07/14/2017. Voicing concern over the abuse of religion to justify incitement to violence and discrimination, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today underscored the importance of religious leaders in preventing violence and contributing to peace and stability.

“Around the world, we see how religion is being twisted [and] cynically manipulated,” stressed the Secretary-General today, speaking at the launch of an initiative to prevent atrocity crimes, which include genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

In his remarks, Mr. Guterres cautioned against the proliferation of hate speech – both online and offline – and said that such messages spread hostility and hatred, and encourage populations to commit violence against individuals or communities, often based on their identity.

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06/22/2017. Humanitarians operating in highly volatile environments face a wide range of institutional, operational, access, and security challenges that necessitate carefully designed responses and mitigation measures. These challenges and good practices were analyzed and subsequent recommendations provided in a landmark study, entitled To Stay and Deliver: Good Practice for Humanitarians in Complex Security Environments, commissioned by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in 2011.

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March 2017 by Nathalie Herlemont-Zoritchak, Executive Director at Handicap International Foundation. Six years of war. Can it be seen as anything other than a tragic anniversary? We must certainly look for more than the sinister litany of figures in this “Syrian crisis”, a shameful conflict hidden behind minimising rhetoric – figures of the wounded, the dead, displaced, children out of school, security council veto, established and broken truces… Initially a regional crisis, the constant flux of refugees to bordering countries has turned the Syrian crisis into a crisis of the entire international system and its references to core values of humanism, solidarity and moderation. The blackness of the picture must not be allowed to dissimulate a number of awakenings. Foremost amongst Syrians, who – happily – did not wait for the illusory saviour of the international community to reinvent their own survival. Awakenings amongst actors of solidarity, too, who have had to renew their approaches.

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06/30/2017. The profile of mediation has been rising globally since Turkey and Finland led the way at the United Nations through the Mediation for Peace initiative. The initiative culminated in the establishment of the Group of Friends of Mediation. The group now has 53 members, including 48 states and five international organizations. There has also been substantial improvement in the international capacity for preventive diplomacy and mediation within the U.N., regional and sub-regional organizations and civil society. The group has become the leading platform at the U.N. to promote mediation. It has initiated the adoption of four U.N. General Assembly Resolutions that lay the groundwork for the development of the normative and conceptual framework of mediation. The group has also contributed to the 2012 “United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation”, a fundamental document for those who practice and study mediation worldwide.

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06/20/2017 in Geneva by Peter Maurer. The one-year anniversary of the Grand Bargain is a time to take stock and look at next steps. It’s our chance to renew our commitment, to assess progress and chart the way forward.

A year ago we gathered to launch this historic agreement and since then, more signatures have been added. Together we were determined to reset our ways of working and refocus our efforts on achieving humanitarian gains.

I’d like to acknowledge the work that has happened up to today. We have seen increased political commitments but we also have seen obstacles in turning commitments into reality. Resetting the course of institutionalized systems is not a straightforward business.

I cannot help but be reminded of Kristalina Georgieva’s passionate words in driving forward this agenda:
“We have a moral duty to recognize that the world has changed, dramatically, whereas our action is falling dramatically behind… Never before have we been so generous; but never before so insufficient. The shortfall is the difference between life and death, and the difference between hope and hopelessness.”

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June 2017 by Michel Duclos. The horrendous conflict that has been going on in Syria since 2011 has caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions. The civil war quickly turned into a regional conflict in which the main Middle-Eastern powers have been intervening at different levels. The Syrian war can also be understood through an East-West divide, especially since Russia’s military intervervention in 2015. The advent of a considerable jihadist threat – mainly represented by the alNusra Front (Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – considerably modified the country’s political balance, lowering the chances of Bashar al-Assad leaving. Advocating an efficient strategy for France, Europe and the West as a whole requires a precise diagnosis of the conflict’s causes, its evolution in recent years as well as recent political changes. After conducting such an analysis, the present paper aims to propose a strategy for the conflict’s resolution, and for leading Syria towards a stable political recovery.

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06/28/2017 by Ziad Haider. The private sector should establish a Global Business Council for Refugees to better coordinate their initiatives, motivate more support and advocate for better policies for refugees, argues the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Ziad Haider in Devex.

As the largest wave of human displacement since World War II continues to unfold, World Refugee Day last week served as a grim milestone and stark reminder of the inadequacy of the international community’s response to date. An all-hands-on-deck response is required and must be scaled up. That means further action not just by governments and humanitarian agencies, but also by the private sector.

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06/09/2017 by Rim El Gantri and Karim El Mufti. Discussions about a future return of refugees and coexistence among groups currently at war in Syria must begin now, even in the face of ongoing violence and displacement. This report, based on interviews with refugees, makes it clear that the restoration of dignity will be important to creating the necessary conditions for return and peaceful coexistence — and building a stable post-war Syria one day.

Armed conflict in Syria has displaced millions of people inside and outside of the country. When a political settlement to the conflict is eventually reached, the process of refugees returning to Syria and rebuilding their lives, relationships, and communities will be long and complex. However, discussions with displaced persons about return and coexistence can begin now, even in the face of ongoing violence and displacement.

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