Marc J. Cohen, Amy Croome and Elise Nalbandian introduce a new Oxfam report that sets out how the veto power of a few countries at the UN Security Council has been catastrophic for humanity. Ahead of next week’s landmark Summit of the Future, they demand four changes to reform a UN system that is simply no longer up to the challenge of maintaining international peace and security.
Between a feminist and operational approach to Afghan women in the police
Political uncertainty has reigned in Afghanistan following the US-Taliban deal signed in February 2020 and the dispute around who the legitimate president was following the elections in September last year. On 9 March two presidents were sworn in on the same day. The dispute was solved in May but political divisions continue to hamper the functioning of the Afghan government. …
“Security is everyone’s business”: Learning from our security sector reform workshop
“Inclusive security [means] making sure we engage everyone in the process. […] Security is everyone’s business. So all of us need to […] work collectively to make sure our environment is safe for everyone.” – Charles Okullu, Torit State Civil Society network on Security Sector Reform, South Sudan “Security sector reform” might seem an abstract term, but it has a …
In the line of fire: a humanitarian security officer’s life
Humanitarian security officers face some of the toughest job environments. For World Humanitarian Day Rod Slip shares some stories from risky and dangerous situations. In the course of my humanitarian career, with Oxfam a lot of the time, I have had the dubious honour of being shot at, shelled, been under rocket barrage and air-raids and found myself in the …
Women leading in the peace
According to World Bank estimates of September 2016, two billion people live in countries where development outcomes are affected by fragility, conflict, and violence. By 2030, the share of global poor living in fragile and conflict-affected situations is projected to reach 46 per cent. Caroline Sweetman, Editor of Gender & Development, introduces us to the theme of gender in fragile …