Global Observatory

03/09/2023

Are the BRICS and the West headed for a new cold war?

BRICS countries share a grievance – they have long been side-lined to the periphery of the world economy – and they're expanding in size and influence...

📌 The group currently represents 40 percent of the world’s population
📌 This year, 6 new members were added to the existing 5
📌 In the next few decades, the combined size of the BRICS economies will surpass that of the G7
📌 Members are in the process of developing their own payment system
📌 They have already established their own development bank, contingency reserve arrangement, and trade with each other in their own currencies

But while the global political order is clearly set to become more multipolar, Cedric de Coning weighs in on why this does not signal the seismic rivalry between the BRICS and the West that doomsday headlines suggest ⬇️

Many Western countries and BRICS members may have more shared interests than the doomsday headlines suggest.

10/08/2023

Don’t miss out on the series!

Articles in this series reflect on the UN transition, lessons from the UN’s involvement in Mali, implications for the protection of civilians, and the MINUSMA liquidation process. Find your next read here: https://theglobalobservatory.org/tag/minusma/

The latest piece by Eugene Chen reflects on the difficulties inherent in the liquidation and reconfiguration of the UN presence in Mali ⬇️Center on International Cooperation
https://theglobalobservatory.org/2023/07/the-minusma-liquidation-process-unpacked/

The difficulties inherent in the liquidation and reconfiguration of the UN presence in Mali will be exacerbated by the lack of preparation and tension with the host government.

04/08/2023

Seventeen years after the adoption of the UNGA’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy ( ), the UN negotiated the eighth biennial GCTS review, which was adopted on June 22, 2023. The review negotiations provide an opportunity for member states to reflect on the changing security landscape and set priorities for the coming two years.

In the latest GO analysis, Annabelle Bonnefont and Franziska Praxl-Tabuchi discuss how civil society engagement is being looked at as a box to check instead of a way of working consultatively, and how it is far from being mainstreamed across various programs and thematic areas of work. Read full analysis for insights and recommendations ⬇️ Global Center on Cooperative Security

Even though civil society has been impacted by the UN counterterrorism architecture, opportunities for a broad range of civil society actors to meaningfully engage with counterterrorism programming and policy-making remain limited at best.

24/07/2023

UN transitions are always complex undertakings, but the difficulties inherent in the liquidation and reconfiguration of the UN presence in Mali will only be exacerbated given both the lack of preparation time and because of the tension with the host government.

In the latest GO analysis, Director of Prevention and Peacebuilding at the Center on International Cooperation Eugene Chen unpacks ’s liquidation ⬇️

The difficulties inherent in the liquidation and reconfiguration of the UN presence in Mali will be exacerbated by the lack of preparation and tension with the host government.

14/07/2023

The trajectory of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) over the last decade offers important considerations for the future of peacekeeping when it comes to the .

In the latest GO analysis, Lisa Sharland outlines implications and key lessons from MINUSMA’s withdrawal ⬇️ Stimson Center

Significant strides have been made in developing an understanding that the protection of civilians is integral to peacekeeping. There is a risk of backsliding.

13/07/2023

On June 30, the UN Security Council terminated the mandate of , following a request by the Malian authorities. Key among the challenges the mission encountered in recent years was the geopolitical environment, which affected both the mission’s relationship with the transitional authorities and the dynamics of the Security Council.

In the latest GO analysis, Director at Macro Advisory Partners Víctor Casanova Abós outlines five lessons from the UN’s involvement in Mali ⬇️

The primacy of geopolitics can no longer be ignored.

06/07/2023

One week ago, the UN Security Council decided to terminate the mandate of the UN peace operation in Mali, immediately ending the bulk of the mission’s core mandated tasks and putting in place an accelerated timeline for a full departure by the end of 2023.

In the latest GO analysis, Adam Day provides recommendations for the UN to make use of MINSUMA's departure and create a new strategic moment to influence Mali’s trajectory positively.

The UN should create a new strategic moment to influence Mali’s trajectory positively.

15/06/2023

Complex threats in places like the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, Somalia, Eastern DRC, and Northern Mozambique have led to ad-hoc security arrangements becoming a growing norm.

In the fifth piece of the GO’s series, Andrew E. Yaw Tchie discusses the rise and structure of Ad-Hoc Security Initiatives, and implications for African Peace and Security Architecture ⬇️ Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Complex threats in places like the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, Somalia, eastern DRC, and Northern Mozambique have led to ad-hoc security arrangements becoming a growing norm.

09/06/2023

Several newly elected member states have pledged to champion climate security in the UN Security Council. However, a few members strongly oppose adding it to the agenda, with some citing a lack of scientific evidence for a connection between climate and conflict.

