As candidates for European Union membership, the Western Balkans nations are committed to accelerating the decarbonization of their economies in compliance with the EU’s climate agenda. Still, the region continues to rely on carbon-intensive coal plants for its electricity generation. The newly introduced Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) of the EU will increase the pressure to speed up…

Ghana’s second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security phases out this year. As preparations to draft the third-generation National Action Plan are underway, critical questions surface: has the current plan actually served everyone well? Who was unseen or left out? Who disappears in the fine print? A close examination of GHANAP2 reveals how well-meaning policies can unintentionally…

Twenty-five years after its adoption, the Women, Peace and Security agenda is operating within a different political landscape. Power politics is returning, militarization is accelerating, and the anti-rights pushback is intensifying. Yet the erosion of WPS is not only the result of an illiberal backlash; while many states continue to invoke the WPS agenda rhetorically, their substantive…

Alongside Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, non-military operations across Europe have also been on the rise, blending methods of espionage, disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks and sabotage with other unconventional means of attack. These events have given new impetus to analyses on how to address the issue of ‘hybrid warfare’. The ongoing negotiations on a ceasefire and an end…

In Colombia, former combatants from the FARC-EP rebels are building peace in ways that fall outside the formal, institution-centered focus of the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda. In the rural zone of La Montañita, the grassroots initiative ASMUPROPAZ brings together women and men – ex-combatants and victims – to turn aromatic plants into essential oils and conflict into cooperation. Their…

El argumento de que un ataque militar estadounidense podría conducir a una transición democrática en Venezuela no puede legitimar una intervención que viola el derecho internacional. No obstante, muchos venezolanos y venezolanas esperan que dicha intervención dé lugar a una apertura democrática. Esta aspiración merece apoyo internacional, también desde Europa.

Der russische Angriffskrieg auf die Ukraine und der beschleunigte Fokus der USA auf die eigene Hemisphäre haben die europäische Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik grundlegend umgewälzt. Die wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen, die sich damit beschäftigen, sind verunsichert. Dabei können uns die Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen sowie Konzepte der Verhandlungsforschung helfen zu sehen, wo wir…

As Lake Chad’s waters shrink and droughts intensify, pastoralists and farmers clash over the remaining oases. Amid this crisis, rural women – farmers, water-keepers, and mediators – hold the keys to peace. Reinforcing climate action in the UN’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda can unlock their potential. This article explores how we might transform conflict into resilience in the Lake Chad…