Western foreign policy is increasingly preoccupied with ‘combatting’ irregular migration and terrorism. In many countries, this underpins an over-reliance on military tools, support for problematic partners, and aid that focuses more on ‘countering violent extremism’ (CVE) than human security for the local population. In response, we have grown our public profile and policy engagement on peace and rights-based responses to crises and threats.
At the invitation of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Saferworld produced a report on how the UN works in complex environments. This was the basis for a keynote presentation at a conference for senior UN officials in July 2018, to explain the risks of counter-productive UN engagement with counter-terrorism operations.
We influenced decision makers in London, Washington DC, Brussels, Mogadishu and the UN with new research, promoting a peace and rights-based approach to ending the conflict in Somalia. In addition, we stimulated debate among donors, UN agencies and civil society groups and organisations working in Kyrgyzstan about the effects of prioritising CVE over other major peace concerns in the country.
Saferworld has been working to encourage more collaboration across the international community working for peace and human rights in their efforts to challenge counter-productive aspects of counter-terrorism, CVE and responses to migration. Over the last year, we began working with a new partner, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, along with Rethinking Security, Oxfam and others to lay the groundwork for a new initiative on security policy alternatives. We also co-hosted a public event with UK Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt MP, focusing on the role of civil society in breaking cycles of conflict in the Middle East.
At the UK and EU levels, we continued working with policymakers and parliamentarians on the damaging consequences of current securitised migration and border control policies. Our peacebuilding perspective on the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon fed into EU preparations for the 2018 Brussels conference on Syria and into discussions between senior Lebanese officials coordinating the response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Our concerns about migration control ‘partnerships’, such as in Libya or the Khartoum Process, were recognised by the UK’s International Development Committee inquiry into displacement.
In the UK, we partnered with the UN Peacebuilding Support Office to host launches of the Independent Progress Study on youth, peace and security, with over 250 people attending three events. Our work with members of the UK Labour Party has led them to consult with Saferworld on their development of a ‘peace doctrine’, while our work with all parties continues to shape various approaches to peacebuilding and conflict.
