Conflict-affected Contexts Research Articles

Simultaneously inhabited lifeworlds: A phenomenological approach to understanding peace and conflict

This article seeks to show the value of a phenomenological lens in understanding conflict-affected societies. In particular, it uses a phenomenological lens to unpack how individuals and communities simultaneously inhabit a number of lifeworlds as part of navigating through life in conflict-affected contexts. A lifeworlds approach, and its emphasis on the micro-dynamics of everyday life, sheds light on the apparent contradictions experienced and lived in conflict-affected contexts. The article utilises Van Manen’s four-part framework of ‘existentials’: lived space (spatiality), lived body (corporeality), lived time (temporality) and lived human relations (relationality or communality) to show how people construct lifeworlds that hold contradictions. In one reading, these contradictions help perpetuate division. In another reading, this ability to inhabit multiple and often contradictory lifeworlds represents everyday diplomacy or a non-escalatory conflict management that allows society to function, even in a dysfunctional way. The article draws on detailed and highly localised research in Colombia, Lebanon and Northern Ireland.

Towards common ground: Strategies for effective collaboration between the humanitarian and peacebuilding communities

Abstract In an era marked by growing conflicts, prolonged humanitarian needs and less donor funding, collaboration between the humanitarian and peacebuilding sectors is essential for more effective responses. This paper examines the complexities of fostering such collaboration, emphasizing the importance of integrated multisectoral approaches capable of addressing both immediate necessities and long-term peace and development objectives. While recent initiatives such as the humanitarian–development–peace nexus framework and the United Nations Secretary-General's Agenda for Humanity reflect progress toward integrated approaches, substantial collaborative challenges persist. This paper identifies three key entry points for mutual learning between humanitarian and peace actors. Firstly, it discusses a “peace-responsive” approach to humanitarian activities that proactively contributes to “peace-positive” outcomes. Secondly, it emphasizes the need for the peace sector to learn from humanitarian efforts regarding accountability to affected communities. Thirdly, it underscores the need to understand the normative foundations of each sector and their implications for joint action. Drawing on these insights, the paper offers recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners to help them advance joint approaches to humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding in conflict-affected contexts.

Affective recognition: examining the role of affect in education for peacebuilding in Cambodia and Kosovo

ABSTRACT In this article I develop the conceptualisation of affective recognition as a means of deepening understandings of education’s contribution to peacebuilding and social justice in conflict-affected contexts. Scholars have highlighted that one of the crises in peacebuilding education today is the failure to understand and harness the role of the transrational and the affective. I therefore bring together feminist theories of social justice and affective economies to analyse non-formal education programmes with young people in Cambodia and Kosovo and develop the concept of affective recognition. I contend that affective recognition demonstrates the central role of affect in enabling processes of peacebuilding and social justice through educational programmes.

The Triple Nexus and the Future of Multilateral Governance: Rethinking Coordination between Humanitarian, Development and Peacebuilding Efforts

ABSTRACT The UN-orchestrated Triple Nexus – a multilateral endeavour to provide humanitarian-development-peace responses in fragile and conflict-affected contexts – embodies several features of the emerging trend towards governance through regime complexity. Praised for its multi-actorness inclusivity and cross-policy experimentalism, the Nexus approach has been criticised as an attempt to replicate top-down, neo-liberal templates to govern crises in the peripheries. We analyse the new evidence provided in this Special Issue, connecting it to the debate on the future of multilateral governance, against the decline of the Liberal International Order (LIO). Guarding against naïve expectations of the Nexus as a panacea to bridge cross-policy gaps and bring about inter-agency cooperation amidst increased geopolitical tensions, we discuss its potential to become a venue for an enlarged conversation among traditional and new players. While also compatible with pluralist scenarios, a progressive variety of the Nexus may well emerge in the UN context, between Western and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) players. Their shared understandings of civil and political rights offer a promising avenue to advance some forward-looking Nexus components, supportive of individual and nature-based rights, to govern the increased complexity of the current multiplex order.

Researching Ethically in Conflict-Affected Contexts: Examples from Educational Research Practice in the Global South and Global East

Researching Ethically in Conflict-Affected Contexts: Examples from Educational Research Practice in the Global South and Global East

Introduction to special issue: Broken mirrors — reflexivity, relationships and complicity in researching education in emergencies

ABSTRACT Carrying out research in and on conflict-affected contexts requires entering and negotiating within local and global fields of power. Yet the tensions and wider geopolitical positioning of the field are often relegated to the sidelines in empirical texts. This editorial opens a special issue on reflexivity, relationships and complicity in education in emergencies (EiE) research. The issue straddles concern with the macro dynamics that shape EiE as a field; the micro dynamics at play within research teams, especially as these intersect with geographic, geopolitical and identity-based inequities; and the interpersonal, political and ethical dimensions of researcher reflexivity.

