Conflict, Development, and Covid-19 Resources
The Covid-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations around the world. The consequences of the virus on conflict-affected states are so powerful that United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for a global ceasefire to stop violent conflict in support of the fight against novel coronavirus.
The Political Settlements Research Programme is committed to supporting communities experiencing violent conflict. We have put together a list of blogs and other resources addressing the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of conflict-affected states. If you would like to add to this list, please email politicalsettlements@ed.ac.uk. Read our statement on how we are handling our work during this time. You can also subscribe to our email updates.
1. Covid-19 Tools
2. Conflict, Peace, and Covid-19 Nexus
2.a Unity-Separatist Issues
2.b Geopolitics
3. Development-Related
3.a Elections
4. Emergency Legislation and States of Emergency
5. Ceasefires
6. Gender
7. International Influence and Mediation of Peace Processes
8. Role of Research and Expertise
9. Human Rights
10. Countries (Afghanistan, Kosovo, Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, Somalia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, El Salvador, Philippines, Thailand, Libya, Lebanon)
1. Covid-19 Tools
Perspectives on a Pandemic: COVID-19 Analysis from CIC – NYU Center on International Cooperation
Regularly updated collection of articles, blog posts, and policy papers on COVID-19 by the CIC.
COVID-19 Response and Resources by the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP)
Collection of resources (incl. blogs and webinars) on AfP members involved in COVID-19 responses, who are helping mitigate the crisis and protect the world’s most vulnerable populations.
COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19)
The Allen Institute for AI has partnered with leading research groups to prepare and distribute the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19), a free resource of over 51,000 scholarly articles, including over 40,000 with full text, about COVID-19 and the coronavirus family of viruses for use by the global research community.
Mapping Risk Factors for the Spread of COVID-19 in Africa – Africa Centre for Strategic Studies
A series of maps graphically representing relative levels of vulnerability across the African continent.
COVID-DEM Infohub – How is COVID-19 affecting democracy? – Democratic Decay
Long-form academic research
COVID-DEM’s aim is to help democracy analysts worldwide track, compile, and share information on how State responses to COVID-19 are impacting on democratic governance.
Mobility Restrictions COVID-19 – IOM
Portal that maps and monitors types of travel restrictions imposed by countries.
Coronavirus & Civic Space – ICLN
Resources and information on how international law provides a framework to uphold human rights during crisis response.
COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports – Google
See how your community is moving around differently due to COVID-19.
COVID-19 key information for South Sudan – CSRF South Sudan
Library of analysis and tools to help design and deliver more context-aware responses to COVID-19 in South Sudan.
Global Protest Tracker – The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
A one-stop source for following crucial trends in the most significant antigovernment protests worldwide that now also monitors global protests in times of COVID-19.
Coronavirus and Global Disorder analysis resources – The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie experts offer analysis on the political, economic, and geostrategic effects of the global pandemic.
Life with Corona
Charitable open access citizen science project that collects data to allow a comprehensive insight into daily life during the pandemic.
COVID-19 Map – Johns Hopkins University
COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker – ICLN, ECLN, UN Special Rapporteur Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin
Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker – University of Oxford
#COVID19 – A global joint response (resources) – ACAPS
COVID-19 – Government measures (dataset) – ACAPS
COVID-19 AND PERSONS DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY INFORMATION HUB – Association for the Prevention of Torture
Tracking the Global Response to COVID-19 – Privacy International
Country Policy Tracker – OECD
Understanding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through data – World Bank
COVID-19 Disorder Tracker – ACLED
2. Conflict, Peace, and Covid-19 Nexus
NEW: A Global Call: Will COVID-19 bring more peace to the world? –
Is there a Responsibility to Protect the world from pandemics? – Thomas Peak, Centre for Geopolitics
A dangerous cocktail: Coronavirus and war – Orly Stern
Fear of a fragile planet – Naomi Hossain, Institute of Development Studies
Violence imperils coronavirus response in conflict zones around the world – , and
COVID-19 Symposium: COVID-19 in Conflict-Affected Areas–Armed Groups as Part of a Global Solution – Marcos D. Kotlik and Ezequiel Heffes, Opinio Juris
COVID-19: Four ways peacebuilders can respond – Rebeca Crozier, International Alert
COVID-19 and conflicts: Views from peacebuilders – Margot Jones, EPLO
Coronavirus in Conflict Zones: A Sobering Landscape – The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
A compilation of a dozen country analysis considering the consequences coronavirus will have on conflict-affected countries.
