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	Non-violent movements could be key to better people-centred peacebuilding by Dr Bryan Sims SIPRI, Humanity United   Throughout this year’s Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, we heard about a multiplicity of crises afflicting the world. While the war in Ukraine—and its globally destabilizing effects—were front and centre, today’s peace and security is also threatened by our inability to take reasonable steps to mitigate climate change and a global rise in populist nationalism and a pushback against human rights and gender equality that is accompanied by 17 years of democratic decline.   Furthermore, the unregulated development of technology threatens to sow distrust in information and institutions, threaten dignified and meaningful employment for millions, and potentially lower the barriers for violent conflict.   These deeply inter-related and complex threats to peace and security have led some policymakers, donors, members of civil society, and activists to question the effectiveness of the liberal peacebuilding approach. Some advocates call for alternatives that prioritize military responses to maintain stability, rather than continued investment in solutions that build social capital and strengthen institutions in order to manage and resolve conflict peacefully.   When security is prioritized at the expense of efforts to claim and expand human rights and institutional reform, it can catalyse dangerous and self-defeating propositions for peace. This is especially true in times of conflict, when governments seek to accumulate unchecked powers under the guise of security.   Humanity United’s approach to peacebuilding is centred on supporting processes that strengthen relationships and trust among proximate and diverse stakeholders so that they can leverage their power to address the drivers of conflict, while simultaneously reforming institutions to be more inclusive and responsive.   Throughout the past four years, we have found that supporting non-violent movements to engage in collective action has catalysed greater coordination among actors across sectors and borders, and has leveraged a broad range of knowledge, critical skills and networks to tackle these crises from multiple fronts.   For Humanity United, this experience has reaffirmed our belief that for any peacebuilding strategy to ultimately achieve inclusive, responsive, just and sustainable peace, we have to ensure people-centred approaches remain core to peacebuilding and security policy and solutions.   We further explored the different roles that non-violent movements could play to build peace and security in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics during the Stockholm Forum. In partnership with the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation, Humanity United hosted a session entitled ‘Advancing Peace During War: Lessons and Reflections from the Region’s People Powered Movements’. The panellists, representing 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Centre for Civil Liberties and Viasna, as well as the International Center for Non-Violent Conflict, highlighted three reasons why support for non-violent movements must play a central role in efforts to build people-centred, sustainable peace:   Non-violent movements are effective at securing democratic outcomes that enhance sustainable peace. Research indicates that non-violent resistance movements are twice as effective as armed struggles in advancing their political goals. During the twentieth century, 57 per cent of political transitions driven by non-violent civil resistance led to democratic outcomes, compared to only 6 per cent of those driven by armed insurgencies; these outcomes enhance effective governance and resilience to illiberal forces that exacerbate conflict drivers.   Non-violent movements incentivize non-violent strategies to attain peace. Non-violent civil resistance movements can reduce the risk of atrocities. In fact, research shows that armed uprisings are subject to mass killings nearly three times as often as non-violent campaigns. Moreover, non-violent movements created spaces for negotiations over the social contract. As we have seen in Iran and Sudan, women and youth are emerging as new leaders, shaping new norms and values around inclusivity, equality and representation.   Non-violent movements leverage popular pressure for more equitable outcomes during negotiations that set forth frameworks for future peace. As a precondition for negotiations, movements can use non-violent tactics to increase their acceptability as a legitimate party in the conflict, as well as to broaden their range of bargaining options. Non-violent movements force powerholders to seek resolutions to conflict, helping excluded communities to have a stronger voice in effective negotiation processes.   If policymakers and donors are serious about tacking threats to peace and security, then they need to expand their thinking—and, frankly, be ready to operate outside their comfort zones. They need to move beyond exclusively supporting traditionally organized civil society towards also supporting non-violent movements comprised of human rights defenders, democrats, peacebuilders, professionals and others who want to build peaceful and prosperous societies.   * Dr Bryan Sims leads Humanity United’s strategies on non-violent collective action and inclusive peace processes.   http://sipri.org/commentary/blog/2023/non-violent-movements-could-be-key-better-people-centred-peacebuilding http://sipri.org/media/2023/2023-stockholm-forum-concludes-emphasizes-need-inclusive-respectful-collaboration http://sipri.org/commentary/essay/2023/beyond-un-security-council-can-un-general-assembly-tackle-climate-security-challenge http://theglobalobservatory.org/2023/06/security-council-climate-change-scientific-evidence/ Visit the related web page
