General News

International Alert is calling for greater engagement between the UK government and diasporas, in order to improve peace and development.

The recent escalation of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following a six-month stand-off between the M23 rebel group and the DRC government, continues to be of grave concern.

‘We should go and see David Cameron about this!’, was the conclusion of the Lancashire youth group taking part in our project, “Promoting Positive Voices in Diaspora Communities”.

In November, International Alert organised a visit of four doctors from the British Sri Lankan diaspora community to Sri Lanka, to learn about the country’s healthcare challenges.

In October, our partner organisation Voices for Reconciliation brought together people from Sri Lanka’s diaspora communities to talk about how their personal identities influence their opinions and understanding of Sri Lanka’s history, and how such identities are shaping the country’s post-war future.

On 11th October, International Alert released a new report – Ending the deadlock: Towards a new vision of peace in eastern DRC – which proposes a comprehensive approach to building lasting peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

International Alert has called for a radically different approach to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in our written submission to the UK’s International Development Committee (IDC).

On 28th September, one of our partner organisations Voices for Reconciliation (VFR) took part in a workshop with young people from Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan diaspora community in the UK.

This article is written by Dominic Perera. Dominic is currently working with International Alert in the Sri Lanka team, based in London. Dominic also facilitates dialogue amongst second-generation Sri Lankan communities in the UK, working to strengthen inter-community relations and actively promote positive diaspora engagement with Sri Lanka.

Here Chris Underwood, Senior Policy Advisor at International Alert, recounts his recent trip to the UN General Assembly in New York.

At the start of an important conference on the future of Burundi, an elected delegation of Burundian women’s rights activists put forth concrete policy recommendations on development, gender equality, economic empowerment and peacebuilding priorities for their country.

On 1st October 2012, Georgians went to the polls to elect a new parliament, the results of which surprised even the most experienced of commentators on Georgian issues.

Zones affected by or prone to conflict pose major challenges to companies. If they make the wrong decisions, they risk disruption to their operations, expropriation of assets, currency restrictions, damage to their reputation and potential legal liabilities.

‘Now I see it differently’, said one of the participants on our four-day course on conflict analysis and conflict sensitivity in Birmingham, UK last month.

The event, designed to train and prepare civilians for crisis management missions worldwide, brought together members of EU, UN and OSCE missions in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kosovo and elsewhere.