Humanitarian Risks Research Articles

A constitutional perspective on EU arms controls: mediating trade, security, and humanitarian responsibility

Abstract This article examines how European Union (EU) arms control measures are tailored to its constitutional foundations. EU Member States subject shipments of arms and components to controls so as to screen them for risks and potentially block them. In this context different Member States may make different geopolitical and humanitarian risk assessments. Existing EU measures have achieved only limited security screening harmonisation, and have left room for Member States to shirk their obligations under international humanitarian law. But in case of joint arms production, which the EU subsidises to become more autonomous, one Member State’s arms controls may block another State’s exports and thereby jeopardise cooperation. This article posits that any reform of EU arms controls should start by re-evaluating their present legal basis. A constitutional competence analysis shows that controls on arms shipments to non-EU states should be regulated in part through the Common Commercial Policy (CCP), and not just through the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). This would be consistent with other EU regulatory regimes for trade security. While a joint CFSP-CCP approach cannot fully prevent conflict, since this would require further foreign policy harmonisation, it could help foster security convergence and strengthen humanitarian due diligence mechanisms.

Value dimensions of volunteer activity as an area of moral growth and civic participation of student youth

Problem and objective. In the context of exacerbation of humanitarian risks and challenges to contemporary society, there is a problem of including students in socially salutary work within the framework of volunteer activity by accustoming them the key volunteer values. The aim of the study is to clarify and develop the value parameters of student social volunteering in a region of increased humanitarian tension. Research methods. The study used methods of axiological reconstruction of the mental space of volunteering, expert assessments, document analysis, focus group method, thesaurus analysis, value maps method, thematic discussions, and psychodrama method. Monitoring and experimental procedures included 144 students of the Belgorod National Research University and 11 experts in the field of volunteer and humanitarian services. The diagnostic work used the following methods: motivational personality profile test, emotional orientation test, 16 PF Questionnaire, Rokeach Value Survey (adaptation by D.A. Leontyev). Statistical methods included percentage data distribution, parametric statistics, and significance of differences analyzing method (Student's t-test). Results of the study. A diagnostic study revealed a significant role of values in the psychological characteristics of students constantly participating in volunteer work. Compared to students who left volunteering, they had higher values such as: happiness of others (tEMP=9.3), productive life (tEMP=4.8), creativity (tEMP=5.3), forgiveness (tEMP=9.1), delicacy (tEMP=9.4), broad-mindedness (tEMP=8.8). Ex-volunteer students express a greater value of freedom (tEMP=14.7), inner harmony (tEMP=15.1) and independence (tEMP=15.8). No significant differences were found among other properties. Both groups of students equally exhibited growth needs, altruistic orientation, rule-consciousness, emotional stability and self-reliance. Students who left volunteering showed higher vigilance (“L”, tEMP=5.1), dominance (“E”, tEMP=5.4), apprehension (“O”, tEMP=5.5) and some egocentricity. Taking into account the key role of the value factor in consolidating students in the field of volunteering, the work proposes a construct of its value dimensions as moral-sense parameters for orienting students to volunteer work. The following value clusters were identified in the study as such key dimensions: humanism, patriotism, solidarity and unselfishness. These dimensions became the basis for corrective work with students. The use of special value maps of volunteer, thematically reflective discussions and meetings, as well as psychodramatic sketches to reproduce students’ life stories made it possible to strengthen their desire and motivation to participate in volunteer work. The majority of students (88% of the total) decided to continue their work as active volunteers. Conclusion. The construct of value dimensions proposed in this study has no exact analogues in studies of youth participation in volunteering, since it reflects the specifics of volunteer work in a region of increased humanitarian tension, which is its conceptual significance and applied value in engaging students to this work.

Financial, Institutional, and Humanitarian Risks and Their Impact on Tomato Cultivation in Sulaymani Governorate

The research aimed to identify the level of financial, institutional, and humanitarian risks facing tomato farmers in Sulaymani Governorate, Furthermore, the study aimed to assess the variability in farmers' viewpoints with regard to these risks based on the pertinent research variables. the data were collected using a questionnaire and a personal interview method by taking a multi-stage random sample by selecting three areas famous for growing tomatoes in Sulaymani Governorate with (1750) farmers, Then, in the second stage, a proportional stratified random sample of (16%) was taken from the research population, so the sample size was (280) farmers. The results showed that the level of financial, institutional, and humanitarian risks facing tomato farmers is high, tending to medium. The results showed that there is a difference in farmers' opinions regarding the financial, institutional, and humanitarian risks facing tomato farmers in accordance with the specified research variables, (Age, Type of farm holding, Volume of tomato production during the year, Contact with the agricultural extension, Sources of agricultural information), While there is no discrepancy in farmers’ opinions regarding financial, institutional, and humanitarian risks according to the research variables (Educational level, Years of agricultural experience, Size of farm holding, Participation in training courses) Therefore, the researchers recommend diversifying the crops grown in addition to tomatoes, preparing an integrated agricultural indicative plan, and providing occupational safety and health for workers on the farm to reduce the financial, institutional, and humanitarian risks in tomato production.

