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Tag: humanitarian affairs

  • While Afghans Wait, States and Banks Decrypt the Humanitarian Exception in the Taliban Sanctions Regime

    April 14, 2022by Agathe Sarfati

    Amid mounting pressure to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council took the rare step of creating a humanitarian exception for the 1988 Taliban sanctions regime.

    Analysisafghanistan, humanitarian
  • Addressing Humanitarian and Security Needs in Afghanistan

    September 2, 2021by David Cortright and George A. Lopez

    With the end of the withdrawal and evacuation from Afghanistan, two major issues confront US policy. First is how to meet mounting humanitarian needs and save the social development programs that have benefited Afghan women—one of the few positive outcomes of the intervention. The second is how to guard against Afghanistan becoming a haven for […]

    Analysisafghanistan, humanitarian, sanctions
  • How the UN Can Help Ensure Non-State Armed Groups Protect Civilians

    Moro Islamic Liberation Front
    April 16, 2021by Luciana Vosniak

    The UN is strategically positioned to engage with non-state armed groups in many issues relevant to civilian protection.

    Analysishumanitarian
  • What Happened to the Nexus Approach in the COVID-19 Response?

    Coronavirus Rohingya
    June 19, 2020by Damian Lilly

    The global, swift, and devastating nature of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the need to finally put the nexus theory into practice, both for this crisis and those to come.

    Analysiscoronavirus, development, humanitarian
  • The Impact of Sanctions on Humanitarian Response to COVID-19

    April 27, 2020by Agathe Sarfati

    What can the UN system, particularly the UN Security Council, do to ensure that humanitarian organizations can fulfill their mission during the COVID-19 pandemic, in its immediate aftermath, and in the long-term?

    Analysishumanitarian
  • Connecting National Policies to the SDGs in Tackling Internal Displacement

    April 19, 2019Masooma Rahmaty and Alice Debarre

    Engagement by governments to tackle internal displacement, while leveraging the international community’s growing expertise, will help ensure approaches have positive effects.

    Analysisdevelopment, humanitarian
  • Improving “Notification” Critical to Safe Humanitarian Work

    January 24, 2019by Alice Debarre

    Improving the effectiveness of notification practices is critical to ensuring humanitarian assistance and protection can be safely delivered.

    Analysishumanitarian
  • Navigating the Paradox and Complexity of Humanitarian Relief: Q&A with Fiona Terry

    December 14, 2018by Annie Rubin

    Dr. Terry discusses the complexities of humanitarian relief and key findings from her research on when, why, and how individuals and groups choose not to use violence.

    Interviewshumanitarian
  • The Unaddressed Plight of Internally Displaced Persons  

    March 16, 2018by Alice Debarre

    IDPs are among the most vulnerable people in the world, and the number of those fleeing violence and conflict in 2016 was estimated at 40.3 million. This is nearly double the number of refugees worldwide.

    Analysishumanitarian
  • The Rohingya Crisis: High on Outrage, Short on Action

    October 13, 2017by Dr. Noel M. Morada

    Beyond the strong international outrage over the suffering of the Rohingyas and other affected communities in Myanmar and Bangladesh, it appears there is still no meaningful concerted action at the international and regional levels. This presents some basic but critical questions: What are some priority areas in responding to this humanitarian crisis in the region? What role can ASEAN play in cooperation with the UN, the Myanmar government, and other stakeholders?

    Analysishumanitarian
  • Next →

This week

  • A Crisis of Consent in UN Peace Operations

    August 2, 2022by Anjali Dayal

    Last week, at least 15 people died in protests demanding UN peacekeepers leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The week before, the military junta ruling Mali halted troop rotations for the UN mission there and ejected the mission’s deputy spokesperson. These incidents highlight…

    Analysisafrica, peacekeeping, united-nations
  • The 2022 UN Peacekeeping Budget: Signs of Progress or a Fleeting Moment of Consensus?

    July 20, 2022by Daniel Forti

    Member states agreed to an overall increase in the peacekeeping budget for the first time in seven years, and they endorsed a resolution that considers a wide range of operational, financial, and personnel issues impacting UN operations around the world. But by digging deeper into the newly…

    Analysispeacekeeping, united-nations

Trending

  • Human Disruption to Earth’s Freshwater Cycle Has Exceeded Safe Limit

    July 18, 2022by Arne Tobian, Lan Wang Erlandsson and Dieter Gerten

    Looking at green water, the rainwater available to plants, shows that freshwater’s ability to sustain a stable Earth system is even more threatened than first reported. Explicitly governing green water is necessary.

    Analysisclimate-change, governance
  • Peace as the Norm: Sustaining Peace in Africa

    July 8, 2022by Youssef Mahmoud and Chimwemwe A. Fabiano

    The African continent has a rich and varied repertoire of formal and informal capacities, knowledge, and experiences to decolonize the study and practice of peace and develop an integrated African agenda for sustaining peace.

    Analysisafrica, peacebuilding
  • One Crisis, Multiple Norms: Strengthening Human Protection in Mali and the Sahel

    June 17, 2022by Adrian Gallagher, Charles T. Hunt and Blake Lawrinson

    The UN Security Council does not have the luxury of choosing between normative imperatives associated with preventing atrocities, protecting civilians, and countering terrorism in Mali, the Sahel, and elsewhere.

