Peace studies

Being in a research-action perspective, the ambition of our network is also to encourage forward-looking and innovative thinking, and to provide concrete solutions to contemporary challenges.

As an IFCU international research group, the network benefits from the Federation’s registration in international forums where its expertise will be promoted: Council of Europe, OSCE, UNESCO, and ECOSOC in particular. The network has close collaborations with the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (partnership in actions, participation in the CPN’s scientific council)

The network is dedicated to analyzing the following contemporary issues:

• Prevention (early warning) of conflicts ;

• Analysis of issues related to armaments, particularly nuclear weapons ;

• Analysis of issues related to new technologies, artificial intelligence and their implications for future security ;

• Religions and conflicts (including radicalization) ;

• Impact of interreligious dialogue on peace processes and tolerance policies ;

• Terrorism ;

• Causes and impacts of migration processes ;

• Environmental conflicts ;

• Post-conflict and resilience policies.

Other initiatives

The Krock Institute, the Université Saint Paul and IFCU are the initiators of a project on “Churches’ involvement in peace processes”. They are looking for involving Conflict Studies Departments at IFCU member universities, starting by the United States. There isn’t a calendar, yet, but a congress should take place either in Europe or in the United States.

 The group is basically working on 3 research strands:

o Epistemology of peace studies
o AI and peacebuilding
o Churches’ involvement in peace processes

The group will turn into a group on “human security”, working in particular with the Catholic University of Lliv in Ukraine. One of the missions of this group will be to write a report for the Secretariat of State on the subject of the social doctrine of the Church with regard to international developments.