ABOUT US

The International Institute for Peace (IIP) is an international, non-governmental organization with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The IIP has consultative status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, Culture and Communication (UNESCO). It operates on the basis of Austrian law as a non-profit association. Established in 1956, the Institute was re-founded by its former president Erwin Lanc in 1989, and its current president is Dr. Hannes Swoboda. 

The IIP functions as a platform to promote peace and non-violent conflict resolution across the world to a wide range of stakeholders – scholars, diplomats, practitioners, military personnel, and civil society as well as students and private citizens. The Institute strives to address the most topical issues of the day and promote dialogue, public engagement, and a common understanding to ensure a holistic approach to conflict resolution and a durable peace.  

In order to address the diverse and multifaceted approaches to peaceful conflict resolution, the IIP collaborates with various national and international institutions and organisations (see our partners). The IIP, both alone and through collaborations, organizes lectures, conferences, seminars, backgrounds talks, workshops, and symposia on a wide range of issues. 

In recent years, the IIP has focused in particular on the areas of international security, disarmament, arms control, migration, and non-proliferation. On a regional level, the IIP emphasizes the EU’s neighborhood, including the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership countries, Russia, the Middle East, and Africa. However, the IIP has also featured events on topics ranging from the arts and EU foreign policy to the Korean peninsula and Latin America. 

The IIP’s values:

  • Diversity and dialogue: The IIP seeks to include and represent voices and perspectives from a variety of backgrounds and identities.

  • Peace and human rights: The IIP emphasizes the need to support and protect human rights and peace at all times and in all circumstances, both in our events and discussions as well as through our actions.

  • Cooperation and partnership: The IIP strives to actively collaborate with partner organizations to utilize our relative strengths and foster teamwork.

  • Gender: The IIP aims the promote gender equality and mainstream gender perspectives, from ensuring equal representation on panels to highlighting gender as a topic. The IIP is a proud member of International Gender Champions, a leadership network that brings together female and male decision-makers to break down gender barriers.

  • Nonpartisanship: The IIP avoids all partisan affiliations and works to engage with voices from all political parties and outlooks.

  • Public engagement: The IIP welcomes all interested members of the public to our panel events and discussions and publishes information and recaps of all events to improve accessibility.

  • Support for our interns: The IIP is committed to paying its interns in order to allow students and young professionals to gain practical experience in the field.