Pour le français voir ci-dessous The Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law (KPSRL) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ independent Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) jointly organize an online discussion on Thursday 5 October (13:00 – 15:00 CEST). In this session, we unpack IOB’s recently launched report ‘Inconvenient Realities: An Evaluation of Dutch Contributions to Stability, Security, and Rule of Law in Fragile and Conflict-affected contexts' with an international audience.   The goals of the session are:  Understanding the key arguments and recommendations from the IOB report;  Providing space for international partners to relate to these findings;  Identify paths to realistically reframe development cooperation in FCAS, with specific attention to stabilization and security, and rule of law.  You can register here. For more information about this event, please contact Christian Kuitert (c.kuitert@kpsrl.org).   Agenda  13:00 – 13:05  Welcome  Christian Kuitert - KPSRL   13:05 – 13:30  Key findings & recommendations  Rens Willems - IOB  13:30 – 13:35  First response   Kadiatou Yacouba Keita – International Alert Mali  13:35 – 13:40  First response   David Deng – International Growth Center   13:40 – 13:45  First response   Masood Karokhail 13:50 – 14:40  Open discussion  Audience, IOB, panelists  14:40 – 14:50  Reflection & take-aways  Nathalie Olijslager – NL MFA  14:50 – 15:00  Closing  Christian Kuitert - KPSRL    Background  On 28 August, IOB launched an evaluation report that covers Dutch development efforts between 2015 and 2022 in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings (FCAS), with a focus on Mali, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. These efforts vary from defense-, development- and trade-oriented interventions.     The report describes results on local and technical levels. However, there is little proof that within the timeframe of these programs, such results ‘trickle up’ or result in horizontal (between groups) or vertical (state and society) cohesion. Meanwhile, the ambitions of such efforts have been at the level of e.g., institutional change – a high bar for a small contributor like The Netherlands, especially in FCAS where it is even more difficult to ‘control’ constantly changing situations and trends of democratic backsliding is ongoing.  On a more technical level, development cooperation in FCAS often finds itself exactly in that place between humanitarian aid and development, but the nexus with these sectors is thin. What adds to that complexity is the prominent role of defence and security goals in many contexts, that can be at odds with sustainable long-term investments in the social contract. Combine all this with a recurrent lack of conflict sensitivity and one can imagine the challenges for sustainable, systemic results.  In this session, we, therefore, discuss what we can consider realistic and desirable results in FCAS, as well as how to make our ambitions of policy coherence and adaptive support a reality in Dutch development cooperation in FCAS.  French simultaneous translation will be provided during the event. Une traduction simultanée en français sera assurée lors de l’évènement. Lisez la version française de la note conceptuelle ici.

As recent events in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine have shown, artists can play a central role in periods of war and oppression, both as commentators of events and as inspirators for resistance. Creative practice – whether through visual or performing arts – can activate imagination and a broader understanding of injustice, its consequences and the range of alternative possibilities. In times where there is very little space for alternative societal narratives, as is the case in authoritarian states, it may offer one of the few spaces where resistance can be practiced. Engaging with art can simultaneously connect to memories, embodied experiences, and visions of an alternative future. Art can also document the human consequences of war, bringing them into focus for international audiences in ways that allow the audience to continue watching and engaging. We invite you to a debate, moderated by Sever Dzigurski and including panelists Ambassador Bård Ivar Svendsen, Bina Saib, Cindy Horst, Daria Pugachova, Diala Brisly & Kirsten van den Hul on the many roles art plays in times of war, oppression, and exile, asking the question of whether there are ways to make better use of its potential for creative resistance. After the debate, there is an opportunity to see art by Khalid Shatta, Diala Brisly, and Daria Pugachova. This event is made possible due to support PRIO, INSPIRE, Museum Boijmans, Verhalenhuis Belvedere, Goethe Institute and the KPSRL & the Norwegian Embassy in the Netherlands. Bios Ambassador Bård Ivar Svendsen is Norway’s Ambassador to the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Permanent Representative to the OPCW and the ICC. Ambassador Svendsen previously served as the Ambassador for Arctic and Antarctic Affairs, as the Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the Deputy Head of Mission for the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Moscow. Bina Saib is a Policy Coordinator at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Unit for International Cultural Cooperation. She explores topics such as heritage cooperation, restitution, culture & development in her work and has 20 years of experience in diplomacy and international cooperation. Cindy Horst is a Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo and co-director of the Centre on Culture and Violent Conflict. Her current research focuses on how individuals, including artists and academics, can challenge the status quo and effect societal change in (post-)conflict settings.  Daria Pugachova is a Ukrainian artist, performer, and art activist. In her creative practice, Daria uses participatory practices that raise social issues and bridge and private and public divide. She is known for her public space performances and video art. Diala Brisly is a Syrian artist whose artistic practice spans a variety of media, including animation,  painting, conceptual art, illustration, comic books, and murals. Recurring themes in her work are social justice, freedom, and a desire to give a voice to children. Halleh Ghorashi is Full Professor of Diversity and Integration in the Department of Sociology at the VU (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She has done research on the struggles of refugees in their path of inclusion for the past 25 years. In 2020, she was appointed as a member of KNAW (The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences). Khalid Shatta is a Norwegian-Sudanese Visual Artist who uses painting as his primary form of creative expression. Originally from Nuba mountains in Sudan, Khalid is known for his large canvases, colorful motifs, and modernist art. Kirsten van den Hul is a Dutch columnist and politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives for the Labour Party during the 2017 general election. Since October, 2022 she serves as Director of DutchCulture, a Dutch organisation for international cultural cooperation.   Diala, Cindy, Daria & Khalid are part of the Rotterdam Residency programme, supported by PRIO, INSPIRE, Museum Boijmans, Verhalenhuis Belvedere, Goethe Institute and the KPSRL. Artwork on this page is by Khalid Shatta.

Implications for SRoL’s contributions to social cohesion and just social contracts Marginalised identities and perspectives are often not heard nor valued by those who sit at the centres. By contrast, those in the margins must understand the perspectives and language of those at the centres to be heard, or even survive. This insight is key to move the discussion ahead on SRoL’s contribution to social cohesion and just social contracts.  Dynamics between centres and margins of power and privilege influence SRoL policy and programming across a multitude of binaries. These include capitals v. border regions, majority vs minority clans, mainstream v. marginalised political views, armed actors v. unarmed communities, elites v. ‘the people’, consortium leads v. consortium members, refugee camps v. host communities, cis-men v. marginalised gender identities, dominant racial and ethnic identities v. marginalised ones, well-served neighbourhoods v. degraded ones, and geopolitically dominant actors v. weaker ones. Do we need to flip things around and shift where the centres are, moving from centres of power to centres of needs? Would this unlock the contribution that SRoL institutions and mechanisms can add to just social contracts and social cohesion? KPAC23 will be a moment to take stock of the network’s knowledge on this question, discuss new insights and test current practices. Click here to read the full Concept Note.   Where This year's Annual Conference will take place in Nairobi and The Hague. Nairobi dates: 8-10 November, 2023 (with the main event on the 9th) The Hague date: 7 December, 2023   Contribute to the programme Click here to submit a session proposal/contribution/offering to the KPAC23 programme. You can read the full Call for Proposals here. Click here to enlarge the timetable and view open slots for contribution. Open slots for contribution are marked in colour and labeled as Slots A-D. you can click a slot to be redirected to the Session Proposal webform.     Registration Click here to register.