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Welcome to the archives of Peacebuilding Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on September 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on global peace and security. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
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An amendment to Myanmar’s land-ownership laws will make it nearly impossible for Rohingya refugees and Myanmar’s internally displaced to return to land they’ve tilled for generations, Peter Yeung reports.
Jordan’s ‘jobs-for-refugees’ compact, rolled out in 2016, saw mixed results. Five researchers from the Overseas Development Institute draw on lessons learned to recommend five ways to ensure the Ethiopia compact succeeds.
Caitlin Wake
Multiple displacements of the Rohingya throughout history have shown that premature returns to Myanmar will only backfire. Caitlin Wake of the Overseas Development Institute argues that we owe them a better solution this time.
Michele Sullivan
Michele Sullivan, president of the Caterpillar Foundation, makes the case that the rehabilitation of riverbanks and wetlands creates a profound and positive impact on rivers, wildlife, farms and communities around the world. The Foundation’s Great Rivers Partnership with The Nature Conservancy, she says, is improving some of the world’s most impressive rivers and changing lives.
As the United Nations prepares to begin negotiations next month on a high seas biodiversity treaty, some scientists and advocates say a spate of recent research supports banning commercial fishing in international waters to protect remote ecosystems.
Often doubted by friends and rejected for bank loans, women entrepreneurs in Kenya are challenging stereotypes and finding success in the male-dominated business of import/export.
A new study finds that industrial fishing vessels flying the flags of wealthy nations are catching the majority of the world’s fish, adding to a growing discussion over how food security and sustainable fishing are connected.
Rabia Nusrat Regional Projects Manager for Afghanistan-Pakistan, International Alert
Medium-sized enterprises have the potential to contribute to peace and security in Afghanistan, but they need support from Kabul and the international community if they hope to address some of the drivers of conflict, writes Rabia Nusrat of International Alert.
Shuja Nawaz Distinguished Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center
As polls open in Pakistan, there are concerns that the election will create room for unrest between rival political forces in the divided country, writes Pakistan expert Shuja Nawaz.
Faced with a 2020 deadline, the International Seabed Authority has a daunting challenge in completing regulations that will fulfill its mandate to allow the mining of deep-sea ecosystems for minerals while protecting unique marine habitats.
Drs. Irakli Loladze and Kristie Ebi explain the impact of climate change on nutrition, and point to the need for more investment in cross-disciplinary research to develop potential solutions.
The Philippines’ call center boom has provided new opportunities for transgender women to earn a decent income and present themselves in their authentic gender identity without fear of discrimination.
Kelsey Lilley Associate Director, Atlantic Council’s Africa Center
For decades, Djibouti has benefited economically from the standoff between Ethiopia and Eritrea. But as the two countries move to normalize ties, financial losses may push Djibouti to disrupt the peace, writes Kelsey Lilley of the Atlantic Council.
Rwanda’s attempts to boost its garment sector have sparked a trade war with Trump, and might have made it more difficult for women to get stable jobs in the nascent industry.
As the International Seabed Authority meets to debate environmental regulations for the extraction of minerals from fragile ocean habitats, the debate grows between nations and corporations favoring mining and scientists concerned about irreversible impacts.
As foreign-owned fishmeal factories proliferate in West Africa to supply feed for overseas aquaculture operations, prices for a key staple of the local diet are skyrocketing and Gambian fishers find it increasingly hard to compete against industrialized trawlers.
Wave pools are opening far away from the coasts. Surfer and environmentalist Steve Hawk discusses his high hopes – and biggest fears – for the future of the technology and whether it will inspire more or less love of the ocean.
Cadbury makes money off of selling sweets, but now its corporate parent wants to help teach Nigerian children how to eat healthier. That effort, which involves partnering with a key nutrition advocacy group, has raised questions about the role of the private sector in fighting malnutrition
Lithium is found in seawater and in some groundwater. A new filtering material could be used in desalination to extract lithium, potentially offsetting the high cost of producing freshwater from the ocean, says University of Texas chemical engineer Benny Freeman.
