Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Peacekeeper’s Lesson Learned: 'Let Them Talk First'
It was mid-January and we were in our third and final day of training 35 officers of the 8th Benin Battalion who are slated to join the United Nations peacekeeping force this month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). While a few of these soldiers had been on such a mission before, most would be venturing for the first time into a conflict that has taken millions of lives since it began in the late 1990s.
Pakistani USIP Grantee Launches Internet Crowdfunding Campaign
Rabtt, a Pakistani group founded by university students that received a small USIP grant a couple of years ago, is seizing on the emerging phenomenon of Internet crowdfunding to expand its work nurturing critical thinking, creativity and tolerance in youth. The group is more than halfway toward its goal of raising $10,000, and has less than a week left in the campaign.
Afghan Women Challenge Presidential Candidates in Forum
“It should not only be in words that we say women comprise 50 percent of the society," said Muhammad Yosuf Nooristani, chairman of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission. The country must “really give them the chance to participate.” Nooristani made these comments at a USIP-sponsored national conference in Kabul this week that gathered more than 220 women leaders in civil society to discuss the upcoming presidential and provincial elections scheduled for April 5.
Pakistan 60 Second Film Festival Goes International
Punctuated with arresting images like drops of blood next to pencils or a boy and his father enjoying a rocky beach, the 60 Second Film Festival, which USIP seeded in Pakistan, has gone international. The new competition has just finished its round of submissions, this time not only from within Pakistan, but from hundreds of contestants in countries from India to Canada and the U.S.
Iraqi Peacebuilder Receives U.N. Recognition for Human Rights Efforts
An Iraqi civil society leader whose important peacebuilding work has long been supported by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) has received special recognition by the United Nations as a human rights defender in the country.
Awkward: Explaining Dialogue in Libya Amid U.S. Government Shutdown
It was Oct. 1, and we were midway through an 11-day visit to Libya. Our intent was to nurture the development of rule of law by guiding civic and business leaders, government officials, militia fighters, police, judges, young people and even artists through Justice and Security Dialogues. The process empowers communities to create a forum where they can bridge differences and make progress establishing security and justice among all those involved.
Afghans Mark International Day of Peace
USIP’s office in Afghanistan celebrated this year’s International Day of Peace with a concert and theatre event organized with Oxfam and a local partner in Kabul, the Afghan Civil Society Organization Network for Peace (ACSONP). USIP also sponsored a series of events that ACSONP’s local affiliates organized in seven provinces -- Kabul, Kunar, Nangarhar, Kapisa, Bamiyan, Kunduz and Herat.
Peacebuilding Reality Show for Iraqi Youth Gains Pan-Arab Appeal
An award-winning reality TV show for Iraqi youth called Salam Shabab (Peace Youth) will air its third season beginning October 5 on Alhurra-Iraq, even as awareness of the show’s potential spreads further in Egypt and Lebanon.
Detecting Looming Border Conflicts Using Satellites
Publicly available satellite imaging used to document atrocities in Darfur and wartime destruction in the Syrian city of Aleppo will be tested by scientists in a USIP-funded project to gauge its usefulness in tracking the signs of impending cross-border conflict.
Sudan Flood-Relief Needs Give Country’s Young Activists a New Cause
A deluge of heavy summer rains in Sudan that washed away homes, turned streets into ravines, and affected about 340,000 people throughout the country, including 128,000 around the capital Khartoum, has also created a flood of a different kind – young volunteers.