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Policy Briefs

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Latest Policy Briefs and Reports

Peace and Security in Northeast Asia

Preserving the Long East Asian Peace

Summary Report  No.199 - September, 2024 • By Hugh Miall

This is a report on an international workshop held in Beijing, convened by Toda Peace Institute and the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IJSCASS). The workshop suggested that, so long as the states in the East Asian region act responsibly, avoid confrontation, exercise restraint, tolerate diverse development paths and reassure one another, it should be possible to preserve and even to deepen the East Asian peace. However, the long peace is threatened by the deteriorating international environment and rivalry between the United States and China. Mistrust between China, Korea and Japan and their failure to achieve reconciliation hamper efforts to establish a common security framework in East Asia. In this context, the workshop aimed to build collaborative relationships between scholars and policymakers, encourage dialogue, and identify promising multilateral approaches to the region’s challenges.

Climate Change and Conflict

Sustaining, Nurturing, Shaping: Utilising Conflict Transformation Processes for Overcoming the Climate Crisis

Report  No.198 - August, 2024 • By Rebecca Froese, Melanie Hussak, Dani*el*a Pastoors and Jürgen Scheffran

This report addresses the positive connections between sustainable, anti-hegemonic peace and climate justice. The interconnectedness of climate change and conflicts is manifold and increasingly being addressed in politics and research. Necessary social-ecological transformations are accompanied by conflicts which must be addressed constructively. At the same time, obstacles such as (colonial) structures of domination, power, and inequality must be overcome. In this report, we combine climate policy strategies with civil conflict transformation and outline ideas towards shaping a sustained nurturing of the social-ecological transformation.

Cooperative Security, Arms Control and Disarmament

Filling the Gap: How the Human Rights Pillar is Helping Curb Weapons-Related Harm

Report  No.197 - • By Hine-Wai Loose and Florence Foster

The report addresses what has worked and what is the way forward for the disarmament machinery, when faced with the grim reality that it has been and continues to be undermined by geo-political and economic agendas. For the diplomat or advocate wanting to see progress on disarmament and arms control at this moment, what can be done? Are there routes around the rule of consensus? How can we refocus on protecting civilians and ensure that work in multilateral fora does not replicate a debating society, but instead has an impact on the ground?

Climate Change and Conflict

Climate Change's Intangible Loss and Damage: Exploring the Journeys of Pacific Youth Migrants

Report  No.196 - • By Ria Shibata, Sylvia Frain, Iemaima Vaai

The report analyses the findings from a series of Talanoa discussions with young Pasifika migrants living in diaspora communities across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and USA. It narrates the personal journeys of these young individuals as they cope with the pain of separation from their ancestral lands, and navigate their journey to preserve their identity, dignity, social cohesion and selfhood. The experiences of these youth migrants highlight some of the challenges related to intangible losses and damages that host countries and diaspora communities could address if they are to aid future climate-related migration effectively and assist the integration of migrants into their new societies.

Climate Change and Conflict

Climate Governance in Somaliland: Policy Gaps, Challenges and Participatory Approaches Towards Pastoral Climate Resilience

Policy Brief  No.195 - June, 2024 • By Sharmaarke Abdi Musse

This Policy Brief addresses the critical challenge of climate change adaptation in Somaliland, where the impacts of climate change have led to severe social, economic, political, and ecological consequences. Climate change has already had profound effects for pastoralists whose livelihoods rely heavily on livestock, making them highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. The paper emphasizes the urgent need for climate policies and adaptation strategies that cater to the context’s specific needs, effectively bridging global climate action consensus with localized approaches. It concludes with recommendations for the Somaliland Government, other Somali stakeholders and for the international community.