The pandemic forced peacebuilders to change the way they work

Peacebuilding is traditionally done face-to-face, but COVID made this much harder. Donors also redirected funds to pandemic aid or proved to be inflexible. Serena Clark (Maynooth University) looks at how the organisations working in the field tried to overcome the obstacles

The challenge of peacebuilding during a pandemic

Peacebuilding traditionally depends on face-to-face meetings, but social distancing makes these difficult. Serena Clark (Maynooth University) and Claudio Alberti (swisspeace/Trinity College Dublin) look at what this means for the ‘localisation agenda’ and how the problems could be overcome

The experiences of forced migrants in the US and Ireland shows the need for more humane and sustainable refugee and asylum policies

As forced migrants arrive in their destination countries their struggles do not necessarily end. Serena Clark, Kevin Marshall and Katriona O’Sullivan give an account of interviews conducted with migrants in the US and Ireland to uncover the problems they face in trying to integrate in their new society. The continuing difficulties that migrants face in these countries and elsewhere suggest that the current management of refugees and asylum-seekers in the United States and Ireland is in need of reform

A Space for Art in Post-agreement Environments: The Case of Belfast

The boundary between the built environment and social reality in post-agreement environments is difficult to distinguish. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, now over two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, the legacy of the Troubles remains. Over time these environments transform, changing what is inscribed and erased, created and contested; public art is often an element of these spaces and can become a dominant fixture in a city’s visual landscape. Such spaces are where different social groups become visible to each other, publicly proclaiming their identities, communicating and interacting. Public spaces become mirrored representations of the society in which they exist. In this, public art and space play an essential role in the symbolic perpetuation or challenging of cultures of violence. By exploring Belfast, this article examines the relationship between public space and art and how it can help further our understanding of post-agreement environments

Understanding contemporary images using iconography: Migration to the European Union and the representation of refugees and asylum seekers

Attaining visual literacy is becoming of growing importance, and iconography is an approach that allows people to become visually literate. Globalisation and technological advancements have transformed the way people communicate and understand the social and political realities that inform their everyday lives. The generation of information that guides these realities has become progressively more visual and accessible to a global audience. People’s visual worlds have expanded to incorporate those that are not part of their environments. The increasing interconnectedness of the world and the rapid dissemination of information through visual mediums make visual literacy important and iconography relevant. This article explores the use of iconography to understand images and provides a framework for exploring their meaning. To accomplish this goal, iconography is discussed alongside the issue of migration to the European Union and the image of Alan Kurdi

Local Climate Action Planning as a Tool to Harness the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation and Equity Potential of Autonomous Vehicles and On-Demand Mobility

This report focuses on how cities can use climate action plans (CAPs) to ensure that on-demand mobility and autonomous vehicles (AVs) help reduce, rather than increase, green-house gas (GHG) emissions and inequitable impacts from the transportation system. We employed a three-pronged research strategy involving: (1) an analysis of the current literature on on-demand mobility and AVs; (2) a systematic content analysis of 23 CAPs and general plans developed by municipalities in California; and (3) a comparison of findings from the literature and content analysis of plans to identify opportunities for GHG emissions reduction and mobility equity. Findings indicate that maximizing the environmental and social benefits of AVs and on-demand mobility requires proactive and progressive planning; yet, most cities are lagging behind in this area. Although municipal CAPs and general plans in California have adopted a few strategies and programs relevant to AVs and on-demand mobility, many untapped opportunities exist to harness the GHG emissions reduction and social benefits potential of AVs and on-demand mobility. Policy and planning discussions should consider the synergies between AVs and on-demand mobility as two emerging mobility trends, as well as the key factors (e.g., vehicle electrification, fuel efficiency, use and ownership, access and distribution, etc.) that determine whether deployment of AVs would help reduce GHG emissions from transportation. Additionally, AVs and on-demand mobility can potentially contribute to a more equitable transportation system by improving independence and quality of life for individuals with disabilities and the elderly, enhancing access to transit, and helping alleviate the geographic gap in public transportation services

