General News

In March, a selected number of Georgian and Abkhaz experts and businesspeople – including one additional partner from South Ossetia – visited Cyprus to study the Greenline Regulations. These regulations facilitate economic relations across the divided island of Cyprus in the absence of a political solution to the conflict and were adopted in 2004.

Dan Smith, Alert Secretary-General, was interviewed in Washington DC at the Woodrow Wilson Centre last week about the nature of our work. You can watch his thoughts, which include some observations about the challenges and opportunities of peacebuilding, below:

International Alert, together with partners Antenna Foundation, Equal Access, Forum for Women, Law and Development, the Institute of Human Rights Communication Nepal and Saferworld, recently held a series of trainings in Security Sector Reform (SSR) for civil society and media representatives in Nepal.

10 years ago the groundbreaking UN Resolution 1325 was passed.

This extraordinary Resolution recognises the devastating impact of conflict on women and states that women must be involved in building peace.

Whilst 1325 is extraordinary in principle, a decade later, a lack of implementation means its impact is not being felt by women.

Between 4th-6th February 2011, International Alert’s economy and conflict project partners, the Caucasus Business and Development Network (CBDN), organised a regional beekeepers’ meeting to discuss challenges and possibilities for regional cooperation in the beekeeping sector.

On 9th August 2010, Alert convened business leaders from Acholi and Lango sub-regions of Northern Uganda for a meeting titled “Business and Peace in Uganda: Lessons from Sri Lanka and Kenya” aimed at exploring the role of the private sector in ensuring a peaceful electoral process in the 2011 presidential and parliamentary election in Uganda.

In January 2011 International Alert teamed up with the Royal Commonwealth Society to take eight British youth of Sri Lankan heritage, and from both Tamil and Sinhalese backgrounds, to Sri Lanka as part of our Sri Lankan programme and our work with Sri Lankan diaspora who live in the UK.

International Alert, together with partners Equal Access Nepal and Youth Action Nepal, recently completed a training course in Nepal for interns who will be responsible for undertaking research on Nepali youth’s experiences and perceptions of current security challenges and responses.

International Alert recently facilitated two discussion fora in Northern Uganda’s districts of Amuru and Kitgum, which brought together stakeholders from different sectors of Uganda’s society and local communities to promote peacebuilding as part of the economic recovery of Northern Uganda.

In Amuru, the discussion focused on creating an understanding between oil companies and local communities; while in Kitgum, participants discussed how local business leaders can be key stakeholders in building peace at the local level.

In December International Alert held a two-day dialogue workshop in London that convened the leaders of the youth and student wings of the 17 main Lebanese political parties.

From Dan Smith’s blog, which can be found at www.dansmithsblog.com.

During a recent community meeting in the north-western Liberian town of Vahun, in Lofa County, International Alert has been able to ascertain the positive impact its project on human security and gender-based violence has had on the communities in this part of Liberia.