Coronavirus and local peacebuilding efforts in North Africa
ODI live events · English audio: Coronavirus and local peacebuilding efforts in North Africa
ODI live events · Arabic audio: Coronavirus and local peacebuilding efforts in North Africa
Opening remarks
Dr Mike Yaffe – Vice President, Middle East and Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace
Chair
Dr Elie Abouaoun – Middle East and North Africa Programs Director, MEA Center, U.S. Institute of Peace
Speakers
Dr Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy – Interim Senior Research Fellow, Politics and Governance, ODI
Mr Ahmed Albibas – CEO of Moomken Organization for Awareness & Media (Libya)
Mr Ahmed Abdelwahed– Member of USIP’s Regional Facilitators Forum (Egypt)
Dr Tarek Ghazel – Member of USIP’s Alliance of Tunisian Facilitators (Tunisia)
Description
In March, after UN Secretary-General Antοnio Guterres called for a global cease-fire amid the Covid-19 pandemic, many political analysts saw an opportunity for peace. However, the stark reality in many conflict zones today shows that, so far, that opportunity has been missed. Cease-fires are being ignored, and the politics of the pandemic have enabled violence rather than deterred it, a trend that has serious humanitarian implications. But in North Africa, the pandemic and subsequent surge in violent conflict have not stopped local actors from continuing their work, with some impressive results. Join USIP and ODI for a live, interactive discussion featuring peacebuilding experts and practitioners from North Africa. The online conversation looks at the implications of Covid-19 on peacebuilding at the local level in three particular North African contexts: Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt.