Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights provide a broad framework that can help companies operate in ways that provide security to their facilities while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. Several companies have developed their own guidelines to implement the principles. In this paper, International Alert, a founding member of the VP process, has developed performance indicators for companies, to help establish benchmarks in the longer term.
This tool provides an introduction to the benefits and opportunities of integrating gender issues into national-level security policy making. As strategic documents, security policies are critically important in establishing a coordinated response to security threats, and can serve as a platform for security sector reform (SSR) processes. Ensuring that gender issues are integrated into security policies may increase participation and local ownership, and create policies and institutions that are more likely to effectively and sustainably provide security and justice to men, women, girls and boys on an equitable basis. The tool is designed to be a resource for staff responsible for initiating security policy-making processes within the executive branch of government, including those responsible for drafting, implementing and evaluating security policies. In addition, the tool may be useful to a variety of other actors involved in security policy-making processes, including parliamentarians and parliamentary staffers, ministerial staff, civil society organisations, municipallevel government, international and regional organisations, and donor countries supporting the development of security policies.
This tool is designed to be a resource for civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in oversight of the security sector, as well as those CSOs that seek to play a more active role in this regard. The tool is also relevant for policymakers and officials in national governments, international and regional organisations, and donor countries around the world that are engaged in designing and implementing security sector reforms and that could play an active role in strengthening and supporting civil society engagement.
The aim of this paper is to outline the key community security concerns voiced by young people in Morang and Sunsari districts and reflect these voices upto policy and decision makers at the national level.
General introduction to International Alert brochure
Climate change is upon us and its physical effects have started to unfold. That is the broad scientific consensus expressed in the Fourth Assessment Review of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change. This report takes this finding as its starting point and looks at the social and human consequences that are likely to ensue – particularly the risks of conflict and instability.
This report focuses on economic recovery as a central pillar of peacebuilding in eastern DRC and, in particular, the role of the European Commission in supporting such processes. It argues that the drivers of fragility and instability must be addressed if meaningful long term economic recovery is to be realised. The report is based on field work carried out in South Kivu and Ituri, and draws on research by Alert’s partner in Bukavu, CEGEC. It explores how peacebuilding can be put at the heart of efforts to create shared economic opportunities in the east, notwithstanding the immense challenges faced by donors in such conflict-affected environments.
This report aims to inform policy-makers, Civil Society Organizations, I/NGOs and donors engaged in peacebuilding of the dynamics of conflict at the local level and the agendas of a wide variety of stakeholders for sustainable peace in Nepal.
This paper aims to summarise the key community security concerns and issues that were voiced by youth and student groups in consultations carried out in Sunsari and Morang districts between the 25th September and the 5th November 2007. Voluntary ‘Youth Steering Committees’, comprising active and knowledgeable youth stakeholders, have played a key role as representatives for their district and in steering the project process. Local level interactions were then held in order to understand the particular issues facing rural youth. The paper looks first at the community security issues affecting youth in the two districts, then moves on to explore ways in which respondents felt that the current situation of unrest and insecurity could be changed.
The aim of this report is to conduct a preliminary investigation into the linkages between India's growing economic and political clout and its correlation, if any, to peacebuilding in South Asia, with particular emphasis on conflicts in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Friends for Peace and International Alert undertook research in Morang, Makawanpur, Kailali and Jumla to assess the existing community security situation, people’s perceptions towards it and prospects for the future. The research was based on individual and group interviews and wider community interactions and was led by the communities themselves.
This is the report of a roundtable discussion organized by the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) coalition, International Alert and UNDP which took place in Sao Tomé and Principe from 29 to 31 October 2007.
Friends for Peace and International Alert undertook research in Morang, Makawanpur, Kailali and Jumla to assess the existing community security situation, people's perceptions towards it and prospects for the future. The research was based on individual and group interviews and wider community interactions and was led by the communities themselves.
Addressing gender-based violence, which has affected tens of thousands of women and children in Sierra Leone, is a critical element of building peace there. This briefing paper explores the issue, and identifies strategies to enhance prevention and response to gender-based violence in Sierra Leone.
An overview of International Alert's work in 2006.
This is the fourth issue of International Alert's newsletter.
Coffee farming plays a vital role in the Burundian economy. It is the main industry and export product of the country and provides important income for the roughly 600,000 families (about 40% of the population) who grow it. Reforms of the coffee sector have continued with greater deregulation and privatization, but this process takes places in a specific political and economic context: on the one hand there is a new democratically elected government and generalized poverty which has been aggravated by 10 years of civil war. On the other hand there is a turmoil of diverging interests which will only intensify as reforms proceed. Meanwhile, the movement of coffee growers claims ownership over coffee production and thus seeks control over a good part of the state’s shares in the sector, as well as active participation in all decisions concerning the sector. Faced with this issue, International Alert wishes to contribute to the debate and to propose solutions that will allow the reforms to proceed in a way that serves the common interest of all the players involved. The ultimate aim of the report is to contribute to the prevention of conflicts that could arise in connection with the reforms.
Russian version of the South Caucasus case studies taken from the Local Business Local Peace report. Русская версия кейс-стади Южного Кавказа из отчета "Местный Бизнес, Местный Мир".
This report is based on a GAPS event hosted by the Canadian High Commission on Tuesday, March 13th 2007 at Canada House, London.
New strategy papers for the EU's engagement with developing countries will soon be agreed. The activities under them will have fundamental impacts on the contexts in which they will be applied, and many of these are prone to, or affected by, violent conflict, or experience some kind of societal or state fragility. Recognising the importance of the strategy papers, and the programming which will flow from them, International Alert, Saferworld and the European Peaceubilding Liaison Office, have come together to produce this briefing paper, providing analysis and advice for decision-making in Brussels and in the field.