Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 01/2012

The UN Security Council and Conflict Prevention: A Primer

Paul Romita

October 2011

International Peace Institute

Abstract

Attention to the topic of conflict prevention has become heightened in recent years. In September 2011 the office of the United Nations Secretary-General released its first report focused specifically on preventive diplomacy; the report was subsequently discussed at the Security Council under the presidency of Lebanon. This paper aims to contribute to these ongoing discussions by providing a primer on the UN’s work on conflict prevention and ideas for improving the Security Council’s work in this area.