On Tuesday, 26 January more than 200 people attended an event co-hosted by United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the International Studies Association (ISA) entitled The United Nations Confronting War and Violence: Lessons after 70 Years.
The three hour discussion examined the lessons learned from seventy years of UN conflict resolution and what role academia, research institutions and data collection can play in strengthening peacemaking, peacebuilding and peacekeeping.?
UNAI Director Ramu Damodaran, as conference moderator, encouraged panelists to outline key areas in which the United Nations could improve in conflict prevention and response.
Panelists included Paul Diehl, President of the International Studies Association, Jean Krasno, Lecturer at the City University of New York, Cyril Obi, Program Director at the Social Science Research Center, Hardeep Puri, Secretary-General of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism and Vice President of the International ²Ù±ÆÊÓƵapp Institute, Former Deputy Executive Director at UNICEF Rima Salah and Arturo Sotomayor of the University of Texas, Austin.
Rima Salah, who recently served as a member of the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on ²Ù±ÆÊÓƵapp Operations, noted that a key finding of the panel was the need for the United Nations to be more inclusive in its approach to peacebuilding because lasting and sustainable peace was more likely to be accomplished if all relevant stakeholders were included in the process.?
Arturo Sotomayor pointed out that academia could be helpful in identifying linkages and helping to inform policy with data collection and analysis, and he also noted that it was important for both academics and practitioners to learn not only from things that were done right, but also from mistakes that have been made when responding to past conflicts and formulating policy. ??
Jean Krasno spoke about the increased vulnerability of women in conflict and crisis situations and the importance of taking these needs into consideration when creating policies, but also the need for more inclusion for women across the societal spectrum, from political to economic, social, cultural and peacekeeping roles.
In response to a question from a conference participant, Hardeep Puri noted that while there were many areas in which the UN could improve, the UN Charter is in fact a visionary document that enables the international community to deal with the threats of today and the coming decades without any difficulty.? However, he noted that the Charter's provisions for prevention of conflict and inclusion could be strengthened and there was room for more civil society participation and the voice of we the peoples in the work of the UN. ? ??
With regards to lessons learned, Cyril Obi noted that there was a great deal to be gained through South-South cooperation and knowledge sharing between countries as this not only increased cross cultural understanding but also helped to foster best practices across countries and continents. ??
Paul Diehl of ISA said that people often think there is very little overlap between academics and practitioners, but the day's discussion showed that there were many areas which could benefit from collaboration across disciplines. ? ??
The panel discussion, including the Q&A session, is available online at .