A transcription factor-based bacterial biosensor system and its application for on-site detection of explosives

Detecting unexploded landmines is critical due to the environmental pollution and potential humanitarian risks caused by buried landmines. Therefore, this study focused on developing a biosensor system capable of detecting explosives safely and efficiently. A novel transcription factor-based Escherichia coli biosensor was designed to detect 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB). The MexT transcription factor from Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) was identified as the fundamental sensing element in this biosensor. The study found that MexT positively regulated the transcription of PP_2827 by binding to the bidirectional promoter region between them, and significantly enhanced the expression of downstream genes under the condition of 1,3-DNB. The MexT-based biosensor for 1,3-DNB was developed by adopting different combinations of the mexT gene and promoters. The optimized biosensor demonstrated adequate sensitivity for detecting 0.1 μg/mL of 1,3-DNB in a liquid solution with satisfactory specificity and long-term stability. Subsequently, the MexT-based biosensor was integrated into a detection device to simulate the in-field exploration of explosives. The system exhibited a detection sensitivity of 0.5 mg/kg for 1,3-DNB in the sand, and realized the detection of on-site and large-scale area and the location of buried 1,3-DNB under the soil. The study provided a novel transcription factor-based bacterial biosensor and a complete system (China Earth Eye, CEE) for sensitive detection of 1,3-DNB. The good performance of this biosensor system can facilitate the development of accurate, on-site, and high-efficient exploration of explosives in real extensive minefields. Moreover, this 1,3-DNB biosensor can be complementary to the 2,4-DNT biosensor reported before, demonstrating its potential applications in military situations.

Person in a Smart City: Anthropological Effects and Humanitarian Risks

The article explores the concept of the smart city in terms of semiotics and anthropology. The author analyzes what axiological connotations, existential meanings, and cultural codes are expressed in smart cities, based on a semiotic approach to urban space as a discourse that can be read and interpreted. It is shown that the human being was displaced beyond the urban narrative under the original technological understanding of the smart city, but subsequently the smart city begins to be interpreted taking into account the smart community, with a focus on people and the human dimension of urban space. The example of South Korea's Songdo demonstrates that a smart city that ignores the cultural context and values of its inhabitants is a functional but semiotically unsaturated and lifeless space. The anti-historical characteristic of smart cities is noted as their axiological feature. The past and the disordered, uncomfortable present are evaluated negatively, while the technologically advanced future is idealized and assessed positively. Moreover, the concept of the smart city transforms the cultural opposition of the urban as artificial and the natural as inartificial. Smart cities reconstruct the idea of a “garden city”, relying not on the desire to conquer nature and exploit its resources, but on the necessity and existential healing of human contact with nature. At the same time, the positive anthropological effects of the smart transformation of cities, associated with the optimization of the daily life processes of citizens, are accompanied by certain humanitarian risks. Among such risks the author refers to the increasing “nervous tension” of urban residents caused by the acceleration of the pace of urban life and the complexity of urban technology; aggravation of social inequality and social polarization; reduction of social ties and atomization of subjects. In addition, attention is focused on the fact that the disposal and management of urban data through the use of smart technologies appears as a new form of covert control of society.

Batteries Made with Calcium Could be Better for Electric Cars or Storing Renewable Energy

In coming decades, energy storage demand is projected to increase greatly, in part due to accelerated transition to renewable energy and greater demand for electric cars. Should demand keep pace with projections, dependence on cobalt and lithium poses a humanitarian risk, as high demand for cobalt has incentivized mining with unethical labor practices. Multivalent-ion batteries (MVIBs) may offer an alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), as materials are orders of magnitude more plentiful and MVIB voltage and capacity may be able to match LIBs. MVIBs may be well-suited for applications like electric cars or utility-scale storage, which lack the constraints of small consumer devices like cell phones. Building off earlier work suggesting CaMn2O4 spinel cathodes should have favorable voltage and volumetric expansion characteristics, the present work focuses on building a voltage profile for CaMn2O4. DFT calculations with VASP were used to calculate stable structures through stepwise intercalation and deintercalation of a Ca8Mn16O32 supercell followed by convex hull analysis. Results showed a lower-than-expected voltage with the Ca- and Mg-intercalated cathode. This may be because of differences in how calculations were performed, as previous work used a selective dynamics (SD) approach and included exchange-correlation corrections with DFT+U. It is assumed that the structures obtained approach the lowest possible energy, but this cannot be verified using the approach taken in this work. Even after many intercalation cycles of the cathode, it is still not clear whether lowest-energy structures were found. Future work should focus on whether it can be safely assumed that the spinel “backbone” does not change with intercalation, at least as far as voltage calculations are concerned. Alternatively, techniques like ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), quantum Monte Carlo (QMC), or machine learning (ML) could prove useful in finding lowest-energy structures from which to calculate voltage. Figure 1

Building an entrepreneurial business model: The case of MKM Building Supplies Ltd

Adopting the metaphor of a story, the case study explores and offers insight into the creation and operationalization of an innovative business model by an entrepreneurial firm that challenged and disrupted the competitive dynamics of an established industry sector, namely building supplies. The case is focused on MKM Building Supplies Ltd and its co-founder’s entrepreneurial approach to business model innovation in creating a sustainable start-up business model aimed at market disruption. The entrepreneurial business model is operationalized by a strategy of growing, primarily organically, a national network of branches together with the creation, delivery and realization of value in the form of superior service from their hand-picked local managers who are focused on customer relationships and local markets. The firm is both ethical, whereby humanitarian risks are minimized in their global supply chains, and philanthropic, whereby the branches are also committed to supporting their local communities. The case engages students to consider the impact of entrepreneurial business model thinking and innovation and also the local-national-international tensions in global value chains.

On the prohibited methods and means of conducting warfare in the context of modern International humanitarian law and law of international security

This article analyzes the historical-legal peculiarities of establishment and evolution of international humanitarian law and its principles in the context of the general theory of international law and current political situation. Referring to the international legal documents that regulate the rules of conducting warfare and issues of international security, as well as case law, the author describes and systematizes the methods and means of conducting warfare that are classified under restraining and prohibitive regimes. The goal of this research lies in the analysis and systematization of international legal norms aimed at prevention of the use of prohibited methods and means of conducting warfare. The object of this article is the relations between the actors of international law with regards to restrained use of means and method of conducting warfare. The subject is the international conventions, international customs, general principles of law recognized by the civilized nations. The scientific novelty consists in the author’s view of the essence of relevant issues in the sphere of international humanitarian law, establishment and evolution of international humanitarian law in the context of restrained use of methods and means of conducting warfare. The author presents the original systematization and classification of the prohibited methods and means of conducting warfare. The conclusion is made that many disagreements can be solved by responsible compliance with the existing norms of the international humanitarian law that is intended to prevent potential humanitarian risks. The author reveals that the four protocols to one of the fundamental sources of the international humanitarian law – the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (1980) have such significant shortcoming as the absence of control mechanism for compliance with the established prohibitions.

Risk Management of Construction in Sudan

This paper aims to study the humanitarian risks in construction projects that affect the objectives of the project from time, cost and quality, and to identify, analyze and develop the appropriate strategy, monitor and control and specifically the risk of factors affecting construction projects. A questionnaire was designed to collect data and identify risks in construction projects and then distributed to several public and private sector companies registered with the Organizing Council for engineering works contractors in Sudan, and after the risks facing the construction projects were identified through the questionnaire and telephone interviews with The engineers and managers of these companies, these risks were analyzed by Google Form. The results of the questionnaire showed that inflation, increased prices of materials in the market, weak site management, delayed payments from the contractor and awarding the design to unqualified designers, that is the most important factors affecting the objectives of construction projects in Sudan, and the contractor is the most vulnerable among the parties to the project.

