Sofia Luz Castaneda was the daughter of a wealthy family in Guatemala, a country in Central America. Her father was a farmer, who employed many men to cultivate his lands. However, one day, one of her father’s employees caught her eye – Samuel Bonilla. Sofia and Samuel fell in love, yet their union was rejected by her family because of their different social standing. So the young couple decided to elope, moving across the border to San Francisco Menendez, in El Salvador. There they lived an eco...

A UN Day 2018 message from UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General David M. Malone. ••• The United Nations of 2018 exists in a world that is more interconnected than ever before. Countries are no longer insulated from the setbacks and challenges of other nations, and all profit in some way from each other’s innovation and success. Global paths to shared progress, however, seem increasingly elusive among bitter social divides and growing inequality. Our success in overcoming these and other bar...

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 neighbouring state. In case of internal displacement, protecting human rights is the responsibility of the state – the irony being these same people may be fleeing the actions of that same state or its milita...

A joint post by Kristjana Sigurbjörnsdóttir, UNU-GEST and Ortrun Merkle, UNU-MERIT. On 19 June we mark the first anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Established in 2015 the day aims to “raise awareness of the need to end conflict-related sexual violence and urge the international community to stand in solidarity with the survivors of sexual violence around the world”. Sexualised violence continues to be rampant in many conflicts, p...

How do civil wars affect student achievement? How do social networks affect public goods? And how much has been achieved since the UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in 2013? These are a few of the questions tackled by our researchers over the last month — in one book, two journal articles and five working papers, among others. Click here for the full list. Books ‘Economic Systems of Innovation in the Arab Region‘ discusses the causes, consequence...

Civil wars disrupt many aspects of life and development, including the education of the next generation. Yet until now there has been very little research into the subject. We spoke with Dr. Silvia Consuelo Gómez Soler after her record-breaking defence on this topical issue — which is relevant worldwide. 1. Congratulations on your PhD defence! You focused on civil conflict and education, drawing lessons from Colombia. Why did you choose this topic? SG: Getting a better understanding of the...

Today marks 23 years of peace and democracy in Mozambique. The country has made impressive progress in economic growth, stability, regional cooperation and democratisation. While concerns remain over future development, efforts to build resilience have improved. Ayokunu Adedokun, PhD fellow, takes a closer look at Mozambique’s hard road to peace and democracy, and provides insights for other post-conflict societies. On all development indicators, Mozambique was not an obvious candidate for peace...

Will Syria break apart along sectarian lines? What are the origins of the conflict? What are the pros and cons of a US-led intervention? How is the war impacting individual lives? These were among the questions of a panel debate on the Syrian civil crisis at Maastricht University in October 2013. Panellists included Drs. Zina Nimeh and Lutz Krebs of UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance, as well as the former director of The Netherlands Institute in Damascus. Read the review by Diego Salama....