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51. Lessons Learned from the UN’s Transition in Côte d’Ivoire

Author:
Alexandra Novosseloff
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
In April 2016, after four years of progressive downsizing, the Security Council decided to close the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) within a year. This decision reflected a consensus that it was time for UNOCI to leave and hand over to the UN country team with no follow-on mission. However, the transition was abrupt, without sustained dialogue, capacity transfer, or financial fluidity, leaving the UN country team unprepared to take on the mission’s responsibilities. This policy paper examines the political dynamics in Côte d’Ivoire and in the Security Council that led to the decision to withdraw UNOCI, as well as the stages of the withdrawal and handover. It also analyzes the gaps and shortcomings that left the country team ill-prepared to take over, highlighting two main challenges. First, the Security Council viewed the transition as a political process. Its objective of withdrawing the mission superseded all others, leading it to underestimate, if not overlook, the continued peacebuilding needs of the country. Second, the transition was accompanied by waning donor interest, undercutting programming by the country team in priority areas like reconciliation, security sector reform, human rights, and land tenure.
Topic:
Security, United Nations, Peacekeeping, UN Security Council, and Transition
Political Geography:
Africa and Côte d'Ivoire

52. Mission in Transition: Planning for the End of UN Peacekeeping in Haiti

Author:
Namie Di Razza
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
The process of reconfiguring, closing, and handing over responsibilities to a UN country team or host-state institutions is a crucial—and challenging—part of the life cycle of a UN peacekeeping mission. Transitions have been a central feature of UN peacekeeping in Haiti, in particular, which has gone through numerous transitions since the 1990s. This paper focuses on the two most recent peacekeeping transitions in Haiti: one from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), or from a multidimensional peacekeeping operation involving a substantial military component to a small peace operation focused on police and rule of law; and the ongoing transition toward the closure of MINUJUSTH and preparations for the eventual handover to other actors. For both missions, the paper focuses on three issues: (1) transition planning, including the political dynamics that influenced decision making, gaps between plans and the reality on the ground, and the limited role of the host state, UN country team, civil society, and donors; (2) management, logistical, and administrative challenges; and (3) issues related to business continuity and changes in substantive areas of work. It concludes by offering lessons learned from the past and current transitions that can inform the next drawdown and exit of peacekeepers from Haiti.
Topic:
United Nations, Peacekeeping, and Transition
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

53. Against the Odds: Civil Society in the Intra-Syrian Talks

Author:
Sarah Hellmüller and Marie-Joelle Zahar
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
On March 15, 2018, the Syrian armed conflict entered into its eighth year. Since 2011, attempts to facilitate a political solution to the Syrian conflict have either failed or stalled. Amidst this deadlock, one track that has not stalled is the civil society track. Against the odds, progress can be observed at this level as Syrian civil society has become better organized and more tightly interconnected, and as its voice in the process has grown stronger.
Topic:
International Relations
Political Geography:
Syria

54. Sustaining Peace in Practice: Building on What Works

Author:
Youssef Mahmoud, David Connolly, and Delphine Mechoulan
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Prevention is generally viewed as a crisis management tool to address the destructive dynamics of conflict. The sustaining peace agenda challenges this traditional understanding of preventive action by shifting the starting point of analysis to what is still working in society—the positive aspects of resilience—and building on these.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

55. Humanitarian Action and Sustaining Peace

Author:
Alice Dabarre
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
While humanitarian action was traditionally designed to be a short-term emergency response, this is increasingly perceived as inaccurate and even undesirable. Humanitarian actors have acknowledged a responsibility to work toward bridging the “humanitarian-development divide” and not to overlook the nexus between addressing and reducing humanitarian needs and building the foundations for sustaining peace.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

56. Aligning Agendas: Drugs, Sustainable Development, and the Drive for Policy Coherence

Author:
International Expert Group on Drug Policy Metrics
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Current drug policy too often has a negative impact on communities and runs counter to efforts to ameliorate poverty through sustainable development. However, this is often not captured by the metrics used to measure the impact of drug policy. One way to improve these metrics is to align them with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This would not only help overcome many of the limitations of drug policies resulting from suboptimal metrics but also make sure these policies enhance, rather than hinder, efforts to achieve the SDGs.
Topic:
International Affairs and Narcotics Trafficking
Political Geography:
Global Focus

57. The Role of Local Governance in Sustaining Peace

Author:
Alain Tschudin and Albert Trithart
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
While the importance of good governance to sustaining peace is widely recognized, the focus tends to be on national governance. This overlooks the crucial role of local governance actors, particularly when the central government is fragmented or lacks broad legitimacy. These actors include not only formal institutions like municipal governments but also a mix of other actors that could range from traditional chieftaincies to community-based organizations to religious institutions.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

58. Toward a New Gambia: Linking Peace and Development

Author:
Lesley Connolly and Cheryl He
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
In December 2016 Gambians took to the polls and successfully replaced longtime president Yahya Jammeh with current President Adama Barrow, ushering in a political transition. More than a year into this transition, the country is at a tipping point. Public expectations remain high, and the list of competing priorities, from increasing economic opportunities to implementing transitional justice, is long.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Gambia

59. The Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen: Beyond the Man-Made Disaster

Author:
Guillio Coppi
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Two years into its current crisis, Yemen is torn apart by an interlinked series of conflicts with intricate and mobile front lines. These have resulted in what the UN has called “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.” While compounded by decades of conflict, violence, and underdevelopment, the major cause of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the conflict between the two competing governments, along with the intervention of the Saudi-led coalition.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Yemen

60. Evaluating mechanisms for investigating attacks on heathcare

Author:
Els Debuf
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
IPI’s research project on mechanisms to investigate attacks on healthcare aims to assist the Security Council, relevant UN organs, member states, and other stakeholders in operationalizing Resolution 2286 and the UN secretary-general’s recommendations for its implementation. The project focuses on recommendations regarding the use of international mechanisms to ensure that the “full, prompt, impartial and effective investigations” required by Resolution 2286 are carried out when parties to the conflict are unable or unwilling to do so themselves. Through a combination of desk research, key informant interviews, and an expert meeting bringing together stakeholders in the implementation of Resolution 2286 and experts on international fact-finding and investigation into violations of international humanitarian law, the project developed a set of tools, available on this page. These include:
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus