On 10-11 January 2022, CPPF held the 7th Annual MENA RC Forum in collaboration with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. This forum will brought together UN resident coordinators, UN officials from across the MENA region, and external experts to discuss regional trends and developments ten years after the Arab Spring.
The event started with opening remarks and an introduction of the author, Kenneth Omeje, and two discussants, Ndongo Samba Sylla and Toni Haastrup, by the moderator and director of the SSRC’s APN and NextGen program, Cyril Obi. This was followed by an overview of the book by the author. He identified the main objectives of the book as providing a critical assessment of capitalism in Africa, providing explanations for the failure of capitalism to lead to Africa’s development, and exploring options of transforming African political systems in ways that could lift millions of Africans out of poverty. Omeje noted that …
Across the world, societies are struggling to design sustainable policies for their aging populations. In much of the developed world, an increasing share of the population is over 60. In Japan, which has long been viewed as the pioneer “super-aging” society, nearly 30% of the population is now over 65. Individuals are living much longer lives due to improvements in nutrition and health care, while evolving lifestyles and shifting socio-economic conditions have kept birth rates at historic lows. The combination has produced a crisis in the social welfare systems which provide financial and care support for older citizens. The result …
CPPF presented the results of its study on climate, transboundary waters, peace, and security in the Andean region conducted for UNDP, in an event with UN agencies, government officials, and civil society members from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
CPPF convened its fourteenth virtual meeting among Guatemalan civil society members to brainstorm opportunities to address rule of law and corruption issues in Guatemala.
On 7-8 February 2022, CPPF convened a two-day workshop on forced migration in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America in support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN's Peace and Security Pillar.
The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding Network (APN), in collaboration with the African Leadership Center (ALC) of Kings College London, and Wilton Park held a two-day virtual conference on “Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sahel and North Africa.” The conference was the latest in the “Peacebuilding in Africa” series launched in 2015 aimed towards “moving peacebuilding beyond state and elite-centered approaches to encompass the wider communities involved in conflict, including, youth and women’s networks on the continent.” The event explored the connections between peacebuilding and the “historical and extensive socio-cultural, economic, and strategic connections between North Africa and the …
CPPF convened a workshop on Haiti to help inform the review of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). This workshop provided a deep-dive into current political, governance, and socioeconomic dynamics, as well as the role and impact of the UN in Haiti.
On March 1, the Social Science Research Council will launch the Just Tech platform, a new website dedicated to mapping research and showcasing scholars and practitioners leading the field of social justice and emergent technology. The platform is a project of the Council's Just Tech program, which investigates questions of power, justice, and the public impact of new technologies while imagining and creating more just and equitable futures. Join us at 1:00 p.m. on March 1 to celebrate the Just Tech platform launch with a live demo and Q&A session, featuring remarks from Ruha Benjamin, Timnit Gebru, Alondra Nelson, and …
The Social Science Research Council’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis (MIPA) held a webinar on “The Future of (non)Maghreb Peace ad Integration.” The webinar provided an opportunity to brainstorm the implication of the persistent paralysis in North African integration and its implication for peace and security in the region. Participants included experts and activists, APN fellows and alumni, scholars, and practitioners in the field. The event commenced with welcome remarks by the Director of the SSRC’s African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa program, Cyril Obi, who chaired and moderated …
On 14 April 2022, CPPF held a brownbag meeting for the UN in partnership with Project Canopy on the geospatial mapping of deforestation and conflict in Central Africa. The meeting brought together UN officials of the Climate Security Mechanism and UN officials from the geospatial team to discuss an online environmental conflict platform for Central Africa.
On 14 April 2022, UVC, in partnership with the New School Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs, organized a book talk on Peer Schouten's recently published book Roadblock Politics: The Origins of Violence in Central Africa. The talk featured Tatiana Carayannis and Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ambassador to the United Nations.
