Coming to Peace with Covid-19?

Implications for peaceful, just and inclusive societies and recommendations for "building better forward"

It has become evident that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a health crisis, but one with serious economic, social and political consequences. These represent major risks for the achievement of SDG 16, including the promotion of peace, rule of law, inclusive, representative and participatory decision-making, and access to information and fundamental freedoms. While the pandemic is not a cause of violence, it acts as a driver of conflict and an obstacle to peace. But most worryingly, the pandemic has rapidly accelerated the world’s turn towards authoritarianism. Emergency regulations have opened the door for autocratic rule; journalists, local peacebuilders and human rights defenders are under threat, while those most in need of protection are the worst affected. To stop and reverse this downward spiral and create new potentials for peace, international state and non-state actors need to make a concerted effort and take guidance from their local partners. Only if a peacebuilding and rights-based lens is applied in countering the pandemic´s collateral effects, societies can generate momentum for peace and sustainable development.

In a joint initiative, the Advocacy Forum Nepal, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS), CIVICUS and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development will discuss the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic from a peacebuilding perspective. FriEnt – the Working Group on Peace and Development – will present findings from a recent study “Coming to peace with Covid-19?” to lead the discussion.

You are cordially invited to take part in this online exchange. The panel discussion aims at a cross-sectoral audience for a joint reflection about emerging challenges, approaches for cooperation and support – and which scope of action remains to ensure that peace and conflict are addressed in responding to a complex pandemic.

Join the side event by registering with info@frient.de until July 5th.