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Hi <<First Name>>! Welcome to AP's December newsletter
2022 is coming to an end, a year marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and months of protracted conflict in Eastern Europe. At the present time, after a major defeat, Russia is withdrawing from the Western Kherson region and peace talks seem still away on the horizon - on the contrary: many fear that Vladimir Putin is engaged in strengthening ties with allies, dragging Belarus into war. The EU, however, has not been shaken only by a neighbouring war, but also by a major corruption scandal, the 'Qatargate', involving MEPs suspected of money laundering and corruption to the benefit of Qatar. The emirate is in fact accused of multiple human rights abuses and poor working conditions for the 2022 World Cup.
The championship, won by Argentina, is the most viewed sport event globally, and AP's associate, Celina Del Felice, elaborates on the World Cup's educational impact in this month's blog article: "Let's talk about the World Cup: an opportunity for peace education".
Another region has been at the centre of international attention, namely the African continent, as Egypt hosted the 27th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change. On COP27, the impact of climate change on Africa and climate injustice writes Ylenia Rocchini, AP's Advisor, in the HuffPost. Africa has also been in the spotlight over the past weeks as President Joe Biden hosted the US-Africa summit, setting cooperation with Africa as a priority for the US. Moreover, in Eastern Africa we are witnessing internal developments, such as a transitional, power-sharing deal in Sudan between the army and the civilian-led coalition. Despite this, pro-democracy activists continue to protest, opposing the presence of the army in the government.
In Iran, too, people and women in particular continue to raise their voices against the morality police, but protests are met with such violence and repression that, last week, Iran was expelled by the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
In addition, in this newsletter you will find news on AP's activities, such as a webinar for high school students on conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and reports of AP's team work on the Youth, Peace and Security agenda.
Enjoy reading and see you next year!
Dafne Carletti
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WEBINAR: Is it possible to avoid conflicts?
Prevention of armed conflicts and promotion of peace from WWII to Ukraine
On Tuesday, 13 November, AP held a webinar for high school classes, discussing conflict prevention and the different ways to promote peace in the current historical context.
The webinar was well-attended by school students, in addition to experts and university students from different cities in Italy. The Director of AP, Bernardo Venturi, opened the webinar talking about the Bologna Peacebuilding Forum, AP's annual conference which, in 2022, was dedicated to conflict prevention. Afterwards, Stefano Marinelli, AP's associate, highlighted the difference between conflict and violence, and emphasized the neutrality of conflicts. Then, Mariachiara Giaccai, AP's programme officer, focused on the role of identity in conflicts and on the "humanization of the enemy", reflecting also on conflict transformation and the implications of peacebuilding in the current times.
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PROJECT EVALUATION
AP's team is currently engaged in an evaluation of two projects funded by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) on conflict transformation and civil society and youth participation in building sustainable peace. Between 4 and 14 December, AP's Associate, Mikhail Silvestro Sustersic, as evaluation lead, together with Marjus Ceveli as associate researcher, traveled to Albania and Kosovo, where the two projects are implemented respectively by Terre des Hommes and Community Building Mitrovica (CBM). Despite a tense atmosphere in Mitrovica, our team managed to collect relevant data, thanks to the support of local organizations.
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The Atlas of Wars 2022 out in January!
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The Atlas of Wars and Conflicts in the World, an Italian independent editorial project that maps injustices, wars and situations of conflict across the world, has reached its 11th edition!
The publication regarding the world situation in 2022, which will be available in libraries in January, contains for the first time a focus and an infographic on peacebuilding, edited by the Agency for Peacebuilding. The publication is in Italian only, and can be ordered here.
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Let's talk about the Football World Cup: an opportunity for peace education
By Celina Del Felice, AP's associate.
"These days news about the (Men´s) FIFA Football World Cup are omnipresent, it is hard to escape it. As the most viewed sports event globally, it has a tremendous informal education impact. We learn about other countries, cultures, and languages, and very importantly, the values of fair play, teamwork, and respect for others. Sports, and football, in particular, have proven to have contributed to youth empowerment and social cohesion, helping to break ethnic, class, gender, generational, and other boundaries."
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The African COP did not solve Africa's vulnerability
By Ylenia Rocchini, AP's Senior Advisor (the article is available in Italian only).
"Climate change is causing severe damage in the African continent, including increasing the risk and severity of violent conflicts. In order to address the situation, an ethical management of the ecological transition is not enough. We must bring about strutcural changes in the unequal access to resources and in the global models of production and consumption."
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Implementing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda at the national level
For the first time public officials, youth leaders, and representatives of international organisations from 17 countries of all continents gathered in-person to discuss and plan national strategies and actions to implement the Youth Peace and Security (YPS) agenda. This agenda was formalised by UN Security Council Resolution 2250 in 2015, and related ones (UNSCR 2419 in 2018 and UNSCR 2535 in 2020). The meeting was the continuation of a series of online workshops during August, September and October, and took place 21-24 November 2022 in Helsinki, Finland. It was coordinated by the United Network of Young Peacebuilders, Search for Common Ground, and it was hosted and supported by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
One of the main resources used was the Guide for Public Officials "Implementing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda at Country-level", published by the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, and to which AP Associates Mikhail Sustersic, Bernardo Monzani and Celina Del Felice contributed to editing in 2021 as external consultants.
The sessions discussed the different ways of implementation, showing that there is not one single blueprint or best implementation model. Rather, each country needs to choose its pathway ensuring co-decision-making with young people and youth-led groups and adopting process-oriented and “Do No Harm” approaches adequate for each context. Sessions also identified and discussed fears, challenges, hopes and existing strengths related to implementation of the YPS agenda. Two of the central issues discussed were the depth and practical implications of meaningful youth participation in peace and security and the need for adequate financing which requires creative and collaborative efforts.
Access the YPS Guide for Public Officials and an annex with 61 examples of national strategies, policies, coalitions, programs, projects and services advancing the YPS agenda.
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Reading&Podcast suggestions
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Ten Lessons from the Return of History
As 2022 comes to a close, the Council on Foreign Relations draws on ten lessons from the year regarding a lingering pandemic, climate change, galloping inflation, and the outbreak of a costly war in Europe that, the CFR claims, we are ignoring at our peril.
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Maabar - a 12-part podcast series on the Lebanese civil war
The podcast "Maabar" dives through layers of what was experienced, what is remembered and what therefore still exists of the Lebanese civil war. Following no particular chronology, the podcast traces themes and shared experiences, removing time and space, giving room to the oopening of a different conversation about the war.
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Grasping Local Participation: The Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in the Western Balkans and North Africa
This article by Clara della Valle and Francesco Strazzari examines the implementation of National Action Plans (NAPs) on Women, Peace and Security in the sub regions of the Western Balkans and North Africa, developing a comparative framework to shed light on the dimension of participation of these plans in four countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Tunisia and Morocco.
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