Publications

This series of three country “Insights” identifies peacebuilding priorities in Burundi, Liberia and Nepal, and discusses the response of the international institutions operating there.  The focus institutions are primarily the World Bank and the UN. The insights provide a brief snapshot and analysis of each country’s particular peacebuilding needs, as well as the dynamics that either facilitate or hinder institutional ability to address these needs. Findings inform a synthesis report entitled ‘Peacebuilding, the World Bank and the United Nations: Debates and Practice in Burundi, Liberia and Nepal’, the summary of which is available here. This work is part of Alert’s International Institutions Programme which seeks through research and engagement to strengthen the peacebuilding impacts of international institutions in fragile and conflict-affected countries.

The current phase of oil exploration in Uganda offers a unique opportunity to alleviate poverty and create broad-based development and improved standards of living across the country. A strong and functioning legislative framework for managing the different aspects of the oil resource is essential to ensuring positive outcomes, as are strong and effective government institutions; an environment that requires transparent disclosure of payments and receipts from oil revenues; existence of independent and effective law-enforcement agencies to deal with transgressions; and committed policy implementers. The role of parliamentarians in scrutinising the sector is in turn equally critical.

Oil and Gas Laws in Uganda; A Legislator’s Guide, sets out the main provisions of the proposed framework, and how these differ from existing provisions. The Guide will serve as a helpful tool for legislators, as they take up their task of developing Uganda’s regulatory framework for its nascent oil industry.

The need for greater ‘engagement’ with Abkhazia has been widely acknowledged by the international community and is now even enshrined in official European and Georgian policies. Nevertheless, as ‘meaningful’ engagement is slow to materialise, the trend on the ground is of increasing alienation rather than rapprochement. In order to understand this, Georgian and Abkhaz researchers examined the original rationale and motivation behind isolationist policies, after which they compare and contrast the relatively recent European and Georgian ‘engagement’ strategies. Both Georgian & Abkhaz authors conclude that despite the similarities between the two strategies, they actually have quite contrasting aims at their heart which reflect the ‘isolation/de-isolation’ debate. The Abkhaz paper goes on to reflect on the internal discourse on ‘de-isolation’, offering some insight into why political struggles that manipulate the dichotomy of Russia versus the West gain so much traction. (Русский)

Lorsqu’il s’agit de la participation politique et de l'intervention dans les sphères publiques, la grande majorité de la population de l’Afrique de l’ouest doit faire face à de nombreux défis. Lorsqu'il s'agit de se faire entendre, les femmes et le jeunes en particulier sont confrontés à des obstacles culturels, économiques ou encore politiques.

Dans le cadre d’un projet de formation au Libéria, au Sierre Leone et en Guinée, Alert a formé plusieurs animateurs qui mènent des ateliers destinés aux populations jeunes et aux femmes. Ces ateliers renforcent des groupes qui traditionnellement sont exclus et les aident à développer des activités qui leurs permettront de contribuer aux débats politiques au sein de leurs contextes respectifs.

Ce document est un outil, un ensemble de ressources, destiné aux animateurs du Libéria, de Sierra Leone et de la Guinée. Publié en anglais et en français, il comporte un certain nombre  d’exercices qui peuvent aider à favoriser les discussions et les réflexions autour de l’analyse, de la visualisation, du renforcement des savoir-faire ainsi que de la planification des activités qui encourageront la participation politique des femmes et des jeunes.

In this study, Georgian and Abkhaz researchers examine one of the fundamental polarising issues of the conflict – the political status of Abkhazia. While Russia formally recognised Abkhazia as an independent state in August 2008, the ‘non-recognition’ of Abkhazia remains the cornerstone of Georgian and international policy. Georgian researchers explore how sustainable the policy of non-recognition is, under what conditions the policy might fail and what Georgia would do in those circumstances. The Abkhaz researchers examine what opportunities and limitations their current status of ‘partial’ recognition affords them, and what concessions Abkhazia might be willing to make in order to get recognition. A survey of respondents reveals some surprisingly ambivalent attitudes towards the question of recognition, though the reader should avoid drawing the wrong conclusions from this.

On 29th November 2010, International  Alert hosted a roundtable ‘EU-Caucasus Dialogue on Georgian-Abkhaz Relations’ which was framed as a conversation between diplomats engaged in official dialogue processes and experts from the region on what different actors can contribute to conflict resolution.  The participation of experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, allowed a wide range of perspectives to be taken into account and as each side voiced their priorities and analysed the situation on the ground, a broad picture of the conflict dynamic emerged. This report includes the papers presented at the roundtable and a summary of the debate that arose.

Ce manuel de formation compile les leçons d'une coopération fructueuse sur le thème de la formation entre International Alert et un réseau congolais de consolidation de la paix, Haki na Amani. Pour capitaliser sur les expériences des acteurs engagés dans la poursuite de la paix en Ituri, le district du Congo où opère Haki na Amani, il est essentiel de pouvoir mettre en œuvre des techniques et approches de formation efficaces. Ce manuel reprend les enseignements de la réflexion menée par l'équipe de formation de International Alert, et de sa coopération avec Haki na Amani dans le contexte de l'Ituri.

This paper is a collection of reflections from a field visit to three districts in the middle hills and Terai belt of eastern Nepal (Sunsari, Dhankuta and Morang) which set out to explore the various dimensions of the resilience of climate-affected communities. By sharing the perceptions and insights of community members from these districts, this paper aims to shed light on the complexities of these particular local contexts and flag some of the specific challenges of responding to climate change in fragile and conflict-affected contexts such as Nepal.

A host of publications over the last decade have highlighted the important role played by artisanal and small-scale mining of coltan, gold and cassiterite in the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), yet there is still little awareness of the modus operandi of the various actors involved in the exploitation and trade of these minerals. It is vitally important that initiatives aimed at reforming the artisanal mining industry are based on a thorough knowledge of the political, economic and social dynamics at the grassroots level. This research report analyzes the trading networks within the mining sector and their links to military, economic and political actors in eastern DRC, focusing on the provinces of North and South Kivu, and Ituri District in Orientale Province.