Global

This blog post by Alert’s Director of Programmes Phil Vernon is also available on OpenDemocracy

This month we gave a fond farewell to our outgoing Chair of Trustees, Frida Nokken, after six years as a member of Alert’s Board, and welcomed Pierre Schori as our newly elected Chair of Trustees. Pierre has been a member of Alert’s Board since 2010 and Vice-Chair for the past year. The Board of Trustees is responsible for general control and management of the administration of Alert.

Foreign Secretary William Hague announced this week a UK initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict. This initiative, which forms part of the UK’s forthcoming Presidency of the G8 in 2013, will include the establishment of a dedicated UK team devoted to combating and preventing sexual violence in conflict.

International aid donors and the poorer governments they fund have overlapping, but far from identical interests. They overlap in their common desire to spend donor money in support of development progress, broadly put. But they often differ on what are the best development choices, and on issues like the need or opportunity for compliance with human rights and good financial stewardship norms.

Conflict Sensitivity Consortium (with support from DFID) has been working since 2008 to enhance the impact of development, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding programming through increased and more effective integration of conflict sensitivity. This experience (drawing from 35 member agencies in 4 countries) has culminated in the production of 'The how to guide to conflict sensitivity'.

International Alert, in partnership with Getty Images and Panos Pictures, are organising the photographic exhibition Media & Modern Conflict: A Role for Peace, which will be held at SW1 Gallery in London from 1st to 5th May to mark World Press Freedom Day (3rd May).

Browse through the images below of some of the comedians that have taken part in International Alert’s ‘Are You Taking the Peace?’ series, and find out what they think peace is and why it’s so important.
 
Want to know when our next ‘Are You Taking the Peace?’ event is taking place? Click HERE.

'I have loved this week and learnt so much.'
'This is an excellent opportunity for learning – very beneficial both professionally and personally.'
'I liked the course, it has given me lot of insights and practical skills.'
'This week has made me self-aware!'
 

In 2001 – a different time and a different world – the EU Gothenburg summit agreed to make the prevention of violent conflict a priority for the EU. Measured by money, it’s now the world’s biggest player in peacebuilding. But look around Europe now and we can ask, should peacebuilding also start to be a priority inside the EU?

By Phil Vernon

At the end of November, 2,000 representatives of governments, international organisations and NGOs convened in Busan as the fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. Just before the meeting we proposed five criteria by which to judge its outcome as far as conflict-affected and fragile countries are concerned

Our five criteria were: