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28 January 2021
"This document contains links to articles and/or press agency release from multiple open sources, agencies and academia. The contents, ideas or opinions in the document do not reflect NSD-S HUB or NATO views neither conform to the organization naming convention”
READING OF THE WEEK
Children and armed conflict
United Nations (UN)
The present report covers the period from December 2019 to December, and explores challenges in ending and preventing grave violations and in strengthening the protection of children affected by armed conflict. It outlines the activities undertaken by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in discharging her mandate, including by working with human rights entities and mechanisms, and the progress achieved in addressing grave violations against children.
ENGLISH
FRANÇAISعربي
NORTH AFRICA / SAHEL / SUB – SAHARA
Egypt’s Quest for a Nuclear Future
South African institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
In 2015 Egypt signed an agreement with ROSATOM, the Russian state atomic energy corporation, to build a nuclear power plant at Al Dabaa on the country’s northern coast, west of Alexandria. This report assesses Egypt’s plans to proceed with the construction of the power plant, which are firmly underway. It also discusses the country’s normative frameworks on nuclear energy and the current legal and regulatory governance of nuclear energy, including the role played by different nuclear entities and bodies.
Inequality and female labour force participation in West Africa
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA)
Achieving food security, poverty alleviation, gender equality, full employment and economic development for all in Africa, and particularly West Africa, will be a mirage if the challenge of poor female labour participation is not addressed. Women in West Africa, like their counterparts elsewhere, are very resourceful economic agents whose full participation in the economy’s labour force can contribute greatly to economic growth.
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The Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic in South Sudan - An Update
The Sudd Institute
This policy brief studies the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan. The findings are educative. First, the health effects of the pandemic in the country have been surprisingly less pronounced than expected, marked by very low morbidity and fatality rates. Second, despite this positive health news, the pandemic has had negative effects on the economy, starting with dramatic declines in domestic production and revenue collection, followed by a very volatile rising cost of living.
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The Seidi Bá cocaine trial - A smokescreen for impunity?
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Do recent criminal justice developments in Guinea Bissau point to a return to impunity for players in the country’s cocaine economy? In October 2020, the sentences of the actors behind the September 2019 drug deal were slashed in what was labelled a ‘cloaked acquittal’ by the former Minister of Justice. This undermines the integrity of the criminal-justice response and points towards a return to an environment of impunity.
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MIDDLE-EAST
« Risques globalisés » et sécurité hydrique au Moyen-Orient - Cas de la vallée du Jourdain
Policy Center for the New South
Les ressources hydriques constituent un facteur stratégique qui engage la sécurité humaine des États. Cette situation est plus problématique pour les régions qui connaissent un stress hydrique. Il est question, ici, d’aborder la problématique de l’eau et de son partage dans une région des plus déshéritées de la Méditerranée orientale, à savoir la vallée du Jourdain.
The Determinants of Defense Spending in the Gulf Region: Evidence from Seemingly Unrelated Regressions
Economic Research Forum (ERF)
The eight countries in the Gulf Region account for about 8 per cent of global military expenditures as of 2018. For a relatively small region, which represents only 2 per cent of the world population and 3 per cent of global GDP, the high military figures draw attention. This report examines the determinants of demand for military expenditures in the Region, by using a partial adjustment model in a panel setting estimated with the seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) approach.
TRANSNATIONAL
Early Warning and Rapid Response Takes Root in UN Peacekeeping
Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
Based on lessons learned from CIVIC’s past research as well as other secondary sources, this policy brief provides insight into Early Warning and Rapid Response (EW/RR) to support new efforts to strengthen policy and practice in UN peacekeeping. It analyzes EW/RR in the context of UN peacekeeping, including a brief overview of UN Security Council mandate language and UN Secretariat policy guidance on EW/RR.
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A Methodology and Assessment of the Nexus between Climate Hazards and Security of Nations and Regions
The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
This risk assessment focuses on the risks to national security generated by climate-related disasters. Considering that natural disasters are generally confined to delineated geographical areas and their impact is largely shaped by environmental, demographic, socioeconomic, and institutional conditions as well as risk management capacities that are determined by national contexts and policies, this climate security risk methodology and assessment will adopt a focus on national security and comprises of elements like territorial integrity, ecological security, economic security, physical security and, social and political stability.
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Routes towards the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
The dangerous irregular mixed movements of refugees and migrants across the Sahara Desert towards and through North African countries as well as via the sea routes to Italy, Malta, and Spain continue to take a devastating toll on human life. A joint report by UNHCR and MMC highlighted the multiple risks, reflected some of the key locations where they are more acute, and noted that refugees and migrants face the possibility of violence from multiple actors along the route.
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