Fair trade doesn’t always mean fair transport, unions say, as the International Labour Organization debates a minimum wage increase for the shipping industry. Better treatment of workers could also have environmental benefits, they argue.
Sophie Richardson China Director, Human Rights Watch
China’s state-run organization on gender equality is promoting a damaging narrative about women’s subservience in an attempt to fix social issues, Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson writes.
Discrimination and sexual harassment in Myanmar’s garment factories can take a massive financial toll on both the workers and the industry. To improve women’s economic wellbeing, employees and authorities need to address their physical safety, say rights advocates.
Robert Parker at the University of British Columbia has calculated greenhouse gas emissions from the global fishing industry. He talks about what the data show and why not all fisheries are alike.
Regions of the world where scientists have struggled to collect data on ocean health due to geopolitical and safety concerns are becoming accessible by stealthy, seafaring robots.
Since 2014 it has been legal to grow hemp, marijuana’s non-psychoactive cousin, in small “research” batches. Legislation passed this year could open the door to full-scale farming of this versatile, drought-tolerant plant.
As the Australian government pushes for the construction of a giant coal mine near the world’s largest coral ecosystem, Finnish scientists have developed a way to minimize the impact of dredging required to expand coal ports and accommodate increases in ship traffic.
Justine A. Kavle Nutrition Team Lead for United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Flagship Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP)
Justine A. Kavle, a nutrition expert with USAID’s Maternal and Child Survival Program, calls for programs to help people make healthier food choices, including clearer nutritional labels.
Ibrahim al-Marashi Associate Professor of Middle East History, California State University San Marcos
Last year Trump attacked Syria at a time when he was facing a domestic crisis. The U.S. president is in a similar situation now, writes Associate Professor of Middle East History Ibrahim al-Marashi.
Dr. Chase Sova Director of Public Policy and Researce, World Food Program USA
Dr. Chase Sova, World Food Program USA’s director of public policy and research, highlights how modern crises show hunger is not just a byproduct of war, but a root cause of instability across many countries.
The International Maritime Organization is under pressure to finalize long-delayed targets to reduce carbon emissions from the growing shipping industry. But governments remain divided on how aggressive to be in fighting climate change.
Marine scientist Edward Allison says his research shows that in some developing countries, fish farming is not benefiting nutritionally vulnerable communities. That has triggered a backlash from other researchers and the aquaculture industry.
Marine scientist Edward Allison says his research shows that in some developing countries, fish farming is not benefiting nutritionally vulnerable communities. That has triggered a backlash from other researchers and the aquaculture industry.
As the International Seabed Authority writes regulations to govern the mining of the ocean floor for valuable minerals, delegates at the U.N.-chartered organization’s recent meeting stressed the need to ensure unique deep ocean animals and habitats are protected.
New research underscores the fact that malnutrition, while rampant in middle-income countries, is often ignored by donors, leaving those countries to bear the burden of nutrition programs.
Documentation efforts in Syria initially aimed to collect evidence for future prosecutions. Seven years later, however, these innovative strategies have created new avenues for justice, writes Fernando Travesí, of the International Center for Transitional Justice.
The activist group Greenpeace, which tracked krill fishing vessels near sensitive Southern Ocean habitats, argues that the fishery is putting pressure on an ecosystem already threatened by climate change.
Peter Ford Global Affairs Correspondent, The Christian Science Monitor
Not long ago the humanitarian concept of ‘Responsibility to Protect’ had currency. But this is no longer the case in Syria, where a new harsh reality is playing out in eastern Ghouta, writes journalist Peter Ford.
We cut through the hype about the technology behind Bitcoin that is emerging as a powerful new tool to build tamper-proof transparency and trust into seafood supply chains. If it works, blockchain could help combat illegal fishing, worker abuse and seafood fraud.
Tropical coastal mangroves are increasingly found in the world’s temperate zones. Samantha Chapman, a biologist at Villanova University, explains how her research has documented their dramatic growth into Florida’s salt marsh turf and why that raises questions about the future of coastlines.
Scientists have attributed an algal bloom that killed off $800 million worth of salmon in Chile to rising ocean temperatures, and they say other aquaculture operations around the world are at risk.
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