Capacity building and community of practice for women community health workers in low-resource settings: long-term evaluation of the Mobile University For Health (MUH).

Lebanon has been facing a series of crises, significantly increasing health challenges, and straining its healthcare infrastructure. This caused deficiencies in the system's ability to attend to population health needs, and it profoundly impacted vulnerable and refugee communities who face additional challenges accessing healthcare services. In response, the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut designed and implemented the Mobile University for Health (MUH), which promotes task-shifting through capacity building complemented by communities of practice (CoP). The program aimed to prepare vulnerable women to assume the role of community health workers (CHW) within their communities, and to promote positive health knowledge and behaviours. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate MUHs' three certificates (women's health, mental health and psychosocial support, and non-communicable diseases). Implementation took place between 2019 and 2022, with 83 CHWs graduating from the program. Short-term data including knowledge assessments, course evaluations, and community member feedback surveys were collected. 93 semi-structured interviews with CHWs and 14 focus group discussions with community members were conducted to evaluate the long-term impact of the capacity building and CoP components. Data revealed multiple strengths of the initiative, including increased access to education for the community, effectiveness of blended learning modality, successful planning and delivery of CoP sessions, and improved knowledge, skills, and health behaviours over time. The supplementary CoP sessions fostered trust in CHWs, increased community empowerment, and increased leadership skills among CHWs. However, some challenges persisted, including limited access to healthcare services, implementation logistical issues, difficulties with some aspects of the learning modality, and some resistance within the communities. MUH promoted and improved positive health knowledge and behaviours within targeted vulnerable populations in Lebanon. The supplementary CoP component proved instrumental in empowering CHWs and enhancing their impact within their communities. The study highlights the need for ongoing training and support for CHWs and underscores the importance of continued investment and adaptation of such initiatives through a gendered lens. This evaluation provides evidence on the successes of a capacity building model that has strong potential for scale and replication across health topics in conflict-affected contexts.

Development of online teaching expertise in fragile and conflict-affected contexts

What we know about the development of online teaching expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. Current research has concentrated primarily on the obstacles encountered by university teachers, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of the strategies they employ not only to survive but to flourish in online teaching. Furthermore, there is a significant bias toward Western perspectives in existing research and it remains unclear whether Western theories of expertise development are relevant in deprived, fragile, and conflict-affected contexts. The current study set out to explore how university teachers developed their online teaching expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Palestinian context. Narrative episode interviews were conducted with 16 university teachers working at a Palestinian higher education institution in Gaza city. Thematic analysis revealed five themes of online teaching expertise development: domain, mechanisms, motives, consequences, and emotions. Implications for practitioners and administrators are discussed together with future research directions.

“I do not want to stop teaching”: The impact of conflict and displacement on teachers in southern Mosul

AbstractThis article explores the emotional and physical conditions experienced by Iraqi teachers after the fighting and displacement began in 2014 (IOM, 2018) in southern Mosul. It contributes to reducing the paucity of research on teacher well-being in conflict-affected contexts, showing that education can have a healing role for teachers, as well as for students. Teaching helps them to be resilient, to re-establish relationships, and to focus once again on their knowledge and skills. The paper draws on findings from hybrid research involving 35 teachers in 10 different primary and secondary schools in Ninewa governorate. The research explores their needs and challenges from multiple perspectives. While confronted with daily hardships and challenges, teachers do not want to abdicate their role as educators. Teaching helps them to have a sense of purpose. Their strong sense of vocation and motivation to continue teaching under such challenging circumstances add to the debate on teacher well-being and resilience.

Advancing “no natural disasters” with care: risks and strategies to address disasters as political phenomena in conflict zones

