WritePeace blog

Anti-vehicle mines risk sliding off UN agenda despite increasing humanitarian impact: The case of Mali

Ahead of the UN CCW meeting in Geneva next week, this article aims to illustrate the impact of AVMs and the importance of continued state consideration with a case study on Mali where an increase in AVM impact has been observed.

Towards climate resilient peacebuilding: Understanding the complexities

In 2017 there were 63 peace operations active—of which 13 were UN Peacekeeping operations.

Beyond ‘women’s issues’ and smoky rooms: Debunking the myths about gender in peace mediation

This 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

The 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

New 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

On 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.

Promoting effective implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty: Mapping outreach and assistance in East and South East Asia

Judges as Peacebuilders: The challenges of ensuring access to justice in conflict-affected settings

ILAC’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 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’

Today is International Men’s Day – a day that was first initiated by labour movements to protest against men’s working conditions.