In the latest GO analysis, Halvard Buhaug, Cedric de Coning, and Nina von Uexkull look at five key insights (and related sources of confusion) from the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which show that contrary to perceptions, there is compelling evidence that climate change constitutes a risk to peace and security.

NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), Uppsala universitet

Contrary to perceptions, there is compelling scientific evidence in the IPCC's AR6 report that climate change constitutes a risk to peace and security.

07/06/2023

The savage floods of July and August 2022 devastated , leaving the country suffering everything from food shortages to outbreaks of waterborne disease.

As Pakistan’s monsoon season begins, read the latest GO analysis by Emil Marc Havstrup and Pieter Pauw, in which they discuss ways that Pakistan could become a vanguard of climate resilience.️ Planetary Security Initiative, Universiteit Leiden / Leiden University, The Clingendael Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology

Pakistan could become a vanguard of climate resilience, but it faces tremendous hurdles.

31/05/2023

In parallel to the M23’s sudden rise, diplomatic relations between the DRC and Rwanda have reached a historic low.

In the latest GO analysis, Judith Verweijen and Christoph Vogel explain how the conflict has been propped up by blame games, ineffective diplomacy, recurring geopolitical tensions and proxy warfare in the Great Lakes region, and the Congolese state’s weak commitment to addressing the grievances and elite manipulation that drive armed group proliferation.

The conflict has been propped up by blame games, ineffective diplomacy, recurring geopolitical tensions and proxy warfare in the Great Lakes region, and the Congolese state’s weak commitment to addressing grievances that drive armed group proliferation.

25/05/2023

Within the UN community and beyond, the People’s Republic of China is seen as a committed peacekeeping state that will likely continue to shape peacekeeping along its preferences for a more technical and less overt political foreign policy tool.

Read the fourth piece of the GO’s series on China’s rise in peacekeeping by Courtney J. Fung ⬇️ Macquarie University Security Studies & Criminology Society The Lowy Institute

China will likely continue to shape peacekeeping along its preferences for a more technical and less overt political foreign policy tool.

24/05/2023

Amid the myriad challenges faced by missions, what more can be done to prepare for and address the gaps that emerge and persist in relation to the protection of civilians?

For , read the latest GO article by Gay Rosenblum-Kumar to learn more about mission transitions strengthening community-led approaches to the , and sustaining peace ⬇️ Nonviolent Peaceforce

UN mission transitions still result in gaps in the protection of civilians experiencing violent conflict.

22/05/2023

Climate change is not the biggest issue affecting our survival right now.

On , read the latest interview with IPI’s Jill Stoddard and Brad Cardinale about the scale and irreversibility of the biodiversity crisis.

Brad Cardinale, an ecologist who focuses on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in natural systems discusses the scale and irreversibility of the biodiversity crisis.

19/05/2023

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the UN’s first peacekeeping mission in the Middle East, the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). It also marks the first appointment of a UN high-profile mediator.

Sara Hellmüller and Flavia Keller explore the mediation role of peacekeeping operations and share reflections on how it may develop in the future, in the third article of the GO’s series ⬇️

The political role of the UN may not have diminished overall, but shifted.

18/05/2023

Don’t miss out on the series! Articles reflect on the challenges facing UN peacekeeping, as well as opportunities for the future, on the 75th anniversary of the first UN peacekeeping operation.

Read the first two articles:
➡️ “75 Years On, the Uncertain Fate of UN Peacekeeping” by IPI’s Director of Research Jenna Russo
➡️ “How not to do Peacekeeping” by Cedric de Coning Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Series webpage ➡️ https://theglobalobservatory.org/tag/unpkat75/

18/05/2023

What factors influence the effectiveness of peace operations?

In the second piece of the GO’s series, Cedric de Coning writes that “one of the most enduring lessons we have learned over the past 75 years of peacekeeping is that, without such a [peace or political] process in place, peace operations cannot be realistically expected to end the conflict on their own. Peace cannot be imposed.”

One of the most enduring lessons learned over the past 75 years of peacekeeping is that peace cannot be imposed.

16/05/2023

This spring marks 75 years since the United Nations first deployed a peacekeeping mission. There are many areas of UN Peacekeeping that require rethinking or new approaches altogether, and the present moment may suggest that peacekeeping is “at a turning point.”

In the first piece of the GO's series, IPI’s Jenna Russo provides an overview of the current state and challenges of UN Peacekeeping from international, institutional and country levels. Read about the opportunities ⬇️

This spring marks 75 years since the UN first deployed a peacekeeping mission. Here are some of the challenges peacekeeping is facing, and opportunities for the future.

12/05/2023

The hope for positive peace in Guatemala is vanishing with an increasingly co-opted justice system.

