Peacebuilding Initiative
The Peacebuilding Initiative advances research, teaching, and policy work on how peace is built and sustained — conducting global comparative studies and convening scholars and practitioners working toward a more peaceful world.
The Jackson School of Global Affairs Peacebuilding Initiative (PBI) works towards understanding pathways to peace and documenting how policy efforts can build a more lasting peace.
Faculty affiliates are leading a global comparative study to help realize a more peaceful 21st century, including multi-site research with partners in Costa Rica, Jordan, Mauritania, United Kingdom, and Turkey, as well as with New Haven communities, Connecticut, and the United Nations. It will also provide concrete opportunities for Jackson School students to complete a field practicum in partner countries.
The initiative also hosts an annual colloquium and speaker events to consolidate lessons learned and develop the peacebuilding network anchored at Yale. Learn more.
The latest news from the Peacebuilding Initiative
Yale peacebuilding fellows reflect on summer fieldwork around the world
Four Yale students spent their summers as Peacebuilding Initiative student fellows, documenting how communities in Bosnia, Ecuador, Georgia, and Northern Ireland recover from conflict and pursue lasting peace.
Researchers, negotiators, and policymakers convene at Yale to advance the science of peace
The 2026 Yale Peacebuilding Colloquium, “Peace, Power, and the Global Good,” convened scholars and practitioners to share evidence, test ideas, and prepare work for the United Nations General Assembly.
Željko Komšić, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia & Herzegovina, speaks at Jackson
The February 9, 2026 event, “The World from the Periphery,” explored Bosnia and Herzegovina’s position in geopolitics — as a small country, a generation removed from war and genocide, still searching for stability.
Yale Jackson researchers examine how different groups define everyday peace
A new study led by Catherine Panter-Brick uses visual mapping to reveal how understandings of everyday peace differ across stakeholder groups in conflict-affected societies. Originally published by Yale News.
Upcoming events
The Peacebuilding Initiative hosts guest speakers throughout the year and organizes an annual colloquium.
Pádraig Ó Tuama in Conversation: On Poetry, Peace, and Conflict
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are separate registrations for the in-person event and the Zoom (click Join Stream below). Please choose one. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact jackson...
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- Horchow Hall, GM Room (103)
Peacebuilding Initiative leadership
Meet the Jackson School faculty members and practitioners who are leading the Peacebuilding Initiative.
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Cara Fallon
- Senior Lecturer
- Director, Global Health Studies Program
- Director of Undergraduate Studies in Global Health
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Catherine Panter-Brick
- Bruce A. and Davi-Ellen Chabner Professor of Anthropology, Health, and Global Affairs
- Co-Director, Peacebuilding Initiative
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David Simon
- Senior Lecturer
- Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
- Co-Director, Peacebuilding Initiative
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Bonnie Weir
- Senior Lecturer
- Co-Director, Peacebuilding Initiative
Courses
The Peacebuilding Initiative develops peace-based courses that give students theoretical and methodological tools to critically analyze conflict and peacebuilding worldwide, informing their coursework, internships, and careers in fields like public policy, global affairs, and humanitarian work.
Learn more
Research and policy briefs
The initiative leads multi-site research with partners in Costa Rica, Jordan, Mauritania, Northern Ireland, and Turkey, as well as local communities in the U.S. and the United Nations.
Learn more