Global Peace Institute
Online Research Internship · Start here

Welcome to the Institute

Before you begin Lesson 1, take ten minutes to read this page. It explains who we are, how the internship works, what you will gain, and how we can keep supporting you afterwards.

A word of welcome

Dr. Aishath Rafiyya

Welcome, and thank you for joining us.

Peace is rarely made in headlines. It is made by people who notice trouble early, think clearly about it and explain it honestly, so that others can act in time. That is exactly what this internship trains you to do.

Over the coming weeks you will learn how we think about peace, how to find evidence you can trust, and how to write a short, clear piece that a busy decision-maker would actually read. Take your time, ask questions, and write about something you care about. Your voice matters to us, wherever in the world you are reading this.

I look forward to reading your work.

Dr. Aishath RafiyyaChief Executive Officer, Global Peace Institute, London

You're in!

Welcome to the GPIL family

You haven't just signed up for a course. You have joined a worldwide circle of people who believe peace is something you do: researchers, diplomats, teachers, hoteliers, artists and students, from London to the Maldives and far beyond.

🌍 A global networkOur Fellows, advisers, partners and participants come from more than 86 countries. You are now part of that circle.
🤝 People in your cornerWe read your work, cheer you on and open doors where we can: to publication, to our events, and, for those who keep contributing, to a reference when you need one.
🎉 Yes, it's fun tooBig ideas, lively debate and good company. Peace work is serious, but the people who do it laugh a lot. You'll see.
♾️ Once GPIL, always GPILThis is not goodbye after six lessons. Keep writing with us, help at our summits and dialogues, join our Young Ambassadors, mentor the interns who come after you, and grow into an Associate Fellow and Fellow.

So say hello, ask questions, share ideas, and bring your friends. We are a family, and we're very glad you're here.

About the Global Peace Institute, London

The Global Peace Institute, London (GPIL) is an independent peace and policy institute. Our mission is to connect cities, villages and communities worldwide through peace education, dialogue, training, awareness and research. We picture a world of lasting peace, mutual respect and resilience.

We work in six ways: research and policy; the GPIL Academy, which runs this internship; summits and convenings that bring people together across divides; fellowship and honours for those who serve peace; youth and community programmes; and peace hospitality and cultural diplomacy.

Three ideas run through everything we do, and through this internship: preventive peace (acting early, before conflict breaks out), people and peace (peace is kept or lost by ordinary people, not only by governments), and peace hospitality (welcome as a quiet form of diplomacy).

The Institute is led by Dr. Aishath Rafiyya, Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Clifford James Gere, President, and Joseph Jacob, Chief Operating Officer, with an International Advisory Committee chaired by Professor Rohan Gunaratna. You will join one of our five research centres: South Asia and Indian Ocean; Great Power Relations; Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia; Europe and the United Kingdom; or Gulf and Middle East. Read about each centre.

How the internship works

  1. Watch six short video lessons at your own pace. Each one is written out underneath, for reading and revision. Most interns spend six to eight hours a week.
  2. Complete four tasks on the lesson pages: introduce yourself and choose a topic (Lesson 1), list five good sources (Lesson 3), write a first draft (Lesson 5), and hand in your finished piece (Lesson 6).
  3. Write one finished piece of your own: a commentary of 700 to 900 words on a current question, or a review of a recent book on international affairs. You can hand it in as soon as the first three tasks are done, though most interns take about three weeks, to leave time to research and redraft.
  4. Follow your progress on your personal internship page, using the link in your welcome email. The panel beside each lesson shows it too.
  5. Receive your certificate. Our editors read your final piece, usually within seven working days. Once it is accepted, your certificate is emailed to you. If it needs more work, we tell you exactly what to improve, and you send it again.

What you will gain

Real skillsFinding and judging sources, writing commentary, and making a clear case for decision-makers: skills valued in government, international organisations, think tanks and the media.
A Certificate of AchievementNumbered and naming your research centre. Anyone, such as a university or an employer, can check that it is genuine on our website.
A chance to be publishedWe publish the strongest pieces on the GPIL website under the author's own name: a first publication you can share and cite.
A reference from the InstituteInterns who complete the internship and go on contributing, for example by writing further pieces for us or helping with our programmes, can ask us for a reference for jobs, scholarships and further study.
A path to fellowshipInterns whose work is of a high standard may be invited to become Associate Fellows of the Institute, and later Fellows.
A global networkYou join young researchers from many countries who share an interest in peace, and you may be invited to our dialogues and events.

Your path with GPIL

InternSix lessons, four tasks
Published authorYour piece on our website
Associate FellowBy invitation, for strong work
FellowFor sustained contribution

Fellowship is by invitation and is based on the quality of published work.

What we ask of you

  • Your own work. Everything you submit must be written by you. Copying, or handing in text written by someone else, ends the internship.
  • Use AI tools honestly. You may use them to check spelling or to test an idea, but the research, the argument and the writing must be yours. If a tool helped in a meaningful way, say so in a line at the end.
  • Show your sources. Back up every important fact, and say where it comes from.
  • Be fair. Give each side a fair hearing, write with respect for every community, and never promote hatred or violence.
  • Keep your sign-in link to yourself. The link in your welcome email signs you in, so you never need a password. Please do not share it.

Help is always at hand

If you are stuck, unsure what to write about, or something on the website does not work, just write to us at info@globalpeaceinstitute.org. A real person reads every email, and we usually reply within two working days.

Next: meet our five research centres →