforts in the International Maritime Organization for a global levy on shipping. Why is this levy important?
• What is the International Tax Task Force’s mandate, and what do they hope to achieve?
• Global taxes and levies for climate change are not new ideas. Indeed, we’ve been talking about carbon pricing for decades. Why is this time different?
• Brazil is hosting the G20 this year and COP30 next year, so it is well-poised for leadership. What does the wealth tax mean for Brazil’s climate and development efforts, at home and abroad?
• How are International Climate Solidarity Levies (ICSLs) distinct from other global tax initiatives?

Welcoming Remarks:
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President and CEO of the International Peace Institute

Speakers:
Benito Müller, Managing Director, Oxford Climate Policy
Tina Stege, Climate Envoy for the Marshall Islands
Laura Carvalho, Global Director of Equity, Open Society Foundations, and Associate Professor of Economics, University of São Paulo
Pascal Saint-Amans, Adviser to International Tax Task Force
Michael Franczak, Research Fellow, International Peace Institute

Moderator:
Jimena Leiva Roesch, Director of Global Initiatives, International Peace Institute

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IPI in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN, cohosted a roundtable discussion on “Maintaining the Momentum on UN Security Council Resolution 2664 and Its Humanitarian Carve-out for the UN ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Regime.” This roundtable is part of a project on “Sanctions and Humanitarian Action: Promotion and Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2664.”

In December 2022, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2664. This resolution provides a cross-cutting humanitarian carve-out to asset freezes under all Security Council sanctions regimes, including the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL and al-Qaida regime. However, the application of the humanitarian carve-out to the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL and al-Qaida regime, which has been described as having the widest impact on humanitarian action, will expire in December 2024 unless the Security Council decides to extend it.

This was the second roundtable that IPI and Ireland hosted, which considered the positive changes brought by the resolution and examined what efforts are still needed to ensure its full implementation and impact. Participants also considered the case for the resolution to continue to be applied to the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL and al-Qaida regime beyond December.

The workshop, convened under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution, brought together representatives from humanitarian organizations, the UN Secretariat, member states, the banking sector, and civil society groups, as well as independent experts.

On June 4th, IPI hosted a Global Leaders Series event featuring H.E. Bernardo Arévalo, President of Guatemala. The conversation between IPI President Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and H.E. Bernardo Arévalo centered around current issues facing Guatemala, sustainable development, and goals for the future.

Bernardo Arévalo currently serves as the 52nd president of Guatemala, having assumed office on January 15, 2024. A reform candidate of the Movimento Semilla party, he campaigned primarily on an anti-corruption platform while also frequently discussing Guatemala’s development and security needs. He previously served as a deputy in the Congress of Guatemala from 2020 to 2024, as Ambassador to Spain from 1995 to 1996, and as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1995.

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IPI in partnership with the French Ministry of Armed Forces, cohosted the 2024 Peacekeeping Observatory Annual Workshop on May 29, 2024. The full-day workshop focused on the implementation of recommendations from the New Agenda for Peace that pertain to peace operations. This hybrid event convened over fifty participants, including UN personnel, member states, and other experts from civil society organizations.

Held at a critical moment of reflection on the future of peace operations, the workshop provided an opportunity for participants to deliberate on efforts to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of missions in today’s political environment and ahead of the Summit of the Future, to be held on September 22 and 23, 2024, in New York.

The workshop was divided into four sessions:

Session 1: Understanding Resolution 2719: What Comes Next for the UN and AU?

This session featured experts from the UN/African Union (AU) Partnerships Team in the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Permanent Observer Mission of the AU to the UN, and civil society organizations. Participants discussed the impact of Security Council Resolution 2719 on peace operations and the UN–AU partnership. The discussion highlighted the need for enhanced coordination and strategic alignment between the UN and the AU, the importance of flexible and adaptive mechanisms to support AU-led peace operations, and joint efforts in political, financial, and operational planning to ensure effective implementation and oversight.

Session 2: Lessons Learned from the Support Office Model

During this session experts examined the work of the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) as a model for UN support to AU-led missions, with a focus on its operational support to the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS.) It featured key contributions from Assistant Secretary-General and Head of UNSOS Aisa Kirabo Kacyira and her senior adviser, as well as other independent experts. The dialogue highlighted the significance of UNSOS in enhancing the logistical and operational effectiveness of ATMIS through robust partnerships, joint strategic planning and trust-building with key stakeholders. However, participants also recognized that challenges such as unmet expectations, limited financing, and the lack of alignment of military and political strategies persist and necessitate a continuous focus on collaboration, accountability, and adaptable support frameworks for future missions.

Lunch Session: Briefing on Negotiations around the Pact for the Future and Language on Peace Operations

Within this session, representatives of the permanent missions of Namibia and Germany to the UN briefed the attendants on negotiations around the Pact for the Future with a focus on the language on peace operations. The briefers highlighted areas of relative consensus among member states, including broad-based support for peace operations, as well as some areas that have been more politically difficult to negotiate. The briefers also reflected on the need for further peacekeeping reforms to address future peace and security challenges. In addition, they highlighted the importance of ensuring peace enforcement is undertaken in service of a political process and ensuring sustainable and adequate financing and support.

Session 3: Strengthening the Institution of UN Peacekeeping

The final session recognized the need to fortify UN peace operations as an important tool for collective security, alongside growing efforts to support partner-led operations. It emphasized the need for UN peacekeeping structures to adapt to contemporary challenges through innovative approaches and modern technology and to learn from past failures. Participants called for strengthening the tools the UN has at its disposal to address threats in multiple domains and the need to rebuild trust with local populations.

As part of the 2024 Peacekeeping Observatory project, IPI is publishing a series of issue briefs on UN peace operations and the New Agenda for Peace, including “Implementing Resolution 2719: What Next for the UN and AU?” authored by Jenna Russo and Bitania Tadesse; “The Support Office Model in Somalia: Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Settings,” authored by Paul Williams; and “The Protection of Civic Space in UN Peacekeeping Operations,” authored by Lauren McGowan.

The Peacekeeping Observatory is a multiyear IPI project examining emerging issues and challenges in peace operations. It is funded by the French Ministry of Armed Forces.

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The Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, in partnership with IPI, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Mozambique to the UN, the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the UN, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), hosted a policy forum on May 20th on “25 Years of POC and the UN Security Council: Challenges and Opportunities.”

This year marks 25 years since the Security Council first recognized the protection of civilians (POC) as a matter of international peace and security. Since then, POC has become widely institutionalized within the council’s work, as well as the UN more broadly, elevated as a core issue on the council’s agenda, and designated as a priority among mandated peacekeeping tasks.

At the same time, POC continues to face significant challenges resulting from flagrant violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws (IHL/IHRL), including by some UN member states. These violations not only have devastating consequences for civilians in conflict settings but are also a symptom of an erosion of the normative frameworks that underpin the international system. This erosion calls into question the role of the UN Security Council in protecting and upholding such norms, especially as in some cases council members have been directly or indirectly involved in violations.

The purpose of this event was to take stock of the council’s engagement with POC over the past 25 years and assess opportunities for it to further strengthen POC norms amid contemporary political and security challenges. This conversation took place as the international community prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, presenting an opportune moment for wider reflection on the fundamental principles of IHL/IHRL that underpin the POC agenda.

Speakers:
Naz K. Modirzadeh, Professor of Practice, Founding Director, Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, Harvard Law School
Laetitia Courtois, Permanent Observer and Head of Delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Hichem Khadhraoui, Executive Director, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Moderator:
Adam Lupel, Vice President and COO, International Peace Institute

Closing remarks:
H.E. Pascale Christine Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN

IPI’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) team, in partnership with the Gender and Security Sector Lab (GSS), hosted a virtual research workshop on “Analyzing the Effectiveness of Institutional Training for Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) in Peacekeeping.” This May 17th event and related research are part of the Gender and Peace Operations Project, a multi-year initiative of the IPI WPS program funded by the Government of Canada’s Elsie Initiative.