Promoting Physical Activity and Nutrition in Adolescents

Introduction/Background: In the United States, childhood obesity has become the leading pediatric chronic disease. Increased caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure is hypothesized as contributing to the upward trend of obesity. Independent of adult weight, obese children have increased morbidity and mortality from metabolic syndrome as adults. Individuals engaging in exercise programs as short as 6 months have shown improvement in risk factors including body fat mass, waist/hip ratio, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein ratio. In our study, adolescents were taught a foundation of health and well-being that incorporated regular exercise. Nutrition was taught through an evidence-based systems approach, including lessons about the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal systems. Our aim was to improve adolescent food choices and increase physical activity through interactive educational sessions.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1055/thumbnail.jp

Causes of death among homeless people: a population-based cross-sectional study of linked hospitalisation and mortality data in England. [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Homelessness has increased by 165% since 2010 in England, with evidence from many settings that those affected experience high levels of mortality. In this paper we examine the contribution of different causes of death to overall mortality in homeless people recently admitted to hospitals in England with specialist integrated homeless health and care (SIHHC) schemes.  Methods: We undertook an analysis of linked hospital admission records and mortality data for people attending any one of 17 SIHHC schemes between 1st November 2013 and 30th November 2016. Our primary outcome was death, which we analysed in subgroups of 10th version international classification of disease (ICD-10) specific deaths; and deaths from amenable causes. We compared our results to a sample of people living in areas of high social deprivation (IMD5 group). Results: We collected data on 3,882 individual homeless hospital admissions that were linked to 600 deaths. The median age of death was 51.6 years (interquartile range 42.7-60.2) for SIHHC and 71.5 for the IMD5 (60.67-79.0).  The top three underlying causes of death by ICD-10 chapter in the SIHHC group were external causes of death (21.7%; 130/600), cancer (19.0%; 114/600) and digestive disease (19.0%; 114/600).  The percentage of deaths due to an amenable cause after age and sex weighting was 30.2% in the homeless SIHHC group (181/600) compared to 23.0% in the IMD5 group (578/2,512). Conclusion: Nearly one in three homeless deaths were due to causes amenable to timely and effective health care. The high burden of amenable deaths highlights the extreme health harms of homelessness and the need for greater emphasis on prevention of homelessness and early healthcare interventions

Outcomes of specialist discharge coordination and intermediate care schemes for patients who are homeless: analysis protocol for a population-based historical cohort

Introduction People who are homeless often experience poor hospital discharge arrangements, reflecting ongoing care and housing needs. Specialist integrated homeless health and care provision (SIHHC) schemes have been developed and implemented to facilitate the safe and timely discharge of homeless patients from hospital. Our study aims to investigate the health outcomes of patients who were homeless and seen by a selection of SIHHC services. Methods and analysis Our study will employ a historical population-based cohort in England. We will examine health outcomes among three groups of adults: (1) homeless patients seen by specialist discharge schemes during their hospital admission; (2) homeless patients not seen by a specialist scheme and (3)admitted patients who live in deprived neighbourhoods and were not recorded as being homeless. Primary outcomes will be: time from discharge to next hospital inpatient admission; time from discharge to next accident and emergency attendance and 28-day emergency readmission. Outcome data will be generated through linkage to hospital admissions data (Hospital Episode Statistics) and mortality data for November 2013 to November 2016. Multivariable regression will be used to model the relationship between the study comparison groups and each of the outcomes. Ethics and dissemination Approval has been obtained from the National Health Service (NHS) Confidentiality Advisory Group (reference 16/CAG/0021) to undertake this work using unconsented identifiable data. Health Research Authority Research Ethics approval (REC 16/EE/0018) has been obtained in addition to local research and development approvals for data collection at NHS sites. We will feedback the results of our study to our advisory group of people who have lived experience of homelessness and seek their suggestions on ways to improve or take this work further for their benefit. We will disseminate our findings to SIHHC schemes through a series of regional workshops