In peacebuilding and conflict transformation processes, organisations working in and on conflict suffer from ‘shrinking spaces’ by governmental, business, or far-right activities, and develop maladaptive coping practices such as overplanning, reactivity, siege mentality or utopian visions. How should donors react to this? Based on his article entitled ‘Creating Clarity in Conflict?’, Torge Kuebler will discuss […]

Women's economic inclusion is central to realising women's rights, gender equality, and the meaningful participation of women in peace and transition processes. In this Virtual Brown Bag Lunch, we will examine the role of business in strengthening women's economic inclusion and their contributions to peace. We will also reflect on how the European Union may […]

The international community faces an era of alarming, prolonged and recurrent conflict. The persistent increase in violent conflicts underlines the pressing need to re-imagine and reshape our collective approaches to building and sustaining peace. Many peace agreements fall apart or are not implemented at all; we urgently need a new framework of principles and standards […]

As the world continues to grapple with the direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding its impact on peace and conflict has become a political, humanitarian, and development imperative. To account for the possible effects of COVID-19 on overall conflict dynamics, Mercy Corps undertook research using a systems-level approach in three conflict-affected countries: […]

As peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts are challenged by an increasing number of conflicts, experts and practitioners are advocating for re-examining the architecture of international support to peacebuilding, and developing a more sustainable approach. Key international institutions have now recognised that local actors hold the key to sustainable peace in their own communities. At this […]

Transitional justice processes are politically sensitive and complex, and do not develop in a linear fashion. They present unique theoretical and practical challenges for measuring results, including on gathering data, registering unintended outcomes, reporting progress, providing feedback on interventions, and extracting useful information to assess impacts or establish counterfactuals. At the same time, donors in […]

Of the 27 EU Member States, 24 currently have National Action Plans (NAPs) for implementing their commitments as part of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Given that each country context in relation to the WPS agenda varies, and that countries may be on their first or fourth ‘generations’ […]

With record numbers of armed conflicts around the world and an uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict prevention endeavors currently face a particularly challenging environment. Looking ahead, three phenomena are expected to increasingly influence societies across the globe: climate change, digitalisation and the fragmentation of power structures. How will these three global megatrends affect […]

Online hate and misinformation pose serious threats to human rights, freedom of expression and social cohesion. Growing xenophobia, racism, intolerance, and spreading of content that stigmatises and dehumanises refugees, women, and other vulnerable groups contribute to hate crimes as well as acts of violence and conflicts. I Am Here International aims to create an internet […]

Civil society remains the key bastion defending and advancing human rights and monitoring the implementation of states’ commitments to rights and values. However, the space for civil society to function is shrinking globally. Non-profit expertise is often requested and not paid or underpaid by government actors and institutions, whilst for-profit expertise and consulting is paid […]