Coronavirus in conflict:The fight has hardly begun – Eleanor Gordon, Florence Carrot, The Interpreter
(EVENT) Coronavirus and Conflict: The Security Sector Response – USIP
The role of community peacebuilders in a pandemic: what we learnt from the Ebola crisis –
Responding to COVID-19: The Need for Conflict Sensitivity – Céline Monnier, NYU CIC
COVID-19 and the impact on local peacebuilding – Conducive Space for Peace, Humanity United, Peace Direct
COVID-19 and the toxic politics of exploitation – Louisa Waugh, Saferworld
Peace building in the time of Coronavirus – Michael Keating, EIP
How is COVID playing out in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings? – Duncan Green, From Poverty to Power
Covid-19 and Violent Conflict: Responding to Predictable Unpredictability – Christine Bell, Political Settlements Research Programme (Just Security)
COVID-19 in Africa: “Know your Epidemic, Act on its Politics.” – Alex de Waal, LSE
The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Peace Operations – Cedric de Coning (IPI Global Observatory)
Covid-19 and Conflict: Seven Trends to Watch – Crisis Group
Conflict and peace scenarios in times of conflict
Dan Smith, SPRI Director, Covid-19-Conflict YouTube Analysis
CRP Update on Covid-19 in DRC, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria – Conflict Research Programme
Richard Gowan about the consequences of Coronavirus for peacekeeping
Dealing with Covid-19 in Conflict Zones Needs A Different Approach – Katie Peters & Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy, ODI (Thomson Reuters Foundation News)
Could coronavirus lead to a “positive peace”? – Rachel Scott, UNDP
Conflict and peace scenarios in times of COVID-19 – Juan Garrigues, CIDOB
COVID-19: One War that Must Be Fought – DPPA
Peace and Pandemics: How COVID-19 will impact violence and what we can do about it – Rachel Locke
COVID-19: Building a more peaceful world from a global crisis – Jessie Banfield, International Alert
Militancy in Lake Chad and Mozambique, COVID-19 in Gaza and Syria: The Cheat Sheet – The New Humanitarian
Yemen floods, Myanmar information bans, and COVID-19 disruption (nearly) everywhere: The Cheat Sheet – The New Humanitarian
The Coronavirus Could Topple Governments Around the World – Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Policy
What is SSR going to look like after Covid19? – Viola Csordas, DCAF-ISSAT
Corona-PeaceLab: How Do We Need to Adapt Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding? – PeaceLab
COVID-19: Peacebuilders aren’t the side dish. We’re the delivery service – Mike Jobbins, Medium
Peace First Launches Rapid Response Grants to Address COVID-19 – Peace First
2.a Unity-Separatist issues
Devolved Spain Struggles for Unity Against Coronovirus
2.b Geopolitics
The World Health Organization and Pandemic Politics – David P. Fidler, Think Global Health
3. Development-Related
‘Just one case’: fears coronavirus may spread like wildfire in world’s refugee camps – Reuters
Fragility and Pandemics: Finding the right equation to steer action – Rachel Locke
After the pandemic: How will COVID-19 transform global health and development? – Michael Igoe, Vince Chadwick, Devex
The Coronavirus is a Call To Build Resilience in Fragile States – Nancy Lindborg, USIP
The Covid-19 pandemic in the eyes of a Rohingya – Rashid Mubarak, Asia Times
Broadcast: Fears for world’s largest refugee settlement as Coronavirus draws closer – BBC World Service Newshour
Global Health Security – COVID-19 & Humanitarian Response: Leave No-One Behind – Alistair D. B. Cook, RSiS
Coronavirus and aid: what we’re watching – New Humanitarian
Q&A: WHO’s Mike Ryan on how countries in crisis can perpare for a coronavirus epidemic – New Humanitarian
How You Can Protect Your Community, Not Just Your Own Health – Oeindrila Dube and , NY Times
Protecting African Garment Industry from Covid Fallout?
Public health experts: Coronavirus could overwhelm the developing world – , , and Terrence McCoy, The Washington Post
From cholera to corona: The politics of plagues in Africa – Simukai Chigudu, Africa Is a Country
Roma: Europe’s Neglected Coronavirus Victims – Stephan Müller, Fikrija Tair, Bashkim Ibishi and Dragan Gracanin, Reporting Democracy
3.a Elections
Global overview of COVID-19: Impact on elections (regularly updated) – International IDEA
A First Step Toward Reform: Ending Burundi’s Forced Contribution System – Crisis Group
This is a pre-COVID-19 analysis but serves to understand current electoral dynamics which may be impacted by the pandemic. Crisis Group is following up on the implications COVID-19 has on this and other situations.
