Challenges Forum

Photo: Axel Öberg/Challenges Forum

The International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations (Challenges Forum) is a partnership dedicated to the advancement of UN peace operations. The Challenges Forum International Secretariat is hosted by the FBA in Stockholm, Sweden.

Challenges Forum provides a platform for dialogue among partner organizations from all continents, including the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council. It represents a unique network of ministries, governmental agencies, think-tanks and research institutions where military and police officers, academics, civil servants and diplomats all contribute.

FBA is hosting the Challenges Forum International Secretariat in coordination with the other Swedish partner organizations: the Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Police and Swedish Prison and Probation Service.

Global activity includes an annual forum, seminars, working groups, studies, reports and field visits arranged and financed by the Challenges Forum’s partner organizations. Since its beginning in 1996, Challenges Forum has contributed to concept and doctrine development for international peace operations.

Read more on the Challenges Forum web site.

FBA releases new research brief on mission leadership

What does research tell us about strategic civil-military leadership in UN integrated missions? The recent FBA research brief "Mission Leaders: An Evidence-based Assessment” presents seven policy recommendations.

2025-07-01 13:34

Read our publications

The Gender-Responsive Leader's Handbook

Gender equality is both a goal and a prerequisite for sustainable peace and development. FBA’s Gender-Responsive Leadership (GRL) Initiative is designed to support leaders and managers within organizations such as the EU, UN, ECOWAS, OSCE and the African Union to fulfill their central role in enabling gender equal peace, security and development work.

Documents

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Teresa Wiklund

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Kajsa Norman

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Adviser to the UN in Colombia

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Election observer

THE FBA BLOG

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Posted by Marie Blomdahl
A safe online space to share experiences to support leadership in the UN

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When I joined the Leadership and Cooperation Unit at the Folke Bernadotte Academy in August 2018, after working many years mainly in the private sector, I had a feeling that this job really would offer me an opportunity to use my skills and experiences to make a difference, and at the same time grow as a professional. FBA was at the time already working actively with leadership development support for leaders in key functions within the ... Read entire post »
2021-06-03 10:54
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Posted by Rhodri Williams
Civil Society as a Critical Partner: Rule of Law and Accountability in the Liberian COVID-19 Response, Part II

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Part One of this post highlighted the importance of the rule of law in supporting crisis response in countries struggling with the effects of conflict. One of the most important rule of law principles in such settings is accountability, particularly “downward accountability”, in which state authorities focus on serving citizens dependent on them.

Corruption and poor governance can lead to excessive upward accountability directed toward political superiors, leaving a gap between the state and ordinary citizens. Civil ... Read entire post »

The post Civil Society as a Critical Partner: Rule of Law and Accountability in the Liberian COVID-19 Response, Part II first appeared on FBA-bloggen.
2021-02-15 13:43
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Posted by Kristin Valasek
Time for a joint vision on gender-responsive leadership

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Right before the winter break, 236 women and men from 105 different organizations and 46 countries around the world joined our International Dialogue on Gender-Responsive Leadership, to discuss an absolutely critical and often missing part of the gender equality puzzle: gender-responsive leadership.

After twenty years of struggling to achieve the commitments of the global women, peace and security agenda, we at the FBA have learned that executives and managers are essential to success. Not just as supporters, ... Read entire post »

The post Time for a joint vision on gender-responsive leadership first appeared on FBA-bloggen.
2021-02-10 16:09