The Accord Initiative  

Overview

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The Accord Initiative is a flagship global social impact programme under the Manchester–Oxbridge Partnership (MOP). It brings together the academic talent, research capabilities, and civic leadership of the Universities of Manchester, Oxford, and Cambridge to address one of the world’s most persistent challenges: violent conflict and the fragility it creates.

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Mission

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The mission of the initiative is to prevent, reduce, and resolve violent conflict while strengthening the conditions for sustainable peace. This is pursued through rigorous, non-partisan research; quiet, targeted dialogues; and tightly scoped, independently evaluated pilots that translate evidence into practical choices for de-escalation, protection, and recovery.

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Key Objectives

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• Evidence to decisions: Produce concise, decision-ready briefs that clarify what works, for whom, and under what conditions—focused on reducing civilian harm, safeguarding access to essentials, and stabilising core systems.

• Disciplined innovation: Where appropriate, apply out-of-the-box approaches—methods not yet used in that context—to surface practical, testable options, with clear milestones and exit criteria.

• Partnerships for practice: Work with mediators, humanitarian actors, local systems leaders, and policy institutions to co-design do-no-harm interventions and share operational playbooks across settings.

• Independent evaluation & standards: Pre-registered analyses; model cards/fairness checks for any data/tech; safeguarding and conflict-of-interest policies; trauma-informed practice; transparent read-outs.

 

Why It Matters

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Protracted violence destroys lives and corrodes the institutions peace depends on. By leveraging MOP’s tri-university platform, the Accord Initiative combines academic rigour with practical engagement to deliver credible evidence and measurable pilots—helping decision-makers act quickly and ethically to move societies from violent conflict toward sustainable peace.​​