PREP is the home of field-based peace research and action at the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs. The program facilitates innovation and learning at the intersection of peacebuilding and higher education through projects in Iraq, Colombia and elsewhere. Led by Dr. Thomas Hill and a team of researchers based in Iraq and New York, PREP is a space for collaboration between faculty members, students, and researchers from NYU and affiliated universities, as well as representatives of international organizations. With its affiliates in Iraq, Colombia and beyond, PREP works to: - Strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions to serve as peacebuilding actors at community and regional levels - Improve peace research practice to contribute to better policy formulation - Harness the intellectual and creative capacity of local populations to strengthen social cohesion and community-level resilience to conflict among populations affected by displacement and violence Through formal and informal context-specific educational programs at NYU and abroad, PREP aims to equip current and future leaders with capacity to enhance the levels of peacefulness worldwide. In addition to applied research in the field, PREP conducts public events in New York and abroad. PREP creates tangible links between its field research and the academic community at the Center for Global Affairs. In particular, PREP affiliates frequently offer opportunities for students in the MS in Global Affairs to gain practical peacebuilding experience through the Workshop in Applied Peacebuilding each spring and summer. PREP believes that in order to build more peaceful societies it is necessary to participate in vibrant and equitable international partnerships that model best peacebuilding practices with international, regional and local affiliates. Central to that approach must be a commitment to work closely with affiliates to identify, strengthen, and draw upon local capacities for peacebuilding.
