South and South East Asia

A study in the peer review journal Science out this week claims to show evidence of the links between a warming climate and increased violence. But case study research from International Alert on community resilience in fragile contexts in South Asia guards against such generalisations and shows that local dynamics and nuances are critical.

Given the nature of pervasive violence, peacebuilding needs to throw its net wider, to encompass all kinds of pervasive violence in society as part of its remit. This means that peacebuilding organisations should work more deliberately on other types of organised violence and in a sense rethink peacebuilding – focusing not only on conventional conflict settings, but also targeting unconventional types of conflict. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities for peacebuilders in responding to criminal groups in conflict environments. This is part of our Peace Focus series.

Full report

This guide is a reference tool on conflict-sensitive journalism in Nepal for young media professionals and practitioners. It aims to help people to develop a better understanding of the role of media in conflict and the importance of conflict-sensitive journalism. It also provides practical steps on how to operate and report in a conflict-sensitive manner.

Reference toolkit

This paper reviews existing relevant media-related policies and laws in Nepal, including international conventions and declarations to which Nepal is a signatory party. It covers analysis of nine international conventions and declarations from the Nepali media perspective, 24 existing laws and policies, six institutional analyses as well as constitutional provisions related to media and press freedom.

Briefing paper

This report looks at the role of the media in contributing to and/or in mitigating insecurity, and identifies opportunities for creating and strengthening its role in contributing to peace. It functions as a baseline assessment and context analysis that can inform current and future programming in this field. It was carried out by International Alert, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and Equal Access Nepal (EAN) in the three districts of Panchthar, Parsa and Kathmandu as part of a project working on media and public security, funded by the European Union.

Full report

This report investigates the security- and justice-related experiences and perceptions of people living in nine districts in Nepal affected by insecurity and weak governance. It assesses the perceptions of communities, civil society, local authorities, businesses, media, and security and justice providers, on local public safety, security and justice; how they have changed over the past two years; and key causes of insecurity.

Full report

This review looks at existing justice policies and processes governing the justice sector in Nepal, including operational processes of key informal mechanisms. It is part of an ongoing initiative which seeks to improve access to justice – particularly by poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups and communities – by strengthening linkages and coordination between Nepali state and non-state justice actors.

Review (English)

Review (Nepali)

On 5 July International Alert, in partnership with the National Judicial Academy, Forum for Women Law and Development and Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre, launch

After continued support from International Alert, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan has joined the UN Global Compact (UNGC).

International Alert convenes an expert roundtable, Building resilience – building peace, in Kathmandu on Monday 8 July. It’s the culmination of two and half years of research on the impact of climate change on local communities in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. I can’t be there, so we recorded four minutes to camera as my contribution to the day's events.

International Alert’s latest research, produced in collaboration with the South Asia Network for Security and Climate Change (SANSaC), looks at the relationship between the environment and security in South Asia.

This study is one of a series of regional studies which aim to present evidence of the interactions between environmental, social, political and economic risks at the local level in South Asia. Drawing on field research and consultations with policymakers, practitioners and academics, this case study looks at the dimensions of local resilience and the reasons for vulnerability and non-adaptation in two districts, Thatta and Badin, in Sindh province.

Full report

This study is one of a series of regional studies which aim to present evidence of the interactions between environmental, social, political and economic risks at the local level in South Asia. Drawing on field research and consultations with policymakers, practitioners and academics, this case study seeks to identify obstacles to and opportunities for interventions to build resilience to interlinked environmental and security risks in fragile, post-conflict contexts in Nepal.

Full report

This study is one of a series of regional studies which aim to present evidence of the interactions between environmental, social, political and economic risks at the local level in South Asia. Drawing on field research and consultations with policymakers, practitioners and academics, this case study looks at the dimensions of local resilience in two communities living around Chilika Lake in Odisha, the biggest brackish water lake in India.

Full report

This study is one of a series of regional studies which aim to present evidence of the interactions between environmental, social, political and economic risks at the local level in South Asia. Drawing on field research and consultations with policymakers, practitioners and academics, this case study seeks to identify obstacles to and opportunities for interventions to build resilience to interlinked environmental and security risks among vulnerable communities in Bangladesh.

Full report