In 1982, the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency requested that the Harvard Negotiation Project compile a report applying its understanding of human communication to the issue of superpower restraint to reduce the risk of a war started by accident, terrorism, mistake, runaway escalation, or misperception.
[3][5][11] During this time, he also acted as a consultant to the Crisis Management Center at the White House, working to create Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers in Washington and Moscow, which were the subject of the first arms control agreement signed by President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
[4][11] Together with former President Jimmy Carter, Ury co-founded the International Negotiation Network, which worked to end civil wars around the world.
Other notable people involved with the Network include Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Sonny Ramphal, and Sir Brian Urquhart.
[5] Ury teaches negotiation to international corporate executives and labor leaders to reach mutually profitable agreements with customers, suppliers, unions and joint-venture partners.
The website serves as a global forum for international elected officials to work on issues of common interest.