UAI – November 2021 Newsletter

Dear Friends of UAI,
 
In the past month, we have taken important decisions about how we monitor armed conflicts and refugee situations and develop our campaigns and policy positions.
 
Situations for priority action

On 27 October, our International Executive Committee (IEC) endorsed a proposal to give priority attention, in the coming months, to three situations:
  • Ethiopia
  • Mali and the Sahel
  • Mozambique.

Afghanistan will remain a focus for several UAI colleagues with long experience of the country.

On a second ‘Watch List’ will be the conflicts in

  • Myanmar
  • Syria
  • Yemen.

On our priority list of thematic issues are

  • Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas and
  • Issues of access to Asylum.

To manage this activity, the IEC endorsed Guidance on the Development of Campaign Materials and Policy Positions. Click below to access a copy.

Campaign Materials and Policy Guidance


It also invited our Working Group on Campaign Materials and Policy Positions to set up ‘Topic Teams’ for each of the situations or themes on the list. This approach was enthusiastically endorsed at a lively meeting of UAI’s Advisory Council on 3 November.
 
The topic teams will consist of experienced humanitarians and younger volunteers, many of them university students.

Any of our readers who would be interested to join one of the Topic Teams can write to  to express your interest and identify the situation or theme of most interest.


Ethiopia

On 26 October, UAI Rome, in partnership with the Scuola Sant’Anna at the University of Pisa held a lively online and in-person debate on the situation in Tigray and hosted by the DIRE news agency. It featured Alex de Waal, Gabriella Venturini (Italian international law professor) and our own Antonio Donini.

Click on the button below to see the presentation by Alex de Waal’s at the debate. Alex is Executive Director of The World Peace Foundation at Tufts University.

The Use of Starvation in Tigray – Alex de Waal

Not surprisingly, views on the situation and its implications for the region were quite polarized. A short article, in Italian, can be found using the link below.

Conference Report – Rome 26 October 2021


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