The independent resource on global security
WritePeace blog
Beyond ‘women’s issues’ and smoky rooms: Debunking the myths about gender in peace mediation
Yeonju Jung, Emma Bjertén-Günther, Johanna Poutanen, Silja Grundström and Maria RistimäkiThis week and next, the UN member states meet in the General Assembly for its 73rd session. As in previous years, we expect to hear more statements highlighting the role of women in peacebuilding and the need for more inclusive and gender-sensitive peace processes. Nearly two decades after the landmark resolution, why is implementation still sorely lagging?
The state of the Arms Trade Treaty: Advancing efforts on international assistance and illicit diversion
Mark BromleyThe Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) entered into force in 2013 and aims to promote a more transparent, responsible and better regulated global arms trade. On Friday 24 August the ATT’s Fourth Conference of States Parties (CSP4) concluded in Tokyo after five days of constructive deliberations.
3D-printable guns and why export controls on technical data matter
Kolja BrockmannNew developments in the 3D-printable gun case have revived the debate on the dangers of 3D-printing of firearms and the sharing of their electronic blueprints online. While these developments may only have a limited immediate impact on the proliferation of small arms, this approach has the potential to undermine controls on 3D printing and export controls on technical data more broadly.
Mali holds presidential elections: Polls to the people, power to the incumbents
Myriam Marending, Dr Grégory Chauzal and Zoë GormanOn 29 July 2018, eight million registered Malian voters will be asked to elect their next president. The elections will mark the end of the first presidential term after the military coup in 2012 and will be the sixth presidential election since the democratic transition in 1991. This blog outlines the upcoming elections and provides an overview to SIPRI’s post-election survey to better understand the expectations of Mali’s population.
Judges as Peacebuilders: The challenges of ensuring access to justice in conflict-affected settings
and Rhodri WilliamsILAC’s session on “Legitimacy, Accountability and Access to Justice” in the upcoming Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development provides an opportunity to take a first step in this process by bringing together experts and practitioners on customary justice to identify how such engagement can contribute to the politics of peace.
The talk of the town in Tehran: Can the Europeans deliver?
Dr Tarja CronbergDr Tarja Cronberg, SIPRI Associate Fellow and the author of ‘Nuclear Multilateralism and Iran: Inside EU Negotiations’ has revisited Tehran to meet with Iranian high-level officials and the EU, China and Russia ambassadors to Tehran. These ‘Tehran’ interviews form the background for this blog at this critical juncture where the future of the Iran nuclear deal is at stake.
Let’s talk about ‘women’s issues’
Emma Bjertén-GüntherToday is International Men’s Day – a day that was first initiated by labour movements to protest against men’s working conditions.
Towards a comprehensive approach to sustaining peace - a reality too complex to tweet?
Dr Amiera Sawas and Emma Bjertén-GüntherJust like UNSC resolution 1325 and follow-up resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, feminist organisations – this time together with researchers – have driven awareness of the gender, climate change and security nexus. There is a long way to go, but there is strong interest from a wide range of stakeholders in supporting research on this nexus, to inform their work.
North Korea and the US: are there ways out?
Dan SmithSIPRI Director Dan Smith reflects on the most recent developments in North Korean–US relations.