Eliminate nuclear weapons before they eliminate us
21/6/2022: The UN Secretary-General has addressed the First Meeting of States Parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, taking place in Vienna. The treaty was adopted in July 2017 and entered into force in January 2021.
Source: UN News
The UN’s Women, Peace and Security agenda has stalled
15/6/2022: Back in 2000 UN member states committed to including women in all peace-building processes. Despite 100 countries enacting national plans to further this agenda, women remain largely absent from conflict mediation.
Source: PassBlue
Global Peace Index falls again
15/6/2022: The Global Peace Index, a measure of peace using 23 indicators released annually for the past 16 years, fell by 0.3% in 2021, the 11th deterioration in 14 years. Countries experiencing violent internal conflict rose from 29 to 38.
Source: Devex
Global nuclear arsenals are expected to grow
13/6/2022: Despite a marginal decrease in the number of nuclear warheads in 2021, nuclear arsenals are expected to grow over the coming decade. There are clear indications that the reductions that have characterized global nuclear arsenals since the end of the cold war have ended.
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Ethiopia’s complicated barriers to peace
7/6/2022: There has been some progress in negotiations between the main warring parties since the start of this year. But movement towards meaningful talks has been slow on account of mistrust and the complexity of the issues.
Source: African Arguments
South Sudan’s sluggish peace deal fuels further instability
30/5/2022: South Sudan’s transitional government is due to wrap up in less than 10 months. Yet the country’s future looks as bleak as it did in 2018 when rival parties signed a deal to end a crippling civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Top UN Envoy hails two-month renewal of Yemen truce
2/6/2022: A truce between the Government in Yemen and Houthi rebels has been renewed for an additional two months, the UN Special Envoy for the country has announced. Over the past two months civilian casualties have dropped significantly and the parties have been meeting under UN auspices to discuss nationwide military de-escalation.
Source: UN News
UN Security Council renews arms embargo on South Sudan
27/5/2022: A UN expert panel recommended that that the embargo remain in place over persistent ceasefire violations. The embargo was imposed in 2018 after a peace agreement ended five years of bloody civil war which left nearly 400,000 dead and millions displaced.
Source: The East African
OSCE could fulfill its potential after Ukraine war ends
23/5/2022: The Ukraine war represents a setback for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the world's largest security body, established to prevent conflict and war in Europe. As both Russia and Ukraine are members, OSCE may have a longer term role to play.
Source: DW
What the Russian invasion means for Syria
20/5/2022: Russian military intervention allowed the Assad regime to brutally reassert its control over much of Syria. The Ukrainian conflict will entrench the status quo, further complicate negotiations over a political transition, and worsen the humanitarian conditions in the country.
Source: Inter Press Service