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Multilateral Action to Prevent Crisis and Build Peace, Justice, and Inclusion.

The Center on International Cooperation (CIC) is a non-profit research center housed at New York University. For over two decades, CIC has been a leader in applied policy that links politics, security, justice, development, and humanitarian issues.

Learn About CIC's Approach

Our Impact

CIC programs work towards the prevention of new crises and promotion of peace, justice, and inclusion through thematic and regional/country-based programs.

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Congo Research Group

The Congo Research Group (CRG) was founded in 2015 to promote rigorous, independent research into the violence that affects millions of Congolese. Today, CRG’s bilingual research aims to explain the complicated interplay among politics, violence, and political economy in the Congo to a wide audience.

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Crisis Prevention & Peacebuilding

The Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding program supports efforts to strengthen the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus for countries in crises as well as prevention initiatives, which focus on three critical areas of work—operationalizing prevention at the United Nations, data-driven approaches to peace, and the Good Peacebuilding Financing initiative.

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Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Co-founded in 2017 and hosted by CIC, the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies initiative is a high-ambition, multi-stakeholder partnership that brings together 43 United Nations member states and over 100 partners, from international organizations and civil society, to the private sector, committed to accelerating the delivery of SDG16+ (the Sustainable Development Goal targets for peace, justice, and inclusion).

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Promoting and Defending Multilateralism

The Promoting and Defending Multilateralism program was born out of the awareness that collective action is crucial to address twenty-first century challenges, from conflict and economic instability to global health and climate threats. It aims to provide deeper understanding, independent perspectives, and expert analysis to assist stakeholders and decision-makers seeking to strengthen the United Nations and other key multilateral institutions.

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A Look at the Data

Data-driven insights is an integral part of our programs. Our data tools support peer organizations, researchers, policymakers, and other institutions in their work.

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Our Insights

Featured Publication: Report December 14, 2022

Annual Report 2021-2022

The Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University is pleased to share our Annual Report 2021-2022, which covers the activities and achievements of CIC and the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies from October 2021 through September 2022, in support of our mission to strengthen cooperative approaches among national governments, international organizations, and the wider policy community—to prevent crises and to advance peace, justice, and inclusion.
Publication: Report January 4, 2023 Humanitarian Crises

The World’s Humanitarian, Economic, and Political Engagement with Afghanistan

The August 2021 fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its replacement by the Taliban ended a two decade chapter of economic and social development. On top of an already weak economy reeling from COVID-19 and a multi-year drought, the overnight cutoff of most Western aid, freezing of foreign reserve funds, and effective severing of Afghanistan’s links with the global financial system plunged Afghanistan into multiple and overlapping humanitarian, economic, financial, and political crises of almost incomprehensible proportions.
Publication: Analysis December 27, 2022 CIC Perspectives

2022 Retrospective and Trends for 2023

One year ago, we started our analysis of trends in 2022 on a pessimistic note, including the long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; macro-economic volatility; the risk of a war in Ukraine and escalating tensions over Iran and Taiwan; and increasing divisions between North and South and between China and the West.
Publication: Report November 1, 2022 Humanitarian Crises

Alternative Aid Modalities: Community Development

Economic sanctions and restrictions on development aid in fragile and conflict-affected states have become an increasingly prominent part of the international toolkit for dealing with regimes that violate international norms and rules or are beset by conflict.
Media November 9, 2022 Promoting and Defending Multilateralism

Hun Sen's mediation efforts fall flat during tough year as ASEAN chair

Sarah Cliffe
Media November 1, 2022 Congo Research Group

Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda Hostilities Increase

Jason Stearns
Publication: Policy Brief September 14, 2022 Humanitarian Crises

Colombia’s Support for Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees

This policy brief explores the commendable policy efforts made by successive Colombia administrations to pursue economic and social integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the face of crisis and calls for the international community to increase its financial support for Colombia’s response to the Venezuelan migration situation.

Available in EN, ES
Publication: Report October 24, 2022 Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding

International Peacebuilding Financing and Changing Politics in Europe

Official Development Assistance (ODA) from European countries and the EU institutions has been a large and important source of grant funding for international peacebuilding over the last twenty years. This paper provides some recommendations for the peacebuilding community to consider when making the case to sustain and improve the quality of peacebuilding support, with a particular focus on ODA from Europe.
Publication: Policy Brief September 9, 2022 Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding

Four reasons why the New Agenda for Peace should focus on nationally led violence prevention strategies

The New Agenda for Peace is a key opportunity to give new momentum to nationally led prevention strategies. This policy brief looks at how these strategies are fertile ground to make progress on the UN prevention agenda for four reasons.
Publication: Analysis September 15, 2022 CIC Perspectives

What should leaders focus on during the United Nations General Assembly High-level week 2022 to help restore some popular trust in international collective action and multilateralism?

Leaders will come together in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High Level Week starting September 19 for both a return to diplomacy and a test of diplomacy. At the last minute, the schedule for the meetings has been thrown into disarray by the death of the HM Queen Elizabeth II, with her funeral in London scheduled for September 19: this will draw attendance from many heads of state and governments and will mean that the earliest many leaders will arrive in New York for UNGA is the night of September 19-20

Explore our Areas of Expertise

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Refugees & Migrants

Afghanistan from the Pamir highway, Photo by EJ Wolfson on Unsplash.

Regional Focus: Post-2021 Afghanistan

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Our Common Agenda

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Peace Operations

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