One of the ways that the UN seeks to combat SEAH is through training. This research project seeks to understand how training at the national and international level (completed in-academy, in-service non-academy, pre-deployment, or during deployment) on topics related to gender and SEAH can influence perceptions (and potentially behavior) of military and police while deployed in UN peace operations. This discussion will support an upcoming report co-authored by IPI and GSS on the effectiveness of training for SEAH in peacekeeping.

To better understand the relationship between institutional training and SEAH, the researchers will employ a series of statistical tests, using cross-national survey responses from security personnel from ten different countries and twelve security institutions. This data was collected using the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) methodology for barrier assessments of military and police. With this data, the researchers will evaluate whether surveyed personnel who have engaged in different types of training (general gender or WPS training, training on the prevention of SEA, gender training for leadership, institutional harassment training, or specialized gender training on preventing sexual violence or civilian protection) have 1) different knowledge of gender mainstreaming policies and practices, such as UNSCR 1325; 2) different views of the integration and participation of women in peacekeeping; and 3) different beliefs and perceptions of SEAH.

Over 30 people attended the research workshop, with participation from civil society, academia, peace operations and training personnel, as well as various UN entities, including the Office of the Special Coordinator on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (UN-OCSEA). The policy paper for this project will be released towards the end of 2024.

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This May 8th roundtable discussion, the final in a series of three sessions in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Singapore, focused on the topic of small states and their role in global governance relating to new and emerging issues such as cybersecurity, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and outer space.

These frontier domains pose both immense opportunities for development and potential risks that could further widen divides between and within countries. Small states must work together to build multilateral governance frameworks, rules, and norms that allow them to effectively manage the challenges posed by these issues, while not stifling innovation and growth. At the same time, they must find ways to level the playing field in the development and deployment of new technologies, so that all can benefit equitably, especially the small states themselves.

To guide the conversation, participants considered the following questions:

• What are the particular challenges faced by small states in dealing with emerging technologies, and are there existing avenues in the UN or other multilateral platforms that can help them to address these?
• What important elements ought to be considered in establishing governance frameworks and norms vis-à-vis frontier issues, that would help to build the most conducive environment for small and developing states to best harness the potential and opportunities of technologies?
• How can small states best contribute to growing global conversations on frontier issues and project their voices in these efforts, and how can they support each other in their endeavors?

The event was co-organized in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Namibia, New Zealand, Samoa, Senegal, Switzerland, and Qatar.

Discussions will be captured in a final report to be prepared at the conclusion of the roundtable series.

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In recent years, the ten elected members of the Security Council (E10) have come to play a more prominent role, exerting increased influence in the council’s working methods, thematic issues, and some country files. The contributions of the E10 are particularly felt during times of constrained political space among the council’s permanent members (P5), as currently seen. In such cases, the ability and willingness of the E10 to work together across areas in which they have common interests has helped to spur the council’s work. Because gains made by the E10 are often based on the efforts and innovations of individual member states, experiences must be shared with incoming and future elected members to maintain momentum.

IPI is working to capture the experiences of outgoing elected members after their council terms end. While some member states undertake internal reviews of their council terms, they are not usually shared externally, which prevents their experiences from benefiting future council members.

To help the process of gathering lessons learned, IPI hosted a closed-door roundtable on April 30th, focusing on Brazil’s council term from 2022 to 2023. Some of the questions under discussion included:

• What were Brazil’s main goals on the council and what strategies did it use to achieve these goals?
• What were the key barriers and enablers to Brazil achieving its objectives while on the council?
• How did dynamics among the P5 and E10 affect Brazil’s work specifically and the work of the council more broadly during this time?
• What political and other events took place during this time and how did they affect the council’s work? What methods were utilized by Brazil and other council members to deal with these events?
• Did the council’s working methods change during this time? If so, how? What were the implications of these changes?
• In what ways, if any, did Brazil seek to “pass the baton” on issues it championed while on the council?
• What are the insights of the experience as a non-permanent member that may be broadly applicable to other E10 and what are more specific to Brazil?
• What are the perspectives/insights of Brazil as an E10 country in serving as president of the Security Council?

A meeting note summarizing the discussion can be found here>>