The Initiative for Peacebuilding – Early Warning Analysis to Action (IfP-EW) is a consortium led by International Alert and funded by the European Commission. It draws on the expertise of 10 members comprising civil society organizations, networks and universities and 3 associates with offices across the EU and in conflict-affected countries. It aims to develop and harness international knowledge and expertise in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding to ensure that all stakeholders, including EU institutions, can access strong, independent, locally-derived analysis in order to facilitate better informed and more evidence-based policy and programming decisions.

While the specific activities and objectives of IfP-EW are distinct from those of IfP they build on its strengths and experiences, identifying some of the key, relevant but not always obvious issues that are challenges to peace. Accordingly IfP-EW undertakes the following objectives:

• Exploring the multiple drivers of fragility and conflict in a wide variety of contexts across five global regions.

• Using locally-derived analyses in a number of under-explored, overlapping areas to inform conflict prevention and crisis response strategies and policies.

• Understanding the critical systemic constraints to early action and strengthening institutional approaches to early response. Improving collaboration and strengthening networking among research institutions, think-tanks, academic and civil society organisations.

Specific objectives:

• To increase understanding of (i) the factors which catalyse violence and turn fragility into open, widespread violence, and (ii) the systemic blockages and policies which constrain institutions from acting fully and promptly on available analyses.

IfP-EW focuses on multiple themes across multiple regions and is organised in a framework of four interconnected clusters. Thematically the action includes: climate change; improving institutional capacity; media and information flows, and youth, identity and security. Geographically the action covers – in addition to EU member states – Africa (Cape Verde, DRC, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Uganda), the Americas (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Venezuela) and Asia (Armenia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Timor Leste). You can find more information here.

The Role of ELIAMEP

The Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) has participated in two clusters. The first is related to climate change and security and the second to media and conflict.  Within this framework ELIAMEP   organized a conference on the impact of climate change in the Mediterranean which took place in Athens on 24-25 February 2011. It also took the initiative of bringing together  young journalists from Serbia and Kosovo in order to faciliate their co-operation. This workshop took place in Athens from 9 until 12 March 2011.