Релігійні складові основних ризиків функціонування та збереження українського суспільства

The article dwells upon determination of the religious factor influence on the system of main risks which are threats to the functioning of Ukrainian society. Now the number and strength of risks for the normal functioning and existence of Ukrainian society have noticeably increased. As for some religious “revival”, one of the possible dangers is the problems of interaction between various religious actors, and between religious actors and secular society. Accordingly, a need remains for monitoring such risks, assessing their significance for the social whole. It is justified that although religion in Ukraine, mainly through religious organizations, can influence the existence and realization of primary social risks, its activities do not create system risks. Religion is relatively more robust and directly added to socio-political risks, but there is no influence on risks in the economic and demographic areas. At the same time, the consequences of the interaction of religion with other sources of socio-political risks are quite limited. On the contrary, social and political risks stipulate more manifestation of religious risks. Among the various forms of potential religious influence on socio-political and humanitarian risks, the most noticeable is the influence of interactions between the largest Orthodox Churches (Orthodox Church of Ukraine and Ukrainian Orthodox Church). Such interaction has been characterized by hostility and open conflicts, and this situation most likely will continue in the future. At the same time, even open conflicts between these Churches are and will be local, short-term, and dependent on the political situation. In the longer term, the role of religion in the archaization of mass consciousness, its dehumanization, the loss of the ability to create a rational picture of the world, and in maintaining social and individual mental tension becomes a noticeable risk.

Tableros de impacto de los datos de Coronavirus Covid-19 en América Latina y el mundo utilizando Power BI como herramienta de visualización

La presente investigación describe la evolución del nuevo coronavirus Covid-19 a través de la creación de dos tableros de impacto para los datos de este tanto a nivel global como en detalle para la región de América Latina y el Caribe. El brote del nuevo coronavirus comenzó en Wuhan, una ciudad de 11 millones de habitantes de la provincia central china de Hubei. Para poder describir la evolución del virus a través de la creación de tableros de impacto se implementó la herramienta de inteligencia de negocios de Microsoft Power BI, donde se llevaron 4 etapas entre ellas el análisis de requerimientos de sistema del caso, diseño de la arquitectura a utilizar, integración de datos y como etapa final la visualización y analítica de los datos. Tras la creación de los tableros de impacto se mostró los números de casos confirmados, fallecidos, casos recuperados y casos activos por región, país y a nivel mundial, la creación de estos tableros permite la buena de decisiones basada en datos como son la creación de políticas públicas y fiscales por parte de los gobiernos para velar por el riesgo humanitario y el impacto en la economía de los países.

Women, Internal Displacement and the Boko Haram Conflict: Broadening the Debate

ABSTRACT Women and children make up 79 per cent of the population displaced by the conflict between the Nigerian government and the armed movement informally known as Boko Haram. Their lived experiences expose the considerable protection and humanitarian risks of being female in violent contexts and the complexities of addressing them. In addition to open conflict and inconsistent policy and humanitarian responses, women’s displacement is being protracted by disjunctures between women’s roles and their construction as victims in policy and humanitarian frameworks. Construed as lacking agency, displaced women are resisting the hardship of displacement by returning to Boko Haram. This article argues for a rethinking of the importance of context, autonomy and agency as a prerequisite to reconciling false narratives about women’s experiences of conflict and displacement and their lived realities. It speaks to broader debates about women and conflict and the utility of current approaches and frameworks for addressing the roles and needs of women in these contexts.

Os refugiados e a nova lei de migração

A regulamentação da nova Lei de Migração trouxe um tratamento mais digno e humanitário aos migrantes que vivem no Brasil, englobando também uma proteção maior aos indivíduos em risco humanitário, como os refugiados. A questão dos refugiados é uma discussão atual e de extrema importância frente a uma crise de refugiados que o mundo vem passando. A nova legislação brasileira se mostrou indo na direção oposta do que se tem sido feito por outros países, principalmente nos Estados Unidos e na Europa, uma vez que é uma resposta mais humana a esse dilema. Além disso, a nova lei está em consonância com compromissos humanitários internacionais assumidos pelo Brasil. Por isso, o presente trabalho irá retratar a proteção dada aos refugiados pela nova Lei de Migração, e, através de um estudo de caso dos refugiados venezuelanos no Brasil, verificar o grau de eficácia desta lei.

Научная конференция памяти Б.Г. Юдина «Человек в мире нейротехнологий: социальные и этические проблемы» (Москва, 30–31 мая 2018 г.)

The fruitful development of neuroscience is not feasible without prompt diagnosis, assessment and development of technologies for the management of social and humanitarian risks of neuroscience discoveries and inventions. The first national conference on neuroethics will serve as a stimulus for its development in our country as a stand-alone research area, will contribute to favorable social environment for the innovative development of interdisciplinary studies of the human brain.

