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IPI 
INTERNATIONAL 
PEACE 
INSTITUTE 
Vienna 16 July 2015 
Proposal for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2016-2018: 
POLIO ERADICATION & 
HEALTH AND SECURITY 
I. OVERVIEW 
This proposal by the International Peace Institute (IPI) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) 
consists of two parts. The first focuses on (i) polio eradication: IPI will continue its analysis on the 
security, political, and operational aspects of the polio eradication campaign in Pakistan and 
Afghanistan and provide input and recommendations on how to reduce risk and increase the 
effectiveness of the campaign in these difficult environments. The second part (ii) has a broader 
thematic scope on health and security, focusing on the implications of insurgency, armed groups, 
terrorism, violent extremism and poor governance on health and vice verso. This includes global 
issues of health diplomacy and health policy development and implementation, particularly in fragile 
states. 
II. ACTIVITIES 
In support of BMGF's objectives, IPI will deliver in the following areas: 
• 
Security: provide continued access to IPI's field research; security-related analysis; real-time 
spot reports; granular local analysis; strategic inputs and recommendations; and tactical 
advice on short-term implementation in hostile environments. IPI has a proven track record 
in providing BMGF with a unique perspective and informed second opinion on existing 
reports that often lack first-hand insights on local actors, conditions and events in 
Afghanistan and Pakistan (as well as Nigeria, Somalia and Syria as required). IPI often 
highlights views that are outside the mainstream of media reporting and challenges the 
conventional wisdom when necessary. 
• 
Communications: 
IPI 
helps 
correct inaccurate narratives contained in existing 
communications strategies that have the unintended consequence of sending the wrong 
message, in the wrong way, to the wrong audience. Drawing on its analysis of local 
conditions, IPI provides advice on targeted media strategies that can help reduce barriers to 
polio eradication. IPI provides an independent perspective on the effectiveness of polio 
eradication campaigns, including on under-reporting of polio cases, over-reporting of 
vaccinations, as well as governance and integrity issues. 
• 
Access: using its local and high-level contacts, IPI provides access to remote and dangerous 
locations as well as relevant decision-makers, including non-state actors. IPI also provides 
unique insights into complex and dynamic local conditions. Furthermore, it can support the 
catalytic role of BMGF in the multilateral arena. 
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• 
Early Warning: security alerts to complement international efforts to improve early warning 
on pandemics. IPI's convening power can bring together high-level security, health and 
political players who are in a position to trigger early responses. 
• 
Thematic Expertise: provision of in-depth global and regional expertise on the implications 
of violent extremism, criminal groups, terrorists and insurgents on global development and 
health. IPI will provide in-depth research and risk analysis through its global network of 
experts on violent extremism, armed groups, and insurgency. IPI will organize a set of events 
and initiatives to create a platform to help promote the rising importance of health 
diplomacy and global health policy development. This would allow decision-makers from 
states, international organizations, NGOs, foundations, the private sector and civil society to 
exchange views and recommendations on how to more effectively address the relationship 
between health and security, and thereby be better prepared for future health risks such as 
pandemics. 
III. EXPECTED OUTCOME & IMPACT 
• 
Security:
Improved ability on the part of BMGF and its partners to assess events and to plan better, including 
for contingencies. 
• 
Communications:
More effective communications campaigns that reach the affected communities and convey 
messages that are sensitive to local conditions. 
• 
Access: 
Lower barriers and soften resistance to polio eradication. 
• 
Early Warning: 
Early warning to improve readiness and response mechanisms. 
• 
Thematic Synergies: 
Increased awareness of the relationship between heath and security, a nexus among relevant actors 
to improve health (particularly in fragile states), greater appreciation for how improved health can 
reduce vulnerability and contribute to sustainable development. 
• 
Course correction: 
Better awareness of security and political conditions generates a feedback loop that enables quick 
course correction to take advantage of fast-breaking situations and enable remedial action. 
• 
Aggregate Impact: 
It is hoped and expected that IPI's engagement con help BMGF to eradicate polio in those few 
remaining unstable locations where national health structures are unable to access, cope or deliver. 
This would enable BMGF to successfully conclude its global polio eradication programme, and achieve 
the objective of a polio-free world. The result would be a major achievement for global health, peace, 
and development. 
IV. IPI EXPERTISE 
Polio 
IPI's experts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Nigeria have developed a network of interlocutors 
and accumulated in-depth knowledge on the eradication effort and the response to pandemics, as 
well as on issues related to regional humanitarian responses and practical solutions to complex 
crises. IPI's on-the-ground capacities have special importance in the context of rapidly changing 
landscapes and shifting alliances in the complex matrices of non-state actors whose activities have a 
destructive impact on health and security. 
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Pandemics 
IPI is currently leveraging its knowledge, network and expertise by organizing a high-level conference 
Preparing for Pandemics: Lessons Learned for More Effective Responses at United Nations 
Headquarters in Geneva in September 2015. The conference will address the complexity of the topic 
by finding actionable solutions and developing policy recommendations for the thematic clusters of 
(i) Enhancing Preparedness and Response as well as (ii) Building Resilient Health Systems. 
Violent Extremism. Armed Groups. Terrorism and Insurgency 
IPI is establishing a Task Force on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. It is also part of a 
global network of experts on organized crime and has extensive knowledge on political Islam, as well 
as violent armed groups, particularly in fragile states. IPI carries out research on these topics and 
holds regular meetings on specific regions or groups. For example, IPI recently held a series of 
meetings on political Islam. It also has a network of experts that do on-the-ground analysis. This can 
help BMGF to better understand the rationale of groups opposed to the polio eradication campaign, 
while IPI's research and expertise on organized crime and other armed groups can provide greater 
situational awareness and help to reduce risk in difficult environments. 
Risk and Resilience 
IPI's work is framed in the context of Risk and Resilience: reducing risk and increasing resilience at all 
levels (global, regional, national and local). IPI has carried out numerous projects involving field-
based, in-person polling, as well as phone banks. IPI has developed a methodology for analyzing 
organized crime in fragile states and IPI staff members have experience with operating in difficult 
environments. IPI's niche lies in its ability to generate cutting-edge research, policy analysis and 
recommendations, and to reach and influence policymakers at all levels. It combines granular local 
knowledge with in-depth analysis of global trends, threats and challenges. 
V. ORGANIZATION 
IPI is an independent, international not-for-profit think tank with offices in New York, across from 
United Nations headquarters, in Vienna, and a Middle East regional office in Manama, Bahrain. IPI is 
dedicated to managing risk and building resilience to promote peace, security and sustainable 
development. To achieve its purpose, IPI employs a mix of policy research, strategic analysis, 
publishing, and convening. 
VI. PREVIOUS COLLABORATION 
BMGF and IPI have collaborated on the issues of Polio Eradication and Peace and Health. The project, 
which started in 2013, has involved a continued analysis of the political context in the localities 
where polio is still prevalent, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Somalia. The aim is to 
understand and counter threats to security that affect polio eradication. A broader initiative on 
peace and health, related to BMGF's Global Development and Global Health Programs, has been 
looking at reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience by assisting in mitigating the sources of 
instability that threaten health and, conversely, alleviating disease and poor health that threaten 
stability. This includes i) humanitarian affairs and emergency responses, ii) peace, stability, 
governance and health in Africa, iii) peace operations, iv) as well as data mining on peace and health. 
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