PurposeThe notion that disasters are not natural is longstanding, leading to a growing number of campaigns aimed at countering the use of the term “natural disaster.” Whilst these efforts are crucial, critical perspectives regarding the potential risks associated with this process are lacking, particularly in places affected by violent conflict. This paper aims to present a critical analysis of these efforts, highlighting the need to approach them with care.Design/methodology/approachThe author draws upon insights and discussions accumulated over a decade of research into the relationship between disasters and conflict. The article includes a critical literature review on the disaster–conflict relationship and literature specifically addressing the idea that disasters are not natural. The analysis of field notes led to a second literature review covering topics such as (de) politicisation, instrumentalisation, disaster diplomacy, ethics, humanitarian principles, disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity.FindingsThis analysis underscores the importance of advocating that disasters are not natural, especially in conflict-affected areas. However, an uncritical approach could lead to unintended consequences, such as exacerbating social conflicts or obstructing disaster-related actions. The article also presents alternatives to advance the understanding that disasters are not natural whilst mitigating risks, such as embracing a “do-no-harm” approach or conflict-sensitive analyses.Originality/valueThe author offers an innovative critical approach to advancing the understanding that disasters are not natural but socio-political. This perspective is advocated, especially in conflict-affected contexts, to address the root causes of both disasters and conflicts. The author also invites their peers and practitioners to prioritise reflective scholarship and practices, aiming to prevent the unintentional exacerbation of suffering whilst working towards its reduction.

Interrogating dynamic, intersecting inequalities in education amidst armed conflict

This paper examines dynamic, intersecting pathways – marked by gender inequalities, poverty dynamics and conflict trajectories – affecting education access and learning outcomes in conflict-affected contexts. A set of key challenges in intersectional research in conflict-affected contexts are outlined, embedded in the complexity of these contexts, heterogeneity of conflict processes and non-trivial data gaps. To better engage with this complexity, this paper argues that the capability approach extended through a multidisciplinary, intersectional lens drawing on mixed methods data has the potential to offer a strong conceptual basis to understand pathways of impact. The operationalisation of the capability approach in the context of research on conflict can help move the empirical literature towards a sounder focus on intersecting factors that may dynamically constrain the exercise of people’s freedoms. In turn, suggestions for promoting gender-sensitive, inclusive education amidst conflict are discussed.

Mitigating the legacy of violence: Can flood relief improve people’s trust in government in conflict-affected areas? Evidence from Pakistan

Climate change and violent conflict present two of the most substantial barriers to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Many of the countries bearing the greatest impacts of a changing climate also grapple with protracted armed conflict. Despite this, we still have limited knowledge about how political and environmental insecurities affect trust in the institutions that are responsible for disaster management, security and conflict resolution. In this paper we explore whether being exposed to violent armed conflict is associated with low levels of political trust, and whether this can be mitigated by state action. Relying on a household survey covering some 2000 rural households in Pakistan, we investigate how state disaster response shaped trust in conflict-affected contexts in the years following the severe flooding of 2010. Our study suggest that negative implications of violence exposure on political trust can be offset by disaster relief efforts by the state, but only in instances when the government is not involved in the violent activities. Our findings contribute to our understanding of the joint impact of conflict and disasters on political trust, and importantly shows that in some instances, government interventions in a different political domain can reduce negative consequences of armed conflict on trust. Understanding the interplay of compound risks in contexts where multiple risks are occurring simultaneously is crucial because without adequate, coordinated government action, it will be impossible to protect the lives, health and livelihoods of affected people in Pakistan and beyond.

Health aid displacement during a decade of conflict (2011–19) in Syria: an exploratory analysis

BackgroundSyria has been in continuous conflict since 2011, resulting in more than 874,000 deaths and 13.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees. The health and humanitarian sectors have been severely affected by the protracted, complex conflict and have relied heavily on donor aid in the last decade. This study examines the extent and implications of health aid displacement in Syria during acute humanitarian health crises from 2011 to 2019.MethodsWe conducted a trend analysis on data related to humanitarian and health aid for Syria between 2011 and 2019 from the OECD’s Creditor Reporting System. We linked the data obtained for health aid displacement to four key dimensions of the Syrian conflict. The data were compared with other fragile states. We conducted a workshop in Turkey and key informants with experts, policy makers and aid practitioners involved in the humanitarian and health response in Syria between August and October 2021 to corroborate the quantitative data obtained by analysing aid repository data.ResultsThe findings suggest that there was health aid displacement in Syria during key periods of crisis by a few key donors, such as the EU, Germany, Norway and Canada supporting responses to certain humanitarian crises. However, considering that the value of humanitarian aid is 50 times that of health aid, this displacement cannot be considered as critical. Also, there was insufficient evidence of health displacement across all donors.The results also showed that the value of health aid as a proportion of aggregate health and humanitarian aid is only 2% in Syria, compared to 22% for the combined average of fragile states, which further indicates the predominance of humanitarian aid over health aid in the Syrian crisis context.ConclusionThis study highlights that in very complex conflict-affected contexts such as Syria, it is difficult to suggest the use of health aid displacement as an effective tool for aid-effectiveness for donors as it does not reflect domestic needs and priorities. Yet there seems to be evidence of slight displacement for individual donors. However, we can suggest that donors vastly prefer to focus their investment in the humanitarian sector rather than the health sector in conflict-affected areas. There is an urgent need to increase donors’ focus on Syria’s health development aid and adopt the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to improve aid effectiveness that aligns with the increasing health needs of local communities, including IDPs, in this protracted conflict.

