Putting Conflict in Context

In the past few weeks, we’ve all seen the headlines as growing numbers of refugees flee the ongoing conflict in Syria. According to the armed conflicts database maintained by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, there are currently 42 active conflicts in the world, more than 12 million refugees, and approximately 180,000 people have been…

Never Forget: Using Remembrance to Prevent Future Violence in Côte d’Ivoire

This post was originally published by the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and is cross-posted with permission. “It’s hard… I lost many things because of this violence. We lost so much in this crisis. I apologize to the Wè and Malinke youth, and strangers, too, so we can avoid another crisis in Duékoué. Let’s make peace, let’s…

Solving Land Disputes in Côte d’Ivoire

Land conflicts among villages in Côte d’Ivoire have very real political and economic repercussions. In most regions, the village committee, made up of individuals selected based on family and ethnic lineage, decides land ownership. In theory, as long as this local governance structure remains stable, land disputes can be solved peacefully. However, in the western…

Final Report: Mozambique Integrated Information Network for Decision

Through upgrades in data gathering, knowledge creation, and information sharing, MIND strengthened early warning systems for floods and cyclones and helped improve disaster management and contingency planning. In the process, MIND fostered networking and built Mozambican capacity to unprecedented levels. MIND combined a spectrum of tools — from high-tech, satellite-derived rainfall estimations to multicolored cyclone…