    Analysispeacekeeping, sahel
  • Peacebuilding Financing in Guinea-Bissau and Lessons for Overlooked Countries

    June 3, 2022by Gustavo de Carvalho

    Despite the instability it faces, Guinea-Bissau—alongside countries like Madagascar, Chad, or the Central African Republic—has long been overlooked by donors. There is an urgent need to re-orientate the international community toward supporting and financing conflict prevention and early action.

    Analysisafrica, peacebuilding, united-nations
  • The Role of Peacekeepers in Protecting Civilians from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

    May 25, 2022by Jenna Russo

    There are a number of reasons why it is difficult for peacekeepers to protect civilians from sexual and gender-based violence, particularly those forms that fall outside of conflict-related sexual violence.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians, women-peace-and-security
  • Protecting Peace? How the Protection of Civilians Contributes to Peace Processes

    May 23, 2022by Jenna Russo

    Without a corresponding political process, UN protection activities are an ineffective bandaid in situations of widespread violence.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Russia, NATO, and International Organizations

    May 23, 2022by Kseniya Oksamytna

    As Finland and Sweden begin the process of applying for NATO membership, misleading narratives about the role of NATO’s so-called eastward expansion in “provoking” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to hold sway.

    Analysisconflict, eastern-europe
  • Sanctions and the Costs of Russia’s War in Ukraine

    May 12, 2022by Erica Moret

    The sanctions imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine mark a new page in global sanctions practice yet lessons from earlier cases could help increase efficacy and minimize costs.

    Analysisconflict, europe, ukraine
  • What Are the International Military Options for the Sahel?

    April 12, 2022by Nina Wilén and Paul D. Williams

    The complex, and not always coordinated, ecosystem of military operations across the Sahel has been aptly labeled a security traffic jam. Why are external forces in the Sahel? Can they help resolve any of the region’s crises? And, if so, what configuration of external forces makes the most sense?

    Analysismali, peacekeeping, sahel
  • The Benefits, Challenges, and Limitations of Criminalizing Ecocide

    March 30, 2022by Rachel Killean

    The campaign to introduce a new international crime of “ecocide” at the International Criminal Court is long-standing but has received increased support over the last couple of years.

    Analysisenvironment
  • ECOWAS Sanctions Against Mali Necessary, but May Be Counter-Productive

    February 2, 2022by Festus Kofi Aubyn

    The new sanctions were triggered by months of growing tensions between ECOWAS and the military-dominated transitional government over the timetable for Mali’s return to civilian rule after two successful coups d’état.

    Analysisafrica, sanctions
  • New Climate Data Visualizations, 2021

    December 15, 2021by Noemi Florea

    Noemi Florea has compiled some key data visualizations from 2021 for the Global Observatory that highlight progress on climate change, from expanded research on the global environment to emerging developments for climate adaptation.

    Further Readingclimate-change, climate2021
  • The Gendered Political Economy of Militarized Peacekeeping

    October 28, 2021by Dean Peacock

    Reforming peacekeeping to foster sustainable peace must include an interrogation of militarized masculinities and their harmful gendered consequences.

    Analysiswomen-peace-and-security, wpsat21
  • The Pitfalls of UN Peacekeeping in Afghanistan

    September 1, 2021by Paul D. Williams

    Neither local nor international politics are currently right for a UN peacekeeping deployment in Afghanistan.

    Analysisafghanistan, peacekeeping
  • Preventing Violence or Harming Peace and Rights? What the UN Can Learn from Counterterrorism in the Philippines

    June 10, 2021by Aries Arugay, Marc Batac, and Jordan Street

    The roll-out of counterterrorism and P/CVE policies, plans, and projects in the Philippines is having a significant negative impact on peace, security, and the fulfillment of human rights in the country.

    Analysisctat20, terrorism
  • Reflecting on the UN’s Role in Counterterrorism Twenty Years After 9/11

    June 1, 2021by Jake Sherman and Agathe Sarfati

    As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, there is value in assessing the emergence of counterterrorism as the “fourth pillar” of the UN, its effectiveness to date, and the way ahead.

    Analysisctat20, terrorism
  • The Exclusion of Women’s Voices from Afghan Peace Talks Remains the Norm

    March 30, 2021by Masooma Rahmaty

    As the peace talks gain momentum again, ensuring that women’s voices are sufficiently represented in peace efforts should be a top priority.

    Analysisafghanistan, asia, peace-processes
  • How Can Artificial Intelligence Help Curb Deforestation in the Amazon?

    November 23, 2020by Adriana Erthal Abdenur

    Some of the most promising innovations for enhancing the monitoring of forests involve artificial intelligence.

    Analysisclimate-change, climate2020
  • The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Peace and Conflict

    October 23, 2020by Katariina Mustasilta

    What happened to the pandemic being a catalyst for peaceful processes?

    Analysiscoronavirus, peace-and-security
  • How Will Sino-Indian Competition Impact India’s Tenure on the Security Council?

    July 2, 2020by Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu

    India’s election to the Council was the easy part. It’s tenure, however, will be more challenging.

    Analysissouth-asia

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