Who Wants to Leave? Global Survey Evidence on How Individual Emigration Aspirations Differ Between Peaceful and Conflict-Affected Contexts

Does conflict change who desires to emigrate? Surprisingly, we still lack globally comparable empirical evidence on whether the types of individuals who want to leave their country differ between peaceful and conflict-affected locations. In this paper, we address this gap. We analyze unique survey data with global coverage to assess whether individual-level determinants of international permanent emigration aspirations differ during intrastate armed conflict compared to peaceful times and regions. We argue that armed conflict acts as an equalizer that attenuates the effect which individual economic and demographic variables have on international permanent emigration aspirations in peaceful contexts. As a result, aspirations to relocate permanently to another country increase among those demographic groups which are less inclined to move in peaceful situations. Our results indicate that variables related to a longer-term economic cost-benefit analysis, such as income or age, significantly lose importance for international permanent emigration aspirations in conflict situations. This demographic-specific effect explains an overall increase in emigration aspirations during conflicts. On average, we find no evidence that conflict increases the aspirations of all respondents to permanently move to another country. In contrast to income and age, the effects of demographic variables such as gender, household composition, or marital status are not significantly different across contexts.

Prison reform in conflict-affected contexts: evidence from Somaliland and Puntland

Prisons are key institutions for strengthening justice and security and are increasingly targets of international interventions. However, prison reform in conflict-affected settings is understudied. To understand the conditions underpinning successes and pitfalls of international prison reform, this study examines the local conditions under which international prison reform interventions take place. Drawing on unique data from interviews with inmates and staff members in Hargeisa Central Prison and Garowe Prison, we analyse United Nations prison reform cases in Somaliland and Puntland, Somalia. We find that the international prison reform in these contexts not only falls short in delivering on some set objectives but also does not engage with the particularities of local conditions and contexts. Furthermore, existing reform programmes embed a conflict of interest: while the beneficiaries of prison reform are concerned with the mental and physical well-being of inmates, the international actors aim to shape prison practices along international standards and incapacitate a subset of serious offenders.

Virtual qualitative inquiry: tensions of research in post-conflict Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, in-person data collection methods have been considerably hampered by requirements for social distancing and safety. Consequently, academic inquiry has shifted largely to virtual means, leading to the considerable growth of virtual qualitative research. Conducting virtual research in post-conflict contexts, such as Sri Lanka, with increased state surveillance, security concerns, and censorship presents researchers with additional tensions, particularly during a pandemic. Limited literature, however, has grappled with these unique situations. This paper addresses this gap by reflecting on the process of conducting virtual qualitative research through a case study of faculty members in peace education instruction at Sri Lankan universities. The study drew on semi-structured interviews (n = 32), documentary evidence, and memos created during the data collection and analysis stages. This paper discusses the challenges and complexities of conducting virtual research within the intersections of peace education, post-conflict legacies, ethical dimensions, and positionality dimensions, which are interwoven, adding several layers of considerations in this context. Furthermore, the paper chronicles the key tensions faced: surveillance and consent, residual embodiments, and the choices made in response to navigate them. This paper concludes with a discussion around these tensions and aims to expand the literary discourse beyond the technological aspects of conducting virtual research. The study highlights the need for future research into residual embodiments, ethical and micro-ethical issues, and practical challenges in virtual research in conflict-affected contexts, suggesting that institutions should provide researchers with training to address these complexities and support robust knowledge co-creation.

Security, Conflict Management, and Peacebuilding: Formal Education in Intrastate Political Agreements, 1989–2016

In this mixed methods analysis of a dataset she developed, Giuditta Fontana explores how formal intrastate peace processes have addressed reforms of for mal education since the end of the Cold War. Looking at the frequency of reforms of formal education, the con text for their inclusion, and the framing of their aims, she finds that intrastate political agreements circumscribe the peace building potential of education because they rarely include education as a component, their geopolitical context and broader content are not clearly associated with the inclusion of education reforms, and education reforms are primarily framed as contributing to security and conflict management rather than long-term peace building. With fundamental implications for scholarship and policy, this article shows that peace agreements’ focus on the promotion of negative peace rather than more ambitious positive peace is an obstacle to realizing the peacebuilding potential of education in conflict-affected contexts.

