The realm of international relations comprises today not only states but also many regional organisations such as the European Union, the African Union, the Organization of American States, or the League of Arab States. Since the end of the Second World War, these organisations have traditionally been formed around economic, political, or environmental objectives. However, over the last decades regional organisations have gradually penetrated into the security sphere and developed their capacities in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, or post-war reconstruction. The aim of this project is to assess the meaning and the impact of regional organisations to global governance. It stands at the interface between theory and practice, so that the results of the research can be translated into a policy-oriented discussion to inform scholars and policy-makers in the international community.

1. Regional Security and Global Governance: A study of Interaction between Regional Organisations and the UN Security Council

The project objective is to explore the meaning and promise of a ‘new vision of global security’, that as the UN-Secretary General put it would draw upon the resources and legitimacy of a network of “effective and mutually-reinforcing multilateral mechanisms - regional and global – that are flexible and responsive to our rapidly changing and integrating world”. The aim is to ensure that such research stands at the interface between theory and practice, so that the results of the research can be translated into a policy-oriented discussion to inform scholars and policy-makers in the international community. The project therefore analyses the theoretical constitutional provisions of the UN and the related regional organisations for handling conflict, including their relative areas of co-responsibility. It then reviews the historical development in this respect, through both policy-formulation based on the dialogue between the UN Security Council and regional organisations, and selected regional case studies. Conclusions and prescriptive recommendations are drawn, aiming to highlight the relationship between a global approach and a regional approach to differing levels of conflict. This project has led to collaboration between UNU-CRIS and the UNDPA unit for cooperation with regional organisations, the researchers giving intellectual feeding to the process through tailored background research and assistance in the preparation and management of the meetings pertaining to this process, both at working and high-level. More information about this project can be found here.

2. Building conflict prevention and peace-building capacities in regional and sub-regional organisations as a cooperative effort with the United Nations 

In the end of 2005 UN-DPA, UNU-CRIS and UNDP started a project intended to clarifying and strengthening the existing capacities in conflict prevention and peace-building, having the support of the Canadian Human Security Program (HSP) for the conduction of this project. The basis for this project was the high-level meetings process between the UN and the regional and other intergovernmental organisations and ongoing developments in the cooperation between the UN and regional organisations in peace and security. The general  project objectives were:

• Provide clarity on the capacities of regional and other organizations to act in the areas of conflict prevention and peace-building
• Recommend ways of improving their performance in these areas; and thereby
• Strengthen cooperation between the UN and such organizations.

This project was based on the premise put forward by the Human Security Program – that the most efficient and effective approach to reducing human insecurity is to prevent the emergence of violent conflict through a coherent and comprehensive framework that takes into account all the phases of the conflict cycle. This approach entails a strongly felt need to strengthen international capacity for joint conflict prevention and peace-building, particularly at the regional level.

3. Capacity Survey: Regional and other Intergovernmental Organisations in the Maintenance of Peace and Security

Regional organisations are an inescapable feature of international politics. Virtually all countries in the world are members of at least one regional or other intergovernmental organisation. In a globalized era of assertive competition and porous borders, the orthodox notion of nation-state is undergoing a major overhauling, which creates conditions for alternative political actors, such as regional organisations, to come to the forefront. Since the end of the Second World War, regional organisations have traditionally been formed around economic, political or environmental objectives. However, over the last decades these organisations have gradually penetrated into the peace and security sphere and developed their capacities in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, or post-war reconstruction. In Europe, Africa, Asia, or the Americas, regional and other intergovernmental organisations have been empowered by the UN and national governments to maintain peace and security concurrently. More info