Search Climate Insights Directory

This summary report details a seminar held on October 22, 2009, titled 'Crime and Criminal Justice Systems in Africa-Enhancing Human Security,' organized by the African Human Security Initiative (AHSI). The event featured presentations on the challenges of studying crime in Africa, the impact of organized crime in Southern Africa, survey findings from Western African countries, and the complexities of harmonizing diverse legal systems across the continent.

This 2012 briefing reports on the economic and political decline of South Africa, citing poor educational outcomes, rising unemployment, and systemic corruption under President Jacob Zuma. It contrasts South Africa's 2% GDP growth with the 6% average seen in other African nations and notes a shift in the ANC's political culture from sacrifice to self-enrichment.

This research paper examines the role of land tenure, migration, and competition for agricultural and pastoral land as structural and proximate causes of violent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically in the Kivu provinces and Ituri Territory. The authors argue that colonial-era dual property systems and post-colonial patrimonial rule under Mobutu transformed land from a communal social asset into a currency of political power and economic wealth, marginalizing rural populations and fueling ethnic tensions.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies assesses the political transition and disarmament initiatives in Burundi during 2004. It examines the structures established under the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, the challenges of integrating rebel factions into a national army, and the role of international peacekeeping forces in facilitating a peaceful transition to elections.

This document is a list of abbreviations used in Volume I of the 'Society Under Siege' series, identifying various political organizations, military groups, and United Nations missions.

This document consists of the abbreviations list and contributor biographies from Volume II of the TCP Series titled 'Society Under Siege II', published by the Institute for Security Studies.

This report discusses the conceptual and practical frameworks for the demilitarisation of states, arguing for a shift from deterrence-based security to 'human security' and 'reassurance'. It provides a critique of traditional military expenditure (milex) budgeting, proposing instead a rationalised process based on objective security assessments and cost-effectiveness analysis of non-military alternatives. The text outlines the financial challenges of achieving a 'peace dividend' in post-conflict settings and suggests the establishment of a National Ministry of Peacebuilding to oversee the transition.

This report chapter by Kees Kingma examines the processes and impacts of demobilising military personnel in Africa, focusing on how the transition from military to civilian life affects peace, security, and human development.

The document proposes the establishment of a Ministry for Peacebuilding as a permanent, cabinet-level government institution to institutionalize a 'culture of peace' and redefine national security beyond military terms. It argues that peacebuilding requires a distinct organizational perspective and dedicated administrative structure to manage disarmament, the conversion of military facilities to civilian use, and the promotion of nonviolent conflict resolution.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the challenges facing South Africa's electricity sector, specifically the gap between energy planning and grid planning. Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting model, the author develops three scenarios to 2050—Current Path, Efficient Grid, and Smarter Grid—to demonstrate how integrated planning, operational flexibility, and coherent policies for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) can improve economic growth and reduce poverty and carbon emissions.

This guide provides an overview of the International Criminal Court (ICC), detailing its legal foundations under the Rome Statute, its jurisdictional limits, its institutional structure, and its early investigations in Africa and elsewhere.

This briefing outlines a concept for a high-level roundtable forum organized by the Institute for Security Studies and the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The forum aims to analyze the implications of failing to implement 'Agenda 4' items from the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation framework, specifically focusing on constitutional and land reforms following the 2008 post-electoral violence.

This report documents a seminar held on 1 October 2008 in Pretoria, featuring a presentation by General Martin Luther Agwai, the UNAMID Force Commander. General Agwai discusses the complexities of the conflict in Darfur, the transition from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), and the significant operational and logistical challenges facing the mission.

The Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunitions, Explosives and Other Related Materials is a legal framework designed to prevent and eradicate the illegal production and trade of weapons and explosives. It establishes definitions for illicit activities, mandates legislative measures to criminalize such acts, and outlines requirements for the marking, confiscation, and secure transit of firearms and explosives. The Convention emphasizes international cooperation through information exchange, mutual legal assistance, and the establishment of a Consultative Committee to oversee implementation.

This document is Annexure II to a Comprehensive Agreement, detailing the modalities for implementing a ceasefire between the Burundian government and the Palipehutu-FNL. It establishes the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) to oversee the disengagement of forces, the movement of combatants to assembly areas, and the phased process of demobilization, reinsertion, and reintegration.

Annexure III to the Comprehensive Cease-Fire Agreement outlines the framework for the transformation, modernization, and integration of the Defence and Security Forces in Burundi, emphasizing oversight by international bodies and the inclusion of the Palipehutu-FNL.

This document is a statement delivered at a conference regarding the state of the security sector in Kenya. The speaker uses the plot of Chinua Achebe's novel 'No Longer at Ease' as an allegory to describe systemic corruption and the failure of security agencies to serve the public interest despite receiving state-funded training.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes projects aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) in Central, East, and West Africa. It identifies critical gaps in funding duration, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity, and the potential for P/CVE labeling to stigmatize target communities, while suggesting a shift toward longer-term funding and greater African state ownership.

This document is a draft agenda for the Twelfth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, scheduled for February 1-3, 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the proposed transformation of the African Union Commission into the African Union Authority. It analyzes the ideological divide between gradualist and maximalist approaches to continental integration and proposes a hybrid institutional model that balances intergovernmentalism with supranationalism to improve policy implementation and development.