Preventive Diplomacy in Action

Kyrgyzstan 2010

In this unit, we will study the concept of preventive diplomacy, its tools and the ways in which it is put into practice on the basis of the case of Kyrgyzstan.

BACKGROUND

Preventive diplomacy is action to prevent disputes from arising between parties, to prevent existing disputes from escalating into conflicts and to limit the spread of the latter when they occur.

The UN Approach to Preventive Diplomacy

The UN can engage in conflict prevention and resolution at any stage and its activities encompass:

Long-term conflict prevention: strengthening social mechanisms and institutions, assistance in the fields of governance, rule of law, security sector, elections, promoting equality, etc.

Short-term targeted conflict prevention: providing ‘good offices’ and mediation, facilitating peace talks, encouraging conflicting parties to reconcile.

TASK 1

Follow the link below and study the UN’s preventive diplomacy toolkit (the particular ways in which the UN engages in preventive diplomacy).

United Nations Conflict Prevention and Preventive Diplomacy In Action

TASK 2

Study the case of Kyrgyzstan (2010) following the link above and identify the tools the UN used at different stages of the conflict cycle.