Otsing
Strengthening the Women, Peace and Security Agenda
This briefing was commissioned by the European Ϸվ's Policy Department for Citizens, Equality, and Culture at the request of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality ahead of the Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the occasion of the International Women's Day. The briefing gives an overview of the Women and Peace and Security Agenda and the current situation at global and European Union level. It examines women’s participation as active agents in the prevention and resolution ...
Plenary round-up – January 2025
The first plenary session of 2025 featured a debate on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 19 December 2024, with António Costa participating for the first time in his new capacity of President of the European Council. A debate on the programme of the Polish Council Presidency followed, with the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, who underlined the Presidency's focus on prioritising EU security and defence. Ϸվ's President and political group leaders adopted a statement ...
Health in emergencies: EU contribution to humanitarian health initiatives worldwide
A sharp deterioration in the population's health, as well as in healthcare systems, is often the consequence of armed conflicts, natural hazards or human-made disasters, of which there have been many in recent times. The European Union (EU), a significant global humanitarian player, views health as an essential part of its assistance.
'Sahelexit' in West Africa: Implications for ECOWAS and the EU
At the end of January 2024, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their withdrawal (referred to as 'Sahelexit' by several media outlets) from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This withdrawal – with immediate effect according to the departing states, within a one-year deadline according to the ECOWAS Treaty – presents a complex set of challenges for the region. ECOWAS, initially designed to promote regional economic integration, has over the years adopted protocols to uphold ...
Terrorist attacks bring war to Israel and Gaza [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Early on 7 October 2023, Hamas – the Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip – launched an unprecedented and brutal assault on Israel, killing more than 1 400, mostly civilians, and taking more than 222 Israelis and dual-nationals hostage. Israel has responded by shelling and conducting airstrikes on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, a narrow coastal strip of 2.3 million people, leading to a significant number of casualties, including civilians. Israel has also amassed troops along ...
Impact of sanctions on the humanitarian situation in Syria
As the civil war in Syria enters its 13th year, and amidst ongoing political instability and armed clashes, the humanitarian and economic situation in the country continues to deteriorate. Half of the country's 22.1 million population is internally or externally displaced and 15.3 million people – nearly 70 % of Syrians – are in need of humanitarian assistance. Following the deadly earthquake in early February 2023, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated further. Since the beginning of the conflict ...
Seeking justice in Ukraine: A year's worth of efforts to ensure that core international crimes do not go unpunished
With its war of aggression against Ukraine, launched in early 2022, Russia has violated the country's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within internationally recognised borders. This war has inflicted heavy casualties, destruction and displacement within Ukraine and beyond. While intense ongoing hostilities make it difficult to collect comprehensive information about certain areas in Ukraine, this is arguably the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. There are ...
Ethiopia: War in Tigray - Background and state of play
Little has changed since the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed on 2 November 2022 to cease hostilities and return to constitutional order. The 2-year civil war has killed thousands of people and seriously aggravated the country's already disastrous humanitarian situation. The conflict erupted in November 2020, after the Ethiopian army attacked Tigrayan troops, who had taken control of military headquarters in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, in ...
The floods in Pakistan and the global and EU humanitarian responses
With a population of almost 236 million, Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world. The country has been hit by extreme weather events this year. In March and April 2022, an extreme heat wave hit Pakistan and India. This was followed in June by the heaviest monsoon rains in over a century. The rains left a third of the country under water – an area almost three times the size of Portugal. The damage is significant – over 1 600 people have been killed by the rains, floods and landslides ...