For as long as anyone can recall, Ituri, the mineral-rich province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been wracked by inter-communal violence.

Mali experienced a rare glimmer of stability this month. Although voter turnout was dampened by security fears, the country pulled off the second round of a presidential election on Aug. 12.

As warfare spikes, UN peacekeeping is at a breaking point, unable to keep up with relentless demand. 04/06/2018 by Robert Muggah and Adriana Abdenur Originally published on The Hill Times   The threat of catastrophic war between great powers is at the highest point since…

Innovations from Kenya Giovanna Marques Kuele and Adriana Erthal Abdenur, in Nairobi With the budget cuts to peace operations implemented last year and the prospect of even more reduction in resources, debates about UN peacekeeping effectiveness have intensified. One of the areas sorely in need…

Ousmane Diallo and Gustavo de Carvalho   More than two and a half years since its signature in Bamako, the agreement for peace and national reconciliation between the government of Mali, the Coordination of the Movements of Azawad (CMA), and the Plateforme coalition is at…

Innovations and Challenges from Colombia   Adriana Erthal Abdenur, in Bogotá   UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the resulting agenda on Women, Peace and Security has called for more inclusive peace processes, stressing that women’s specific needs and experiences should be taken into account…

Lessons from Colombia Adriana Erthal Abdenur, in Bogotá   A signed agreement between warring parties does not guarantee peace. Indeed, empirical evidence shows that peace processes often fail during the implementation stage if clauses in the agreement remain unfulfilled.  Institutional inertia, political resistance, lack of…

The 2030 Agenda as Strategic Entry Point Adriana Erthal Abdenur, in Bogotá   In 2017, UN Secretary General António Guterres stepped up efforts to promote sustaining peace, a vision for a more preventive and effective approach to international peace and security.   The concept calls for…

Adriana Erthal Abdenur In the 19th century Max Weber, a keen student of purpose-driven bureaucracies, hinted that institutions sometimes change their missions even when their original objectives are deeply embedded within founding charters and mission statements.  In international affairs, few organizations can attest to this tendency…

Lessons from Colombia, Somaliland & Southern Somalia   Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Laurie Druelle   As part of the peace effort between the Colombian government and the FARC, a pilot program was launched in 2015 allowing ex-combatants from the guerrilla to collaborate with Army soldiers…

Brazil-Ethiopia Exchanges in Peacekeeping Training   Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Giovanna Kuele, in Addis Ababa   How can states that contribute troops, police, and civilians to peacekeeping operations learn from one another about training for such deployments?  Although TCCs/PCCs have historically operated in a relatively…

Harnessing Trust for Conflict Prevention in Colombia   Adriana Erthal Abdenur, in San Vicente del Caguán, Caquetá, Colombia   Christmas preparations are in full swing at the church offices in San Vicente del Caguán, in the department of Caquetá.  Groups of children sit cross-legged on…

The UN’s Pre-DDR Experiment   Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Giovanna Kuele, Instituto Igarapé Half of the 4.7 million people in the Central African Republic (CAR) currently depend on humanitarian assistance for basic needs, and a full one-fourth of the population has been forcibly displaced. Armed…

Current regional mediation efforts in Burundi still provide limited results   Gustavo de Carvalho and Priyal Singh In early December 2017, a new round of talks, led by the East African Community (EAC), was initiated in Arusha, with the aim of reaching an agreement to…

Notes from Colombia Adriana Erthal Abdenur, in Agua Bonita, Colombia Nested among the lush green mountains of Caquetá, in the Amazonía region of Colombia, around 200 ex-combatants from the FARC guerrilla group are building a socialist community in the same area where they laid down…