Op-Ed: The Human Cost of Cuts to the Peacekeeping Mission in Congo
Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo took a turn for the worse in 2017 and the New Year is unlikely to bring much relief to Congolese civilians.
Lauren is the Sr. Peacekeeping Researcher for CIVIC. She has four years of experience in refugee resettlement in Africa, where she was deployed to UNHCR offices throughout the continent to interview civilians fleeing conflict. Lauren has worked as a researcher for the World Peace Foundation, Conflict Dynamics International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Humanitarian Evidence Program at the Feinstein International Center.
Intercross the Podcast: Episode #33 Policy and Peacekeeping in South Sudan with Trevor Keck and Lauren Spink
In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC in Washington’s Deputy Head of Communications Trevor Keck and Lauren Spink, the Center for Civilians in Conflict Peacekeeping Advisor. Trevor recently returned from a brief mission to South Sudan and Lauren is headed out to the country this week. We took the opportunity to chat with…
Op-Ed: Peacekeeping Under Trump Could Be Difficult With Less Resources
On Monday, President Trump will chair a high-level panel on United Nations reform, kicking off the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting. Peacekeeping reform is badly needed and should be part of that discussion. Smart cuts to the U.N.’s budget could spur needed changes, but so far, the Trump administration’s focus has been primarily…
How Can the International Community Engage in South Sudan’s National Dialogue? And Should It?
If civilians are not included as meaningful participants in the Dialogue, the results of the process are likely yet another agreement between national politicians that divides the spoils of war between themselves rather than healing the deepening ethnic divisions that four years of civil conflict have sown.
What Next for UN Peacekeeping in South Sudan?
When violence broke out in July in Juba, South Sudan, the UN mission there, along with thousands of civilians, was caught in the crossfire.