Qatar’s approach across the Triple Nexus in conflict-affected contexts: the case of Darfur

The purpose of this paper is to document Qatar’s recent contribution of humanitarian, development, and peace-related efforts to the Sudanese in Darfur. It delves deeply into Qatar’s involvement in Darfur by tracing the flow of foreign assistance provided between 2011 and 2018, while analysing the relevant mediation efforts to settle the conflict in the region. The paper calls for adopting the Triple Nexus approach – or humanitarian development-peace nexus in dealing with Qatar’s role as a third party in Darfur both as a donor and mediator. Contextualising Qatar’s role in this context necessitates considering its foreign assistance and peace-related efforts in conflict-affected contexts and its positioning in relation to the Triple Nexus. While Qatar has not publicly committed itself to the Triple Nexus reforms directed to OECD-DAC donor countries, the paper argues that adopting the Triple Nexus approach might develop the prevailing humanitarian and development and peace-related assistance practices in Qatar.

Updated Comprehensive Framework for Disaster Evaluation Typologies

Introduction:The Comprehensive Framework for Disaster Evaluation Typologies (CFDET) was originally developed in 2017 with minor updates in 2018 (CFDET2.0). CFDET was created to unify and provide agreement on the identification, structure and relationships between multiple evaluation typologies found in the disaster setting. Since the publication of this framework, the world has witnessed unprecedented disaster-related events including two (2) Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC): COVID-19 and Monkey Pox as well as the emergence and continuation of armed conflict in various countries around the world. This work presents CFDET3.0 which incorporates updates on international disaster frameworks, disaster health updates and evaluation guidelines.Method:A scoping literature review on international disaster frameworks, disaster health updates and evaluation guidelines has been undertaken and included reviewing peer-reviewed and grey literature.Results:The scoping literature review revealed updates on the following important publications:World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergency Disaster Risk Management (H-EDRM) (2019); International Health Regulations;Universal Health Coverage (UHC);Climate Change Conference (COP27);Fragile and Conflict-affected Contexts (FCAC);Public Health Emergencies of International Concern, andUpdated evaluation standards, guidelines, evidence-based reviews and knowledge management. Conclusion:Incorporation of these international updates into CFDET2.0, strengthens global health and international disaster health responses with a focus on disaster health evaluation. The updated framework will be referred to as CFDET3.0. Future research is scheduled to develop a series of toolkits that will support an improved disaster evaluation process.

Profile of health care workers in a context of instability: a cross-sectional study of four rural health zones in eastern DR Congo (lessons learned)

BackgroundThe crisis in human resources for health is observed worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Many studies have demonstrated the importance of human resources for health as a major pillar for the proper functioning of the health system, especially in fragile and conflict-affected contexts such as DR Congo. However, the aspects relating to human resources profile in relation to the level of performance of the health districts in a particular context of conflicts and multiform crises have not yet been described.ObjectiveThis study aims to describe the profile of staff working in rural health districts in a context of crisis and conflicts.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out from May 15, 2017 to May 30, 2019 on 1090 health care workers (HCW) exhaustively chosen from four health districts in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Idjwi, Katana, Mulungu and Walungu). Data were collected using a survey questionnaire. The Chi2 test was used for comparison of proportions and the Kruskal–Wallis test for medians. As measures of association, we calculated the odds ratios (OR) along with their 95% confidence interval. The α-error cut-off was set at 5%.ResultsIn all the health districts the number of medical doctors was very insufficient with an average of 0.35 medical doctors per 10,000 inhabitants. However, the number of nurses was sufficient, with an average of 3 nurses per 5000 inhabitants; the nursing / medical staff (47%) were less represented than the administrative staff (53%). The median (Min–Max) age of all HCW was 46 (20–84) years and 32% of them were female. This was the same for the registration of staff in the civil service (obtaining a registration number). The mechanism of remuneration and payment of benefits, although a national responsibility, also suffered more in unstable districts. Twenty-one percent of the HCW had a monthly income of 151USD and above in the stable district; 9.2% in the intermediate and 0.9% in the unstable districts. Ninety-six percent of HCW do not receive Government’ salary and 64% of them do not receive the Government bonus.ConclusionThe context of instability compromises the performance of the health system by depriving it of competent personnel. This is the consequence of the weakening of the mechanisms for implementing the practices and policies related to its management. DR Congo authorities should develop incentive mechanisms to motivate young and trained HCW to work in unstable and intermediate health districts by improving their living and working conditions.