Mitigating humanitarian crises during non-international armed conflicts:the role of human rights and ceasefire agreements

Situations of humanitarian crisis are often caused by armed conflicts. Given the prevalence of non-international armed conflicts today, ways of ameliorating these situations are at the forefront of concerns. The international humanitarian law rules governing non-international armed conflict remain much less developed than those for international armed conflicts. This is exacerbated by the lack of direct human rights obligations for non-state armed groups, which makes governing the behaviour of non-state parties to non-international armed conflicts (non-state armed groups) even more challenging. Although several initiatives have been taken to encourage non-state actors to mitigate situations of humanitarian crisis, the role of human rights law is in need of further clarification. The paper aims to assess what role human rights may have in improving humanitarian crises, suggesting one specific way: The paper will first discuss the international laws applicable to situations of non-international armed conflict, before critically analysing some of the initiatives that have already been taken to govern the behaviour of non-state armed groups. Part 3 will assess the possibility of using cease-fire agreements to impose specific human rights obligations on all parties to a non-international armed conflict. Finally, a conclusion will be drawn in Part 4 as to the role that human rights and ceasefire agreements could have during humanitarian crises

A critical analysis of the cycles of physical activity policy in England

BACKGROUND: There has been increasing focus on the importance of national policy to address population levels of physical inactivity. Components of a comprehensive national physical activity policy framework include: 1) national recommendations on physical activity levels; 2) setting population goals and targets; 3) surveillance or health monitoring systems; and 4) public education. The aim of the current paper was to analyse the policy actions which have addressed each of these elements in England and to identify areas of progress and remaining challenges.  METHODS: A literature search was undertaken to identify past and present documents relevant to physical activity policy in England. Each document was analysed to identify content relevant to the four key elements of policy which formed the focus of the current research.  RESULTS: Physical activity recommendations are an area where England has demonstrated a robust scientific approach and good practice; however, the physical activity campaigns in England have not been sufficiently sustained to achieve changes in social norms and behaviour. The setting of physical activity targets has been unrealistic and continuous changes to national surveillance measures have presented challenges for monitoring trends over time.  CONCLUSIONS: Overall, physical activity policy in England has fluctuated over the past two decades. The variations and cycles in policy reflect some of the challenges in implementing and sustaining physical activity policy in the face of political changes, changes in government direction, and changing opportunities to profile active lifestyles

A/54/641 - S/1999/1210 (Agenda Items 10, 20, 81, and 115)

This report from 1999 examines strategic, humanitarian, political, and economic dimensions of the situation in the Balkans and strategies for providing peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeastern Europe. It engages with the aftermath of the Kosovo refugee crisis and the NATO intervention in Serbia. The report focuses on issues including multiethnicity versus homogeneity, the role of other interested countries, children and youth, costs on Albania and the free Republic of Macedonia, ownership of the reconstruction program, refugee return, leadership, civil society, elections, assistance and aid, disarmament, borders, and the Stability Pact. These recommendations were circulated by the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations in November 1999 as UN document A/54/641 - S/1999/1210

A/58/755 - S/2004/227 (The Situation in Afghanistan and Its Implications for International Peace and Security)

Recommendations in this report focus on state building and pressing security concerns in Afghanistan and the region. They address the urgent need for establishing security and building of state and society which are closely interconnected, and note that solutions have to be holistic. Underscoring the intertwined nature of security building and state building, delivery of immediate and effective international financial assistance to both security and state-building endeavors is stressed, especially related to the international community delivering promised assistance and devoting greater resources to building Afghanistan¿s policing and military capacity in order to meet the needs for fair and free elections in June 2004. The recommendations note that Afghanistan is a sovereign state, and the international community can only offer its assistance to Afghanistan in order to become a fully viable member of the international community. The recommendations were the product of discussions undertaken as part of a colloquium sponsored by the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University in October 2003. These recommendations were circulated by the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations in the April 2004 UN document A/58/755 - S/2004/227

A/61/892 - S/2007/255 (The Situation in Afghanistan)

Recommendations in this report address issues related to ongoing state-building efforts in Afghanistan in the areas of security, rule of law, mobilization of the economy, regional relations, and trans-border issues including infrastructure and energy. The report identifies short-term, mid-term, and long-term priorities, as well as those for the Afghan government, regional neighbors, and the international community. The recommendations were the product of discussions undertaken as part of a colloquium sponsored by the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination in Vienna, Austria in October 2006. These recommendations were circulated by the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations in February 2007 as UN document A/1/892 ¿ S/2007/255

A/66/698 ¿ S/2012/89 (Women, Peace, and Security in Afghanistan)

The Women, Peace, and Security agenda of the United Nations Security Council is considered one of the landmark achievements in its thematic work. In its resolution 1325 (2000), the Council addressed for the first time the impact of armed conflict on women and recognized the under-valued and under-utilized contributions women make to conflict prevention and peace processes. The thematic work initiated by resolution 1325 has been reinforced and expanded by follow-up resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), and 1960 (2010), which together form the Women, Peace, and Security agenda of the Council. At the same time, integrating this agenda into the country-specific work of the Council has proven very challenging, despite the Security Council¿s continued political recognition that gender is indeed central to lasting and sustainable peace and security. A case in point is Afghanistan, where the Security Council has been actively involved for many years. While the situation of women has consistently attracted great attention in the international community, the WPS agenda has made only minimal advances. The situation for women overall remains difficult and highly insecure, even after a lengthy international presence and engagement under the umbrella of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) mandate. Against this background, the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD) at Princeton University¿s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (LISD) together with the government of Liechtenstein, organized a workshop January 28-30, 2012 in Schaan, Liechtenstein, on the implementation of the WPS agenda in Afghanistan, in particular to make concrete recommendations for the incorporation of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda into the March 2012 mandate renewal of UNAMA. These recommendations were circulated in February 2012 as UN document A/66/698 ¿ S/2012/89