Nearly 1 billion people around the world currently experience water scarcity and the number may rise to 2.4 billion people by 2050. Lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services can expose people to preventable health risks, trigger or exacerbate conflict, perpetuate inequality, and hinder participation in society. Why is “safe” access important?…
This report explores growing concerns surrounding climate change and conflict in Ghana. However, if sufficiently supported, Ghana exhibits resiliency factors that may be critical to the country’s long-term stability. This analysis is the product of a collaborative research effort between Chemonics International and CDA Collaborative Learning Projects.
On 26 July 2023, a group of Yemeni civil society organisations launched the Yemen Declaration for Justice and Reconciliation. This initiative, much needed for durable peace efforts, came out of the Yemen International Forum (YIF), which was held in June 12–15 2023 at The Hague. Having had the privilege of attending this year’s YIF, organised…
Complex conflicts across Africa and Asia are posing a significant threat to regional and international stability. These conflicts are influenced by various factors including vested interests of superpowers, strategic alignments of regional actors, political leadership, availability of resources, and the number of armed actors. This makes it difficult for conflict resolution actors and programmes to…
This blog post examines the role of mental health and conflict-related trauma in driving individuals towards embracing violent extremism. Please find the blog linked here.
This post originally appeared on XCEPT, a programme which Chemonics is a leading partner. More than thirty years after some scholars wondered if the end of the Cold War might herald the end of war as we know it, humanity is fighting at least 27 armed conflicts, more than at any time since the Second World War. Two billion…
Saeed Uri has 13 years of experience managing development projects, including over 10 years in complex, high-speed, and challenging positions in fragile or transitional environments such as Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Sudan, and Libya. Saeed leads Chemonics’ efforts on adaptive programming in dynamic environments that places communities at the center. He currently serves as Chemonics’ chief…
Economic development does not happen in a vacuum. Each country has unique attributes and challenges that can affect program outcomes – from local identity politics to tensions over resources – and attitudes towards minorities. Promoting economic growth in fragile and conflict-affected areas adds an additional layer of complexity as programs run the risk of exacerbating…
Traditional interpretations of security that focus on ‘gates, guards, and guns’ can lead to the perception that project resources are being diverted from development to security objectives. Consequently, security within development projects is often seen as a zero-sum game. At times, security measures may feel unrealistic given the operating environment, time or budget constraints, and perceptions that…
BFRP leveraged its $9.5 million transition activities pool (TAP) to implement 220 activities supporting locally led solutions to address the most pressing sources of instability in the program’s target communities. BFRP awarded grants to 114 partners consisting of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community groups, and host-country government offices. BFRP cleared its first activity in October…
This post originally appeared on the XCEPT project website. In February 2021, three months into the war in Tigray in northern Ethiopia, researchers noticed something that would confirm their worst fears about the nature of the conflict. With a communications blackout and access to the region largely closed off, the team from research organisation Vigil…
Countries already suffering from conflict and instability are often also on the frontlines of climate change. In Mali, rainfall has decreased by about 30% in the last 40 years, a severe crisis in a country where 80% of people depend on rain-fed agriculture. In Yemen, climate change has increased the country’s vulnerability to droughts and floods, deepening acute…