Sussex Academics Discuss Human Rights, Identity and the Role of the State in Religious Belief and National Security

On 13 December the University of Sussex hosted a consultation on the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and Security guidance paper, a document drafted by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE comprises 57 member states from Europe, Asia and North America, providing a platform for open dialogue and joint action on security issues. The OSCE addresses a wide range of concerns- including arms control, national minorities, democratization and, in this case, freedom of religious belief.

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Posted in Policy, Rights

16 Days of Activism: Bringing gender-based violence in education into focus

The 25th of November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Historically the date marks the day on which the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered three political activists – the Mirabal sisters – to be assassinated for openly fighting his regime. Since 1999 the United Nations has on this day especially drawn attention to the violence women and girls experience all over the world. This year’s theme of the UN-led campaign is “Together We Can End Gender-Based Violence in Education!”, and since the 10th of December is the International Human Rights Day, the 16 days in between are devoted to actions calling for elimination of all forms of gender-based violence (GBV).

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Posted in Global Health, Rights

The Brighton Global Health and Development Community: A Case of Timing

The breadth of Global Health in its most conceptual sense, is a spectrum that encompasses every facet of human existence. Amidst the capricious complexities that come with a twenty-first century globalised world, it is our state of health and wellbeing that provides us with a powerful sense of connection and common humanity. To achieve Global Health’s ever-growing ambitions, no one or group can be excluded, however, as the discipline continues to evolve, some of its key proponents remain rooted in the conventional praxis of healthcare and development, often to the detriment of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.

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Posted in Global Health, Health

Brexit, Trump and the Implications for Development- A Review

by Laura Bennett

Given the events that continue to dominate world politics, I was only too eager to attend the talk entitled ‘Brexit, Trump and the Implications for Development’, featuring a very diverse range of speakers. The discussion was chaired by Simon Maxwell, an emeritus fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). The panel itself consisted of: Michael Anderson, Centre for Global Development; Priya Deshingkar, Research Director, Migrating out of Poverty Research Consortium, University of Sussex; Peter Kyle MP, Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade (Labour); Clionadh Raleigh, Professor Of Human Geography, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex.

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Posted in International Relations, Policy

Liberia, Ebola and the Pitfalls of State-building

by Priska Dibiasi

The Sussex Africa Centre and the Institute of Development Studies recently invited Dr Robtel Neajai Pailey from the University of Oxford to discuss her latest research at a joint event. She presented her findings at the event entitled “Liberia, Ebola, and the Pitfalls of State-building: Reimagining Public Authority ‘Inside’ and ‘Outside the Post-war State”.

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Posted in Global Health, International Relations