Elections and COVID-19 (International IDEA)
4. Emergency Legislation and States of Emergency
COVID-19, Emergency Legislation, and Sunset Clauses – Sean Molloy, Political Settlements Research Programme
Covid-19 and Derogations Before the European Court of Human Rights – Sean Molloy, VerfBlog
The Virus that Ends Us: On the Ethics of Withdrawal and Affirmation – Jan Pospisil, Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (CPD Policy Blog)
Pandemics and Human Rights – Doug Rutzen and Nikhil Dutta (Just Security)
South Asia states of emergency – Asanga Welikala
Political finance oversight during a global health pandemic – Yukihiko Hamada, IDEA
5. Ceasefires
NEW: Ceasefires in the Time of COVID-19 – , , , and
The U.N. has appealed for a global coronavirus cease-fire – But is it possible to quarantine conflict? – Govinda Clayton, Washington Post
Update on the Secretary General’s Appeal for A Global Ceasefire
Coronavirus: ceasefires and resolutions in project at UN
Calling for a global ceasefire – GPPAC
Ceasefires in Armed Conflicts during the Coronavirus Pandemic – ECP, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Ceasefire Arrangements – Political Settlements Research Programme
When and how are ceasefires negotiated, and what are their critical elements? The Spotlight reviews core elements included in the 267 ceasefire agreements signed between 1990 and 2015 listed on the PA-X Peace Agreements Database.
Gender Mainstreaming in Ceasefires: Comparative Data and Examples – Political Settlements Research Programme
When and how have ceasefire agreements in armed conflict addressed women? Why should ceasefires include gender-specific provisions? Finally, what are the potential strategies for including women in ceasefire monitoring and implementation modalities?
Humanitarian Assistance and Gender Perspectives in Peace Agreements – Political Settlements Research Programme
When and how do peace processes provide for humanitarian assistance? Do peace agreements that provide for humanitarian assistance adopt a gender perspective?
6. Gender
NEW: ICAN’s Statement on our Gender- and Conflict-Sensitive Response to COVID-19 – International Civil Society Action Network
Why Women’s Rights Must be Central to the UN Security Council’s Response to COVID-19 – NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security
Gender implications of COVID-19 outbreaks in development and humanitarian settings – Care
Research Report: Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Violence against Women and Girls – Erika Fraser, DFID VAWG
COVID-19: Emerging gender data and why it matters – UN Women
Why we need gender perspectives in our global solutions to COVID-19 – Claire Dowling, EIP
Women Peace and Security in the Time of Corona – Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security (Women Peace and Security blog)
Waging a war against a virus is not what we need to be doing – Cynthia Enloe, WILPF
Women in Bangladesh promote hygiene in refugee camps amid coronavirus fears – Thomson Reuters Foundation News
Covid-19: Militarise or Organise? – Ray Acheson, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Pandemics in Crisis-Affected Settings: Ensuring Women & Girls Are Not Forgotten – Alina Potts, GIWPS
Gendering COVID-19: Implications for Women, Peace and Security – Sini Ramo, LSE
7. International Influence and Mediation of Peace Processes
What the Pandemic Means for UN Peacekeeping Work – Robert Ulrich Nagel and Melanne Verveer, PassBlue
Digital Technologies and Mediation Toolkit – United Nations Peacemaker
What the UN Security Council Can Do on Coronavirus: A Global Goods Coordination Mechanism – Rob Berschinski, Human Rights First (Just Security)
How coronavirus is accelerating a new approach to international cooperation – Annalisa Prizzon, Overseas Development Institute
Coronavirus Puts Systems for International Cooperation to the Test – William J. Long, J USIP
U.N. Security Council Paralyzed as Contagion Rages – Colum Lynch, Foreign Policy
8. Role of Research and Expertise
Impact evaluations in the time of Covid-19, Part 1 – Markus Goldstein, Florence Kondylis, World Bank
More relevant World Bank blogs about alternative ways of collecting data and conducting evaluations include: Dialing for Data: The Story of a High Frequency Phone Survey in Liberia (Kristen Himelein), and Calling it in: using phones for repeat surveys (Markus Goldstein).