In the latest GO analysis, Guatemalan political sociologist Vaclav Masek outlines challenges to the rule of law in Guatemala, as the ten-year anniversary of the historic Ixil genocide trial coincides with the erosion of judicial independence ⬇️

The ten-year anniversary of the historic trial coincides with a process of erosion in judicial independence in the country.

05/05/2023

Crimes against peacekeepers, particularly in CAR, Mali, and the DRC have spiked since 2013.

While some progress is being made, major challenges remain, particularly as it relates to pursuing justice for peacekeepers who have been victims of attacks. IPI’s Agathe Sarfati and Jill Stoddard provide a glimpse into a few exceptional cases that resulted in convictions, and the challenges encountered ⬇️

Major challenges remain in pursuing justice for peacekeepers who have been victims of attacks.

01/05/2023

Making peace with the painful legacies of past political violence, including egregious acts perpetrated by colonialism, should be an integral part of the New Agenda for Peace.

IPI’s Youssef Mahmoud proposes two critical gaps that need to be addressed to deliver peace as public good ⬇️

Left unaddressed, painful legacies of past political violence will continue to infiltrate the institutions, processes, and assumptions that inform definitions of peace and approaches to sustaining peace.

19/04/2023

The United Nations Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) Manual plays an important role in meeting goals set in the Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy. Data shows that women peacekeepers face particular obstacles in participating in peace operations due to the fact the peacekeeping missions were implicitly designed for men’s participation.

IPI’s head of Women, Peace and Security, Dr. Phoebe Donnelly outlines recent changes and impacts for ⬇️

Updates to the COE manual addressing some of the particular obstacles faced by women peacekeepers are a tangible step toward meeting gender parity goals in UN peacekeeping operations.

17/04/2023

There can be no peace and human rights without feminism. We need to shift the paradigm and mainstream gender in every single policy, in every single institution, and always keep inclusion in mind.

Tània Verge Mestre, Minister of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat de Catalunya, shares lessons on implementing equality policies and creating a feminist future from her experiences as a policymaker, political scientist, and activist.

New interview by the Global Observatory’s Jill Stoddard and Eimer Curtin:

The Minister of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat de Catalunya shares lessons on implementing equality policies and creating a feminist future from her experiences as a policymaker, political scientist, and activist.

12/12/2022

Weapons play a key role in both indirectly and directly facilitating conflict-related sexual violence. However, few UN frameworks or policies on CRSV mention arms control and disarmament measures in the context of prevention.

Read more from Hana Salama ⬇️

Thus far, few UN frameworks, policies, or guidance documents on conflict-related sexual violence mention arms control and disarmament measures in the context of prevention.

07/12/2022

For nearly two decades, humanitarian action and counterterrorism have been presented as mutually exclusive goals. Naureen Fink explores this tension and reflects on the importance of a comprehensive approach to ensuring humanitarian access ⬇️

A well-crafted humanitarian carve-out could ensure a more robust and credible 1267 sanctions regime while also addressing the need for humanitarian assistance, especially given the increasingly recognized linkages between terrorism and armed conflict.

23/11/2022

New in the series, Julia Almeida Nobre outlines three legal avenues for fighting climate change: advisory opinions from the ICJ and ITLOS, and the creation of a new international crime, ecocide ⬇️

Climate change litigation is on the rise. More legal clarity will bring more action.

22/11/2022

Robert Mendelsohn explains the “tragedy” of our current approach to climate change mitigation: “In the pursuit of the perfect solution, to have no emissions by 2050, we are actually doing nothing.”

Read more in the series ⬇️

Robert O. Mendelsohn, professor of forest policy and economics at Yale University, discusses the global forces creating unprecedented changes over the next few centuries, including climate change, and why he is optimistic about the future.

15/11/2022

Intangible cultural heritage—which is threatened by the climate crisis—offers opportunities for learning from climate adaptation practices in the past and increasing resilience in the future. Read more from Adam Markham ⬇️

Intangible cultural heritage, much of which is threatened by the climate crisis, offers opportunities for learning from climate adaptation practices in the past and increasing resilience in the future.

07/11/2022

As the UN strives to increase the number of women peacekeepers, there is a need for gender-responsive healthcare within PKOs.

IPI’s Jenna Russo discusses gender-responsive training, gender-specific needs, mental health services, and more.

Creating an enabling environment for women peacekeepers, including by providing gender-responsive healthcare, is key to the UN achieving its gender parity goals.

27/10/2022

📢 NEW: "The Desecuritization of Women in DDR Processes: the Case of Côte d’Ivoire"

Don't miss the final piece in the series, by Kamina Diallo ⬇️

The Ivoirian case shows that DDR programs continue to perpetuate gendered hierarchies and stereotypes; women and girls continue to be dismissed, "desecuritized," and “conjugally ordered” into questionably stereotyped roles designed by those with little understanding of gendered “herstories”....