Enhancing the Peacekeeping-Peacebuilding Nexus, Oslo, 25 & 26 October

The aim of the seminar was to create an opportunity for leading researchers in the peacekeeping and peacebuilding fields to interact with UN and other policy makers on an issue of particular relevance, with a view to informing and enriching their future research on this topic. The seminar was arranged by NUPI, ACCORD, the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre and the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

 Apart from several colleagues from the UN, the World Bank, the OECD and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present, as was researchers from the Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Norway, Netherlands, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

 The seminar discussed the role of peacekeeping in institution- and state-building, peacekeeping and local peacebuilding, and transitions from peacekeeping to peacebuilding.

There was a general sense that although the nexus between peacekeeping and peacebuilding is a key issue that requires policy attention and research focus, it is an extremely complex issue that apart from a few broad principles are heavily influenced by the specific dynamics of each peace process, as well as the politics and institutional realities of the various organizations that are engaged in peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Both ACCORD and NUPI will continue to follow this topic closely over the next few months, and further research and policy support initiatives will follow.

Read more about the seminar here.