Autonomous Weapons: How Existing Law Can Regulate Future Weapons

This Article examines the rise of autonomous weapons systems (AWS), their transformative effect on warfare, and the novel and difficult challenges that autonomy will pose to current interpretations and applications of international humanitarian law (IHL), the legal framework applicable in armed conflict. Autonomous weapons will profoundly affect humans’ role in warfare. AWS will be able to make certain decisions that have traditionally been made exclusively by humans. They will also affect how humans exercise judgment over uses of force as commanders are further removed (temporally and geographically) from the point of kinetic action. At the same time, human judgment cannot be excised from warfare and must remain the focus of IHL. This Article analyzes that tension and the critical need to reconcile IHL’s focus on human decision-making with autonomous technology. This Article provides the first comprehensive analysis of how fundamental principles of IHL can and should be applied in light of rapidly changing advances in warfare and their correlated humanitarian risks. In particular, it critically assesses how IHL rules regarding weapons development, targeting, and accountability can be applied (and the interpretive challenges we confront in doing so) with respect to the use of AWS in armed conflict.

Онтологии биотехнологических рисков: социогуманитарные методологии и технонаука

В статье рассматривается проблема генезиса онтологий социогуманитарных рисков, возникающих в связи с развитием биотехнологий. Гибридный характер сосуществования технонаучного и социального миров определяется как слияние социального ожидания и технологий. Вместе с тем уже сложившиеся социогуманитарные практики остаются важными теоретико-методологическими матрицами, в рамках которых определяются биотехнологические онтологии рисков. К этим методологиям можно отнести биоэтику, наноэтику, исследования науки и технологий (STS), проблематику улучшения человека, гуманитарную экспертизу. Результатом применения этих методологий к технонаучным биотехнологическим проектам является не только онтологизация рисков, но и их деонтологизация в процессе фактической реализации биотехнологических проектов. Этот процесс рассматривается на примере концепции генетизации общества.

Genetically engineered microorganisms for the detection of explosives' residues.

The manufacture and use of explosives throughout the past century has resulted in the extensive pollution of soils and groundwater, and the widespread interment of landmines imposes a major humanitarian risk and prevents civil development of large areas. As most current landmine detection technologies require actual presence at the surveyed areas, thus posing a significant risk to personnel, diverse research efforts are aimed at the development of remote detection solutions. One possible means proposed to fulfill this objective is the use of microbial bioreporters: genetically engineered microorganisms “tailored” to generate an optical signal in the presence of explosives’ vapors. The use of such sensor bacteria will allow to pinpoint the locations of explosive devices in a minefield. While no study has yet resulted in a commercially operational system, significant progress has been made in the design and construction of explosives-sensing bacterial strains. In this article we review the attempts to construct microbial bioreporters for the detection of explosives, and analyze the steps that need to be undertaken for this strategy to be applicable for landmine detection.

Нанотехнологические риски и их восприятие обществом

The development and implementation of modern and innovative products are not always considered humanitarian risks that leads to the categorical rejection of certain technologies, entire areas of scientific knowledge, to the freezing of large-scale projects (nuclear physics after the accidents at nuclear reactors in Ukraine and Japan, genetic engineering, etc.). In the context of attention to environmental issues and discussion of the negative effects of the existing technological processes for the environment were inevitable issues in the agenda the question of the possible risks of using products developed with the use of nanotechnology. Social and humanitarian analysis of technological risks abroad is an important area of the research. In this paper we consider the process of formation of this research (in the context of the development of nanotechnology), and discuss the sociological aspects of the problem. Analysis of the data of sociological research, conducted by Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) in 2014, allowed us to estimate the level of understanding of the content of the Russian nanotechnological processes, and to identify dominant in the public consciousness fears and expectations associated with the development of nanotechnologies in Russia. The study showed the presence of sustained high interest of general public in the topic of nanotechnology.

Climate change report calls for iterative risk management framework

Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems, a 12 May report by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) reaffirms. The report includes a series of recommended steps to respond to those risks. In addition, the report urges an iterative risk management framework that can adapt to new information and changing circumstances and concerns about the risks. “Each additional ton of greenhouse gases emitted commits us to further change and greater risks. In the judgment of the [NRC] Committee on America's Climate Choices, the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks of climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt to its impacts,” the report states.

A1. United Nations, Assessment of the Future Humanitarian Risks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, New York, 11 April 2006 (excerpts)

A1. United Nations, Assessment of the Future Humanitarian Risks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, New York, 11 April 2006 (excerpts)