Switzerland - The Graduate Institute, Geneva

PRIO, INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, OSLO
Address
Phone +47 22 54 77 00
Fax +47 22 54 77 01
Web www.prio.no
E-Mail info@prio.no
PRIO - International Peace Research Institute,
Oslo, Hausmanns gate 7, NO-0186 Oslo, Norway
Category Research & Knowledge
MISSION STATEMENT
Scholarly research is at the core of all institute activities. Research at PRIO concentrates on the driving forces behind violent conflict
and on ways in which peace can be built, maintained and spread. In addition to theoretical and empirical research, PRIO also
conducts policy-oriented activities and engages in the search for solutions in cases of actual or potential violent conflict. This
combination of scholarship and practice has brought PRIO closer to meeting the normative ambitions of peace research: to apply
high-quality academic standards to the study of peace and conflict, and to help diminish violent conflict in practice.
Founding year 1959. (Fully independent since 1966.)
BACKGROUND AND ACTIVITIES
PRIO hosts the editorial offices of two international journals that are published by SAGE in London: Journal of Peace Research and
Security Dialogue. PRIO’s scholarly work is disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals, as well as through books,
reports and conference papers. The PRIO library holds a core stock of material relevant to peace research, democracy, security
policy, disarmament and environmental issues.
PRIO’s overall research is organized into three Strategic Institute Programmes:
� Security Programme
� Ethics, Norms and Identities: PRIO’s Ethics, Norms and Identities (ENI) programme comprises two broad and
interrelated strands of research. First, research within the programme addresses normative dimensions of conflict and
peacebuilding. Second, the programme addresses how different identities influence, and are influenced by, the dynamics of
conflict and peace. Identities examined include those of gender, ethnicity and religion. Questions of identities are central to
PRIO’s research on international migration, much of which is located within the ENI programme. The two strands of
research within the programme are closely related. For instance, various approaches to the ethics of war are closely linked
to issues of religious identity. Similarly, gender dimensions of international interventions raise questions about moral
responsibility. Research projects in the programme are characterized by qualitative methodologies and analyses of various
forms: textual and discourse analysis, fieldwork, interviews and participatory observation in a variety of conflict settings.
This diversity in analytical approach reflects the fact that researchers within the programme come from a range of different
disciplines, including philosophy, human geography, political science, psychology, international law and international
relations.
� Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding: The Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding programme (CRP) encompasses
research, training and education, policy development and the promotion of peace efforts around the world. The
programme’s theme is given a broad definition and includes questions of conflict prevention and early warning, mediation
and efforts to reach settlements, and sustaining peace through political and economic development, disarmament, military
reform and reconciliation. The CRP programme has a high profile and a high relevance to Norwegian foreign policy.