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Even though the mismanagement of natural resources lies at the heart of many enduring conflicts, the sustainable and equitable use of petroleum, mineral and agricultural resources could help prevent conflict and promote lasting peace. This event examined the underpinnings of resource management in resource-rich, conflict-prone states and explored options for conflict-sensitive strategies that could break the cycle of violence and lay the foundation for sustainable economic development.
Members of the Congolese Diaspora outline recommendations on delinking mining from the war economy, strengthening the private sector, and fighting corruption.
Panelists at this workshop discussed Congolese perspectives and recommendations to improve economic and political policies in the Congo with members of U.S. agencies, development organizations, think tanks, non-profits and other stakeholders.
Panelists at this workshop discussed Congolese perspectives and recommendations to improve economic and political policies in the Congo with members of U.S. agencies, development organizations, think tanks, non-profits and other stakeholders.
USAID’s Community Stabilization Program (CSP) in Iraq was designed as a non-lethal counterinsurgency program that aimed to reduce incentives for participating in violent conflict by utilizing job-creation programs and engaging the youth. This event considered the following questions and more: Was the CSP effective as a counter-insurgency tool in Iraq? Does the CSP foster local ownership and sustainability?
Reports that Afghanistan is sitting on a “gold mine” of mineral deposits could foster competition for access and control, fuel new conflicts and make peace harder to forge, according to a panel of experts at a July 14 United States Institute of Peace symposium titled "High-Value Resource Contracts, Conflict and Peace in Afghanistan."
Session 2: “Sexual Violence and the Failure of Protection” explores the problems for peacekeepers in the DRC, and their inability to prevent local level conflict, particularly sexual and gender-based violence. Speakers include Howard Wolpe, Special Advisor, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of State (Ret); Diane Orentlicher, Deputy Director, Office of War Crimes, U.S. Department of State; and Major-General Patrick Cammaert, Military Advisor, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Moderated by Paula Newberg, Marshall B. Coyne Director, The Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University.
Session 1: “The Failure of International Peacebuilding” showcases USIP Peace Scholar, Severine Autesserre’s new book, “The Trouble with the Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding.” Opening remarks and presentation by Séverine Autesserre, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. Remarks by Raymond Gilpin, Associate Vice President, Sustainable Economies, Centers of Innovation, U.S. Institute of Peace; and Christine Karumba, Democratic Republic of Congo Country Director, Women for Women International. Moderated by Chantal De Jonge Oudraat, Associate Vice President, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, U.S. Institute of Peace.
Four Francophone states in West Africa have recently held elections. In three, new presidents have taken office in processes that followed protracted periods of conflict and disputed rule; in Benin, a reelected incumbent has continued a democratic tradition of 20 years' standing. Despite the fact that the outcomes of some of these elections have been disputed, they nevertheless represent steps toward strengthening democracy in the region.
During part one of "Women, Entrepreneurship, and Rebuilding War-torn Communities" Gayle Tzemach Lemmon presented her widely acclaimed New York Times best-selling book, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Women Who Risked Everything to Keep them Safe. Patti Petesch discussed her new USAID report, "Women's Empowerment arising from Violent Conflict," which draws upon 125 women's life stories to examine factors shaping women's agency and local recovery processes in four conflict-affected countries.Borany Penh and Stacey Young drew upon the central themes discussed by Tzemach Lemmon and Petesch in a discussion about the roles women and entrepreneurship play in the reconstruction of war-torn communities.