Conflict prevention and early warning in the political practice of international organizations

This report analyses whether and to what extent international organizations have formulated and implemented strategies of conflict prevention and, to this purpose, early warning mechanisms. It also assesses the related and underlying concepts of security as used by those institutions and whether anything is done with (perceived) signals of potential conflict and, if so, with what kind of mechanisms and procedures. In so far as particular organizations have not yet realized early warning mechanisms and conflict preventive strategies the report analyses their arrangements for the settlement of existing disputes - as well as any reforms - from the perspective of their relevance to conflict prevention. The report concentrates on the following international organizations: the Organization on Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); the UNO; the Organization of American States (OAS); the OAU, the ECOWAS, and the SADC; and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)