International Peace Institute


The International Peace Institute is an independent non-profit lobby group based in New York. The Institute has regional offices in Europe, and in the Middle East.
IPI specializes in multilateral approaches to peace and security issues, working closely with the Secretariat and membership of the United Nations. IPI's primary objective is to promote effective international responses to new and emerging issues and crises through research, analysis, and policy development.

History

The International Peace Institute was created with support from UN Secretary-General U Thant in 1970, originally with the purpose of studying UN peacekeeping and developing peacekeeping doctrine, with strong financial backing from Ruth Forbes Paine Young.
Its first President was Maj. Gen. Indar Jit Rikhye, Indian commanding officer of UN peacekeeping forces and a former military advisor to the UN Secretary-General. Under his tenure, IPI initiated an innovative program aimed at training civilians and military officers together for the challenges of preventing conflict and building peace. In 1990, under Olara Otunnu, a Ugandan diplomat and politician, IPI branched out into the political dimensions of war and peace. During this time, IPI became known for its case studies of UN field operations and for its forward-looking analysis on new roles for the UN in the security sphere. Otunnu also initiated IPI's Africa Program, currently its longest-running program.
The next IPI President, in 1998, was David M. Malone, a Canadian scholar-diplomat. Malone took IPI more deeply into the realm both of scholarship and of policy advocacy, focused in part on the work of the UN Security Council. IPI broke new ground on the economics of war, on links between the causes of conflict and conflict prevention, the nexus of security and development and on new forms of international governance, such as transitional administration. It became a source of expertise for the media in which Malone and his IPI colleagues published frequent opinion and analytical pieces.
Since 2005, IPI has been led by Terje Rød-Larsen, a principal architect of the 1990s Oslo Peace Accords and a Norwegian sociologist and diplomat who has served the UN as its senior envoy in the Middle East.
IPI today focuses its work on crisis and the response capacity of international institutions, UN reform, state-building/peace-building, and has specific regional programs on the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Offices are currently located in Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain, New York, and Vienna.

Activities

General

The IPI out work in and on Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia that involves interacting with international diplomats, dignitaries and scholars to achieve its goals. These include direct consultation with diplomats and officials, conducting research and publishing reports, convening discussions and presentations, and encouraging and facilitating diplomatic activities of others.
The IPI has convened discussion panels—particularly "high-level panels" made up of international diplomats, dignitaries and scholars -- to discuss major issues in international affairs, particularly those directly affecting international peace and security.
The organization publishes a wide range of reports relating to international diplomacy, peacekeeping and humanitarian responses to crisis.

Vienna Seminar

The International Peace Institute Vienna Seminar on Peacemaking and Peacekeeping is an annual event, held in Vienna, Austria since 1970. Over the years it has become a widely recognized forum for discussion of peace and security issues, addressed in a broad sense. It operates with additional support from the Austrian and Viennese governments, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. The event includes presentations by major international diplomats and political officials.

Funding

According to the IPI website, the organisation is funded by governments, philanthropic foundations, and individuals. Roughly 70% of annual funds are from government donors, and 22% of our funds are from philanthropic foundations. The remaining funds come from corporate sponsors, individuals, and our board members.
In 2017-2018 financial statements declare US$11,476,509 in assets.

Current Officers