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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.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
European legislators have voted overwhelmingly for a resolution that advocates halting efforts to mine the seabed for minerals – until the environmental consequences of industrializing the high seas can be determined.
Scientists surveyed nearly 125,000 coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific region, finding that 11.1 billion pieces of plastic debris are entangled in corals and are drastically increasing the likelihood that they will contract deadly diseases.
The episode, which premiers in the United States on Saturday, uses cutting edge filming and science to allow viewers to view and connect with unfamiliar ecosystems and landscapes.
The state’s nascent seaweed industry is commercializing an ancient tradition, but concerns have been raised about the impact on indigenous kelp harvests.
Malcolm David Hudson Academic, University of Southampton
The global community has solved significant environment problems, such as the ozone hole, but has fallen far short on others. When it come to plastic pollution, environmental researcher Malcolm David Hudson asks, which way will the world go?
The ocean may cover more than 70 percent of the planet, but it doesn’t get covered nearly enough in the news. Oceans Deeply launched in June to help fill that gap. Catch up on our coverage during a busy year for ocean health.
From the #metoo movement to abortion rights in Latin America, marriage rulings in India and humanitarian crises in East Africa and the Middle East, it’s been a blockbuster year for women and girls worldwide.
Syrian military intelligence-run detention centers are responsible for some of the worst crimes committed by the security apparatus. Their highly bureaucratic operations, however, have helped build bodies of evidence against high-level officials.
From barely regulated marketing to a lack of healthcare services, there are many factors that make it difficult for mothers in developing countries to breastfeed their babies. The solution, say experts, requires more than just saying “breast is best.”
Independent fisheries observers are put onboard commercial fishing boats to collect crucial data for regulators on what is being caught and how. But their role can put them in conflict with captains and crew. Observers are now fighting an effort to undermine protections for their work.
Expectations that the World Trade Organization would reach an agreement this week in Buenos Aires to prohibit government subsides that promote overfishing and illegal fishing were dashed when one country blocked negotiations.
The NextWave consortium, which includes Dell, General Motors and other corporations, aims to industrialize the use of ocean-bound plastic in manufacturing by collecting it before it reaches the sea.
With a 2020 mandate to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies that have led to the overexploitation of fish that feed billions of people, the World Trade Organization may finally take action at its biennial meeting this week in Argentina.
Lily Hindy Foreign Policy Associate, The Century Foundation
Sima Ghaddar Contributor, The Century Foundation
Syrians living in Lebanon, Europe and the U.S. reveal a common conviction that national unity and a common sense of identity are necessary to rebuild the country, but most say that both seem distant in a country divided along ethnic-sectarian lines.
Jihad Yazigi Journalist, Specializes in Covering Syrian Economic Affairs
Although the drive to reconstruct Syria has gained momentum in recent months, the government does not have the funds or strategy to lead the recovery process, writes Syrian journalist Jihad Yazigi.
A landmark 16-year prohibition on commercial fishing in the once ice-covered central Arctic Ocean will allow nations to conduct research on marine life in a little-explored region that is rapidly changing as climate change accelerates.
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Save Our Seas Act to reauthorize a marine debris program and work with other nations to reduce ocean pollution. Backers hope the House will approve the legislation in 2018.
Chinese demand for donkey skins has led to widespread poaching and pushed the price of the animals out of reach for many in Kenya. And when a family loses a donkey, it’s women who have to make up for the loss.
The Emerald City is eliminating millions of plastic straws thanks to a collaboration between activists, business and the maker of a marine-safe alternative to a ubiquitous product. Now the campaign is moving to other major cities.
Oceans Deeply talks with experts about seabed mining: how it could impact rare ecosystems, how much scientists know about the deep sea and the challenges of regulating industrial activity on the ocean floor.
Matteo Fumagalli Senior lecturer in international relations at the University of St Andrews
After years of discrimination and conflicts, the current Rohingya crisis is the worst ever seen. The University of St. Andrews’ Matteo Fumagalli explains how geopolitics aligned to give Myanmar generals an opportunity for a brutal offensive with few consequences.
Phil Robertson Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch
Amid international attention on Pyongyang’s missile tests, there is another life-threatening crisis emanating from North Korea that few are watching. Human Rights Watch’s Phil Robertson documents China’s increasing detention and return of North Korean refugees.
Research into the migratory habits of severely depleted Pacific bluefin tuna populations offers new information about their behavior and insights into how to prevent overfishing of the valuable species.
Author Joseph Daher examines the Syrian government’s reconstruction strategy and warns that Assad will use rebuilding to reward foreign allies and consolidate power around a small core of Syrian elite.
As the International Seabed Authority moves to permit the mining of unique deep-sea habitats, calls grow for it to disclose secretive deliberations about the environmental consequences of extracting valuable minerals from the ocean floor.
The Saami singer Sofia Jannok from Sweden combines traditional joiking with modern electronic music. Her lyrics, sung in three languages, aim to overturn colonial attitudes and express Indigenous views.
In seven years’ time, India could be the world’s most populous nation. To manage that growth, the government needs to look beyond family size to social factors such as education and patriarchal mindsets, UNFPA India representative Diego Palacios tells News Deeply.
The state of Assam in northeast India is synonymous with high-quality tea. But the much-loved brew comes at a cost: unfair wages, malnutrition and the highest maternal mortality rate in the country.
Solar panel installations have primarily been installed on land. Now two California water utilities are building floating solar-power projects at their reservoirs to reap energy savings and other benefits.
One-fifth of Hong Kong’s prison population is female, the highest proportion of any major country in the world. Activists say local laws are stacked against women, in particular foreign women.
Diamond Valley in rural Nevada has a critically overdrafted aquifer that supports its farming economy. Some irrigators want to shift to a market-based system to limit pumping, but the community is divided.
Cambodian women are being lured to China with the promise of well-paid jobs, but are instead trafficked and married by force. Back in Cambodia, those who managed to escape share their stories.
Kamal Alam Visiting Fellow, Royal United Services Institute
Over the past two years, China’s approach to Syria has transformed from being motivated by security concerns to pursuing economic interests, writes Royal United Services Institute fellow Kamal Alam.
The government of Assam wants to put a limit on family size to try to slow the state’s population growth. But mistrust of contraception could make it impossible to convince people about the benefits of family planning.
NUNATSIAQ NEWS: Circumpolar food culture could be key to ensuring Indigenous northern peoples’ survival, so the Arctic Council has prepared a compendium to help capture this traditional knowledge.
Cambodian women are being lured to China with the promise of well-paid jobs, but are instead trafficked and married by force. Back in Cambodia, those who managed to escape share their stories.
Many island states could be wiped out by rising sea levels. Reclaiming land has long been frowned upon by environmentalists, but in the face of climate change, it may be these islands’ only hope.
After years of talks, the U.N. has taken a major step toward an international treaty to preserve the biodiversity of the high seas to combat climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution.
The country is one of the top five ocean plastic polluters, but attitudes toward trash cleanup and inadequate waste-management systems haven’t kept pace with an explosion in plastic use.
Marc Lanteigne Senior Lecturer, Centre for Defence and Security Studies
China has played down its commercial interests in the Arctic in recent years. But it’s increasingly confident in pursuing northern resource development and shipping opportunities, says Massey University’s Marc Lanteigne
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