	In 2023, 339 million people will be in need of humanitarian assistance by UN News, Office of Humanitarian Affairs   UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2023:   "2022 has been a year of extremes. Conflict brought misery to millions of people. The war in Ukraine accelerated the global food and energy crises. Diseases from cholera to COVID-19 claimed lives and disrupted economies. And the climate crisis is causing deadly drought and unprecedented floods.   Global hunger reached record levels. As we end the year, famine looms in five separate places around the world. And in every crisis, women and girls are last to eat and first to suffer poverty and hunger.   The United Nations and our humanitarian partners have helped to support and protect 157 million people around the world. We listened to people and communities and worked to tailor our programmes to meet their needs. We provided $2 billion in cash assistance to people in crisis situations to save lives.   Humanitarian demands are projected to continue increasing next year. In 2023, we forecast some 339 million people will need humanitarian aid and protection — an increase of 65 million since the beginning of 2022.   The 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview calls for $51.5 billion to bring life-saving support to 230 million of the most vulnerable people. Funding these lifesaving operations is a source of hope for millions of people in desperate need".   “Humanitarian needs are shockingly high, as this year’s extreme events are spilling into 2023,” said the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths.   “Lethal droughts and floods are wreaking havoc in communities from Pakistan to the Horn of Africa. The war in Ukraine has turned a part of Europe into a battlefield. More than 100 million people are now displaced worldwide. And all of this on top of the devastation left by the pandemic among the world’s poorest.   “For people on the brink, this appeal is a lifeline. For the international community, it is a strategy to make good on the pledge to leave no one behind.”   The 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO), launched today by the UN in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations and other humanitarian partners, paints a stark picture.   At least 222 million people in 53 countries will face acute food insecurity by the end of 2022. Forty-five million people in 37 countries risk starvation.   The response plans in the GHO detail how aid agencies working together around specific types of aid – including shelter, food, maternal health, child nutrition and protection – can save and support the lives of a combined 230 million people worldwide.   This year, humanitarian organizations have delivered assistance to stave off the most urgent needs of 157 million people. This includes food assistance for 127 million people; sufficient safe water for nearly 26 million people; livelihood assistance for 24 million people; psychosocial support for 13 million children and caregivers; maternal health consultations for 5.2 million mothers; and health-care services for 5.8 million refugees and asylum-seekers.   Humanitarians have painstakingly negotiated access to communities in need to deliver water and food rations. National and local organizations are members of 80 per cent of all Humanitarian Country Teams, providing essential guidance and leadership. And from Afghanistan to the Central African Republic, local organizations are engaged in humanitarian planning and programming.   The GHO is a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of global humanitarian needs. It provides a snapshot of current and future trends in humanitarian action for large-scale resource mobilization efforts.   The GHO 2023 includes country-specific Humanitarian Response Plans for Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.   The GHO includes Flash Appeals and other plans for Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar and Pakistan.   Regional inter-agency plans for neighbouring countries are also included for the crises in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Horn of Africa and Yemen, Rohingya, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela.   Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator media briefing:   "The idea that we have entered an age of permanent crisis, that humanity is lurching from one global disaster to another without drawing breath, is rapidly gaining ground.   Indeed, the word “perma-crisis” was named 2022’s English word of the year. And it’s not hard to see why. A global pandemic, an escalating climate crisis, a war in Europe, a global cost of living crisis, extreme levels of poverty.   