The Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (FAST) and NYU CIC have been exploring the actual and potential material and socio-economic effects of UN peacekeeping missions in conflict-affected urban environments, with a particular focus on the departing mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Utilizing fresh perspectives such as urban planning and design, the project has examined the evolving spatial and technological infrastructure of UN peacekeeping; identified concrete opportunities to maximize the positive impact of UN missions on their immediate surroundings; and contributed to a more concrete, practical discussion of sustaining peace, prevention, and cross-pillar cooperation—a discussion that often remains abstract. We are proud to launch the findings from this project in a new publication entitled UN Peacekeeping Missions in Urban Environments: The Legacy of UNMIL​. 

The Global Focal Point (GFP) has improved the United Nation's coherence in police, justice, and corrections, but has reached the limits of the initial model. This review by the Center on International Cooperation, the Folke Bernadotte Academy, and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs​ evaluates how the GFP has contributed to joint working arrangements that have produced real outcomes on the ground in post-conflict and crisis situations. It also considers the barriers that these efforts have faced and the need for adaptation going forward.