News

Migration across the Mediterranean is often portrayed as the new societal and political ‘crisis’ of our time; EU nations are struggling to agree over a few rescue boats, while narratives of “invasion” and “call-effect ” have become part of the political discourse. Yet, migration across the Mediterra...

In line with UN commitments ‘to leave no one behind’, social protection is a strategic approach for cutting poverty and improving resilience, based on strengthening the links between humanitarian aid and development. Extending coordinated social protection provisions to refugees could be the bridge ...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Lieutenant General Dennis Gyllensporre of Sweden as Force Commander of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Lieutenant General Gyllensporre holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Maastricht University, gaine...

In our third and final report from the DEIP Innovation Workshop in Morocco, September 2018, we spoke with Omar Elyoussoufi Attou, Head of Innovation at the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training. … How can this DEIP workshop help national governments ...

In this second report from our DEIP Innovation Workshop in Morocco, September 2018, we caught up with Dr. Mafini Dosso, an Ivorian national who works for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Seville, Spain. … We spoke about the pyramid of science communications: about servi...

As a co-author, the main point to stress is the large innovation divide between low- and high-income countries. Within Africa there are very large disparities – countries across the continent are very different – but there are some similarities. For example, there are still many challenges on the in...

A joint post by Prof. Carlo Pietrobelli and Beatriz Calzada. Since the mid-1990s, Latin American countries have become an attractive destination for foreign mining investment — largely thanks to established regulatory frameworks that provide legal stability and security of mining ownership, as...

For over a decade, we’ve been training Asian professionals on the latest developments in social protection. Led by the Universities of Heidelberg, Germany and Hanoi, Vietnam, the International Social Protection Studies Programme also has a Maastricht-based module: covering policy management, monitor...

Students on our Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development (MPP) were asked to write a critical opinion about a dispute resolution mechanism — and how it might protect both human rights and development. Below are two essays on transitional justice, covering a range of critical is...

Midsummer, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) published the “E-Governance – A powerful tool toward resilient, inclusive and sustainable disaster risk management”. You contributed as an author on e-resilience and e-government. Can you please elaborate what the survey and publicat...

In light of the World Humanitarian Day last Sunday, August 19, this post argues for the need to revisit humanitarian aid and place it alongside social protection. Recognising that over 140 million people relied on humanitarian aid across 37 countries in 2017, there is an urgent need to take up the d...

Your PhD revolves around the redistribution of land and its impact on agricultural outcomes; this is timely and relevant given climate change and its impact on food security. Can you elaborate on your dissertation topic? ...

In the onset of rapidly evolving military conflict, determining responsibility and the most appropriate and effective response is a challenge. In the event of an armed conflict, displaced persons are likely to either be displaced internally or if they have the provisions in place, flee to a neighbou...

A guest post by Dr. Lidia Brito, UNESCO Regional Director of Science for Latin America and the Caribbean The declaration signed by the Heads of State and Government and High Representatives, meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, established the adoption of “a historic decision on a...

Global health — from countering misinformation to managing crises — was the focus of our fifth ‘Reach and Turn’ science reporting workshop, held in July 2018. Co-hosted with our sister institute UNU-IIGH in Malaysia, the guiding theme was simple: that ‘you don’t win hea...

Eritreans on a bus on the road between Keren and Agordat in Eritrea. Eye Ubiquitous/UIG via Getty Images Most Eritreans understand the horrors that await them as they travel to seek refuge. Researcher Katie Kuschminder reveals some of the coping mechanisms developed in response. For years, Eritreans...

Our course on Evidence-Based Policy Research Methods (EPRM) hones research skills at the highest of levels, including policymakers from national governments and international organisations. Dr. Mindel van de Laar sat down with course coordinator Cristina Mancigotti to discuss her recent experiences ...

The paradigm of long-term delivery of short-term aid needs to be reconsidered — because the current system is barely functional or sustainable. This implies building a new bridge between humanitarian aid and long-term human development. But what exactly does that mean? A key part of the process is t...

A joint post by Prof. Shyama V. Ramani and Maria Tomai The many varied possibilities of the ‘Circular Economy’ are starting to enter the public consciousness. But what is it exactly? “Looking beyond the current ‘take, make and dispose’ extractive industrial model, the circular economy is restorative...

You defended your PhD thesis ‘A tall order – Improving child linear growth’ on 19 June 2018. When you applied to the programme, you were working as a project manager for the UN’s World Food Programme. Was there a link between your activities at work, and the choice to apply for a part-time PhD?...