The International Peace Institute (IPI) is an independent, international not-for-profit think tank with offices in New York, across from United Nations headquarters, and in Manama, Bahrain. IPI is dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of conflict by strengthening multilateral institutions. It sees peace and security as prerequisites for poverty eradication and development. To achieve its purpose, IPI employs a mix of policy research, strategic analysis, publishing, and convening. The Institute was founded in 1970 as the International Peace Academy (IPA), which focused on training military officers and diplomats for United Nations peacekeeping operations. In 2008, the organization changed its name to the International Peace Institute to reflect its current identity as a research institution that works with and supports multilateral institutions, governments, civil society, and the private sector on a range of regional and global security challenges. IPI also carries out work in and on Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia. With a staff from more than twenty countries and a broad range of academic fields, IPI partners with regional organizations, think tanks, universities, and NGOs to conduct research, produce publications, and convene meetings in many parts of the world.