We are in the middle of the largest global food crisis in modern history, a crisis driven by conflict, climactic shock and the looming threat of global recession. As I speak, close to 1 million people are in famine-like conditions.   More people have been forced from their homes than at any time since the end of the Second World War. Today’s wars are more intense and longer lasting than ever. The war in Syria will have soon dragged on for 12 years. The conflict in Yemen nine.   Women and children are bearing the brunt of these forever wars as hospitals, homes and schools are turned into death traps by warring sides who violate the rules of war every single day.   Never have so many people needed aid just to survive – six times more than a decade ago. Given these giant, interconnected crises, it is unsurprising that the word “perma-crisis” is increasingly being used to describe the times in which we live.   It is also unsurprising that the world’s humanitarian system is now at breaking point, for every year, as needs rise to record levels, the funding gap grows.   It is a deep sadness that, as of today, our 2022 appeal is less than half funded. And yet, despite this huge shortfall, we’ve provided assistance to 157 million people.   Thanks to the grit and determination of our NGO partners, frontline organizations and local communities, we’ve reached displaced people in 46 countries. And we’ve provided emergency healthcare to more than 40 million people in the first half of the year alone.   This is what we can do with less than half of what we need. This is what we can do despite the threat to aid workers, and despite the access challenges thrown up by war, violence and political chaos.   But with proper funding, we could have more than doubled our impact, reaching millions more men, women and children whose lives have been devastated by disaster.   Today, we are appealing for $51.5 billion to help 230 million people in 68 countries. This is a big figure - more than we’ve ever asked for. But unless we secure this finance, the scale of human suffering will continue to rocket. Needs will continue to rise. The world’s mega-crises will continue to outpace our ability to respond.   And the hopes of millions of people who simply want a chance to survive and adapt, a chance to see their communities transformed in response to disaster, will continue to be dashed.   But it’s not just about how much money we raise – it’s also about what we do with this money. And that’s where I’m filled with hope.   Over the past decade or so, the humanitarian system has undergone profound change. This transformation is now bearing real fruit. We’re now better placed than ever to prevent and alleviate human suffering, and to protect life and health in a way that grants people the safety and dignity they need to thrive.   Firstly, the humanitarian system has grown more adept at anticipating crisis and risk, learning from communities themselves even as we help them better prepare for and respond to disaster before it strikes. This hasn’t just protected lives – it has also reduced the financial cost of humanitarian action.   Secondly, we’re finding innovative ways to build longer term resilience even while we meet immediate, lifesaving needs. Thirdly, international aid now strengthens rather than replaces national and local organizations. Eighty per cent of our humanitarian response teams are now guided by leaders from national and local organizations.   Alongside our ability to deliver funds to local organizations in the world’s most fragile places, this means that our humanitarian response is now informed by the real needs of people on the frontlines of the world’s disasters.   These changes to the way the humanitarian system operates mean that we’re no longer just delivering aid – we’re working to end the need for it. That’s why the $51.5 billion we’re asking for today isn’t just a band-aid for the world’s growing crises – it’s the most important investment we can make in humanity.   This is our SOS call for help. Help for the millions of men, women and children whose lives have been shattered by hunger, conflict, disease, and poverty.   Help which will allow committed frontline workers to provide millions with food, education, vaccines, protection, and shelter.   Help which can only come from countries, corporates and individuals who are fortunate enough to be living in peace, safety and prosperity.   If this SOS is heard, then we will have the power not just to alleviate suffering in the short-term but to ensure millions of the world’s most vulnerable people can secure the right to a life of dignity, away from a world of permanent crisis. I can think of no greater investment".   http://humanitarianaction.info/gho2023 http://humanitarianaction.info/article/glance-0 http://unocha.exposure.co/11-crises-to-watch-in-2023 http://www.wfp.org/publications/wfp-global-operational-response-plan-update-6-november-2022 http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/resources/alerts-archive/en/   * UN WebTV: Lauch of 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview: http://bit.ly/3VwVt8I Visit the related web page
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