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The Prevention Agenda: Mapping Out Member States’ Concerns

The flags of the 193 UN Member States fly at the Palais des Nations, seat of the UN Office at Geneva

© United Nations Photo

Member states agree—in principle—with the Secretary-General that the United Nations should do more to­­­ prevent crises before they emerge, including through assisting countries to tackle root causes. But translating this approach into practice sometimes raises sensitivities and questions.

This briefing, our third in a series on prevention at the UN, maps out a wide range of member states’ concerns around the approach to prevention at the UN, based on dialogues with a regionally diverse group of 20 member states. It also identifies key areas of common ground that can provide the basis for forward movement on practical implementation of the prevention agenda.

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Jul 02, 2019
Paige Arthur, Céline Monnier
Peace and Security

Beneficial Ownership: The Global State of Play

Beneficial owners are defined as those who are the natural persons who ultimately own/control a customer and/or the natural persons on whose behalf a transaction is being conducted. It also includes those persons who exercise ultimate control over a legal person or arrangement. The availability of this information is a key requirement of international tax transparency and the fight against financial crime. Beneficial ownership is now the leading issue in the global anti-corruption and tax justice movement. 

This policy paper is the fourth contribution to the challenge paper on the Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion, which will be launched in July 2019 at the UN High-level Political Forum.

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Jul 01, 2019
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Nationally Led Prevention: Practical Examples of Approaches to Risk and Resilience

Children Playing in Front of Mural in Timor Leste

© United Nations Photo

The United Nations acknowledges that prevention is first and foremost a national priority. Indeed, governments routinely undertake efforts to reduce the risks of violent conflict, even when such actions are not formally called “prevention.”

This briefing, our second in a series on prevention at the UN, describes nationally led approaches to building resilience and reducing risk based on field research in Timor-Leste and Tunisia, as well as examples from a number of other countries, including the Gambia and Norway. 

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Jun 25, 2019
Paige Arthur, Céline Monnier
Peace and Security

Creating Political Space for Fiscal Compromises: How to Build Consensus Around Progressive Taxation and Spending

Schoolchildren in a classroom at the Mazouzi Mohamed Primary School in Algiers during Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to the school.

© United Nations Photo

Inclusive societies require progressive taxation and public spending policies to unlock the untapped potential of communities on the sidelines of economic progress. There is a common misconception that technical barriers are the key challenges to achieving this, however, this paper argues that the barriers to progressive taxation and public spending are largely political in nature. 

This policy paper is the third contribution to the challenge paper on the Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion, which will be launched in July 2019 at the UN High-level Political Forum.  

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Jun 25, 2019
Paul Von Chamier
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

Rebuilding Common Ground: An Agenda for 21st Century Democratic Health and Resilience

A woman holds a cloth sign on her back that reads “Power to the Peaceful” at a March For Our Lives rally in Portland, Maine.

All over the world, countries at widely varying levels of development and with very different histories are grappling with a similar challenge: breakdown of common ground in politics. This policy paper, the second contribution to the challenge paper on the Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion which will be launched in July 2019 at the UN High-level Political Forum, argues that the solution is to find ways back to a shared sense of common ground, common identity, and common purpose by "untriggering" politics, addressing grievances, and rebuilding common ground.

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Jun 18, 2019
Alex Evans
Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

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Programs in Focus

  • Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

    China-U.S. Cooperation in Central and South Asia

    This publication examines the main cooperation fields between China and the US in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the post-NATO period. In doing so, this study looks at the initiation of various bilateral joint projects as a distinctive turning point in China-US relations. It argues that existence of such bilateral projects and cooperation in this region does not only produce added value for the countries in question but also have the potential to enhance the mutual relations between China and US. This study also reveals the main common priorities and practices between China and the US and concludes that they have a partial convergence in their attitude towards the infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

  • Congo Research Group

    All the President's Wealth: The Kabila Family Business

    For the past 20 months, the Congo Research Group has documented the vast and eclectic business portfolio of Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and his family. This report presents our conclusions, based almost entirely on legal documents.

    You can find the whole report and examine the underlying documents here

  • Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

    The Roadmap for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: A Call to Action to Change our World

    The roadmap was developed by the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, a multi-stakeholder partnership that brings together UN member states, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector to accelerate delivery of the SDG targets for peace, justice and inclusion.

    It is available in English, French, and Spanish. 

    The Center on International Cooperation co-founded and currently hosts the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.

  • Peace and Security

    Global Peace Operations Review

    The Global Peace Operations Review is a website providing analysis and data on the spectrum of issues surrounding global peace and security, including civilian-led peacemaking and peacebuilding as well as uniformed peacekeeping by the United Nations, regional organizations and ad-hoc coalitions. The site’s objective is to contribute to the effectiveness of all peace operations.

    We seek to provide the most comprehensive overview of multilateral contributions to conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and post-conflict peacebuilding. In doing so, we seek to integrate thematic and cross-cutting issues including, but not limited to, the women, peace and security agenda and countering violent extremism.