Policy

Violence prevention and peacebuilding are not yet a sufficient global priority.

We provide evidence-based tools and guidance governments, the United Nations, and international financial institutions turn evidence on violence prevention and peacebuilding into policy that works in practice.

Working across three types of violence- crime, conflict, and violent extremism and terrorism- we support Member States and their multilateral partners in developing effective, coherent strategies that address their underlying causes.

Mission

Violence prevention and peacebuilding are not yet a sufficient global priority. Limited confidence in their effectiveness makes it harder to secure investment. At the heart of this challenge is a gap in our understanding of what makes prevention and peacebuilding policy effective.

Violence is a complex problem, with multiple, interconnected underlying causes. Isolated efforts often do not work. We need strategies that address multiple causes and bring different actors and approaches together.

Designing those strategies requires two things:

The right evidence base: A wealth of research exists, but it is often siloed, hard to access, and not designed to inform policy decisions.
Connecting practitioners and policymakers: There is a gap between practitioners’ knowledge, experience, and needs and multilateral policy discussions.

Our mission is to help close these gaps by making evidence more usable for policy and practice, connecting policy decisions more closely to needs and experience in the field, and bringing actors together around shared, evidence-based strategies to prevent violence more effectively.

Photo courtesy of NYU Center on International Cooperation / Symphony Chau.

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This Pillar builds on years of experience and lessons learned from the Peacebuilding and Prevention Program at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC). Through our work in and around policy debates, particularly at the United Nations, we have seen firsthand the gaps between what is needed for effective prevention and peacebuilding and policy decisions.

Transitions and Key Partnerships at NYU

Following many years of successful work at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC), the Prevention and Peacebuilding Program is evolving into the Peace Policy Pillar and moving to NYU’s Peace Research and Education Program. The team maintains a strong collaboration with CIC.

This evolution will enable the program to maintain its strong focus on international cooperation while expanding its collaboration with peace researchers across the university.

Three Workstreams

The Peace Pillar builds on its long-time experience and partnerships to establish a leading platform for advancing the practice of prevention and peacebuilding globally, with one overarching goal: to bridge research and practice by translating evidence into more effective, context-specific policies and international support. This goal is pursued through three mutually reinforcing workstreams: