Preventing Violent Conflict: The Search for Political Will, Strategies and Effective Tools

This report summarizes the proceedings and main findings of a seminar organized by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (SIIA). The subject of this meeting, held at the Krusenberg Estate, outside Stockholm, was Preventing Violent Conflict—The Search for Political Will, Strategies and Effective Tools.

The seminar brought together a diverse range of individuals from government, international organizations, the media, business, academia and non-governmental organizations whose common attribute is an engagement—actual or potential—in the process of conflict prevention. The purpose of their interaction was to consider the factors that affect international willingness to undertake conflict prevention and identify ways of overcoming the gap between early warning and early action to prevent violent conflict. The seminar was inspired by growing international interest in responding proactively to the threat of conflict and, in particular, the Swedish Government's Action Plan for Preventing Violent Conflict, which seeks to stimulate a global culture of prevention.