WORLD BRIDGE BLOG

A few years ago, in 2001, some Washington DC-based advocacy groups thought the time was right to ask Congress to support a standing United Nations peace support force. That force, widely known as the UN Emergency Peace Service, hasn't come to pass and likely won't. But the mechanism the advocates set up to support their cause, the Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping (PEP), does exist and will for the foreseeable future.

The PEP is a non-partisan working group led by Refugees International, Citizens for Global Solutions, and the Better World Campaign that brings together the policy, advocacy, humanitarian, and academic communities to promote improved international peacekeeping capacity and increased U.S. support for peacekeeping.

Specifically the PEP:

• Provides an open forum for candid discussion of peacekeeping issues;

• Engages in educational efforts to enhance public understanding of peacekeeping issues;

• Serves as an information resource for policymakers and the media; and

• Improves the collaboration among its members on relevant advocacy initiatives.

In the past year, we've been looking for ways to strengthen the PEP and to get its message out. This week, we took a big step when we launched the new PEP website. The site is primarily designed to serve as a resource for individuals and organizations that are interested in peacekeeping policy and reform. On the new (and I have to say, vastly improved) site, visitors can access up-to-date information on peacekeeping, including recent news, key reports and research, relevant policy announcements and updates, and the latest advocacy initiatives.

A special thanks to our friends at the Better World Campaign for funding the new site, and also to our web team, Firefly Partners, for their expert guidance. My personal thanks go out to RI's Congressional and Peacekeeping Associate Matt Pennington for taking on the huge task of organizing the re-designing the site, re-writing much of the information and launching it (almost precisely) on schedule, and to Sara Fusco, RI's Assistant Director for Online Communications for her help and for her patience with those of us who are somewhat technologically challenged.

We hope you will spend some time exploring www.effectivepeacekeeping.org. Please let us know what you think.