COVID-19 – the social science response to the pandemic – IDS
Covid-19 – a social phenomenon requiting diverse expertise – Hayley Macgregor, Melissa Leach, Annie Wilkinson, and Melissa Parker, Institute of Development Studies (IDS blog)
Fill the gaps, feel the pain: Insights from Sierra Leone on an epidemic’s impact on local taxation, public services, and the poor – Vanessa van den Boogaard, International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD blog)
9. Human Rights
Explainer: Seven ways the coronavirus affects human rights – Amnesty International
COVID-19: A Human Rights Checklist – Human Rights Watch
10. Countries
10.1 Afghanistan
Interview with Barnett R. Rubin on the crisis of Afghan war politics, and Covid-19 – TOLOnews
How to keep Coronavirus from hampering the peace process in Afghanistan – Barnett R. Rubin, Responsible Statecraft
The regional dimension of Covid-19’s interaction with war and peace in Afghanistan – Responsible Statecraft
An Ailing America Must Not Abandon Afghanistan – Foreign Policy
Coronavirus Poses Yet Another Challenge to the Afghan Peace Process – Scott Smith, USIP
Only Peace Can Avert a COVID-19 Catastrophe in Afghanistan – M. Ashraf Haidari, Ambassador of Afghanistan to Sri Lanka
10.2 Kosovo
Kosovo’s Ousted Government, Secret Deals, and War Crimes Charges – Balkan Transitional Justice
10.3 Sudan
Coronavirus reaches Sudan, one of the countries least equipped to cope with it – Mark Weston
Can there be a democratic public health? From HIV Aids to Covid-19
10.4 Yemen
Yemen coronavirus lockdown to hamper relief effort – The New Humanitarian
A Coronavirus Ceasefire Offers A Way Out for War-Torn Yemen – Crisis Group
10.5 Venezuela
Steve Hege on Venezuela and Colombia During Coronavirus – Steve Hege, USIP
Venezuela Urgently Needs a Humanitarian Accord that Prioritizes Life and Dignity – Feliciano Reyna Ganteaume
10.6 Sri Lanka
Assessing Sri Lanka’s response to COVID-19 – The Alliance of Independent Professionals
Update on Sri Lanka’s Response to COVID-19 – The Alliance of Independent Professionals
10.7 Israel-Palestine
Could the coronavirus bring peace among Israelis and Palestinians? – Iona Hirsch, The Jerusalem Post
US: Coronavirus cooperation proof Israeli-Palestinian peace talks possible – Tovah Lazaroff, The Jerusalem Post
10.8 Ukraine
Opinion: The Coronavirus Crisis Presents An Opportunity To End War In Ukraine – William B. Taylor, Steven Piper, John E. Herbst, NPR
In Frontline Ukraine, Global Pandemic Puts People at Unimaginable Risk – Igor Mitchnik, Open Democracy
10.9 Somalia
How Will Remittances Affect the Somali COVID-19 Response? – Nisar Majid, Laura Hammond, Khalif Abdirahman, Guhad Adan and Nauja Kleis
10.10 Nigeria
Benue, Taraba government sign peace agreement over Tiv/Jukun crisis – NAN, The Guardian Nigeria
Nigeria Should Build Peace Like it Fights Coronavirus – Oge Onubogu, USIP
10.11 Colombia
Steve Hege on Venezuela and Colombia During Coronavirus – Steve Hege, USIP
Colombia hopes for ‘humanitarian’ ceasefire during coronavirus as violence resurges –
10.12 Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Political Momentum for Peace and Human Rights?– The KOFF Peacebuilding Magazine
10.13 Pakistan
Pakistan’s Looming Coronavirus Crisis – Cyril Almeida, Richard Olson, USIP
10.14 El Salvador
In El Salvador, gangs are enforcing the coronavirus lockdown with baseball bats – Kate Linthicum, Molly O’Toole, Alexander Renderos, Los Angeles Times
10.15 Philippines
Ex-MILF fighters harvest, donate 100 sacks of calamansi for COVID-19 fight in Isulan – Bong S. Sarmiento, Minda News
10.16 Thailand
Covid-19 ceasefire unlikely to hasten peace in Thailand’s south – Craig Keating, The Interpreter
10.17 Libya
VIDEO: ‘Which Death Is Going to Be Worse?’ Coronavirus Invades a Conflict Zone – Haley Willis, Christiaan Triebert, Natalie Reneau and David Botti, The New York Times
Libya and pandemic politics in armed conflicts – Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy, ODI
10.18 Lebanon
COVID-19: Seven trends that will shape peacebuilding in Lebanon – Ruth Simpson, International Alert