On the 16th of March the International Institute for Peace organized a panel discussion on the topic “Ukraine: what prize for freedom?”. The IIP was very happy to welcome the Ukrainian ambassador to Austria Olexandr Scherba and Hannes Swoboda, former member of the European parliament and president of the IIP.
Even tough the elections didn’t happen yet, it is clear who is going to be the future president. Putin won’t have much difficulties becoming the head of state, for the simple reason that there are no serious competitors to defeat. Therefore, it’s not right to speak about an election victory of Wladimir Putin on the18th of March, the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. Putin is no longer only admired for his personality, but ascended to a state symbol for Russia. A sacral embodiment of the Russian state. Voting for him is voting for Russia. Voting for the opposition would mean loosing this guarantee of the Russian state which Putin embodies. Throughout his presidential term he was able to convince the population of being the maintainer of the Russian state. The opposition is now trying to undermine this legitimacy. In this election Putin needs a high turnout. Moreover the relation between Russia und the West was another topic discussed by the panelists. But to understand the relationship between Russia and the EU, it is necessary to look back in time.
Due to the global ban treaty of nuclear weapons, the International Institute for Peace organized a panel discussion in December 2017. The treaty was initiated by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, a coalition of non-governmental organizations in one hundred countries promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations nuclear weapon ban treaty. Since their founding, they established a powerful groundswell of public support for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Changes to the normative order of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are underway. Frustrated with decades of political deadlock, on July 7 this year, 122 states voted in favor of a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at United Nations headquarters in New York City. Some months later, on 10th of December, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded ICAN with the Nobel Peace Prize. The agreement was formed against the will of the nuclear weapon states and their alliance partners. The main argument for the holding of these weapons is still it’s deterrent function. Current political situations regarding for example North Korea are often pointed out in that context.
In December 2013 photographer Carlos Spottorno and reporter Guillermo Abril got from El País Semanal the assignment of preparing a series of stories about the European Union’s external borders. After three years they published a story of what is happening on the European Union's borders, making use of an innovative narrative form. The CRACK depicts in its pages an encounter with Sub-Saharan migrants in the Gurugu Mountain, the rescue of a raft off the coast of Libya, the exodus in the Balkans, NATO tanks on the Byelorussian border, and Arctic forests, where Finn conscripts try to discover their own limits.
This is both a photographed news report and a graphic essay of sorts, set against the background of very current geopolitical events. Halfway between a photobook book and a graphic novel, inasmuch as it uses narrative elements of the latter, the end result is not a story based on actual events: these are actual events.
Due to the still ongoing armed conflict in the Donbass region in Ukraine, which started in March 2014, the International Institute for Peace and the Graphische School Vienna invited several inhabitants of the east of Ukraine to speak about their experiences in times of crisis. They have not only survived situations in the operational zone, but still experience consequences of armed conflicts every day. They were accompanied to Vienna by Ukrainian artists who travelled to the conflict region over a period of several years and now talk about their impressions and challenges regarding an uncertain future. How has the war changed the everyday life in the Donbass region? What is the motivation for people from the West or Kiev to continuously travel to the east of Ukraine?
The IIP and Act.Now organised - following up on the 4th International Conference NOW on “African Youth and Migration” from September 3-5, 2017 in Kampala, Uganda and a series of Africa-Workshops and public debates organised by the Bruno Kreisky Forum, the VIDC and the IFK from 2016-2017 - a panel discussion on the topic Agents of Change. African Youth Between Narratives and Realities.
Since 2015, when the then current influx of refugees reached its climax in Europe, no other topic was discussed as intensively and as ambiguously than migration and flight. From 29-30 November 2017, the heads of states and governments of the African Union and the EU will meet in Cote d’Ivoire to discuss common challenges and opportunities. This year’s topic of the AU-EU summit is “Investing in the youth for a sustainable future”. With the world’s largest population under 18, Africa is the youngest continent. African youth, however, is very active, they see themselves as agents of change. Migration, also within Africa, is seen as possibility to gain education and professional know-how, just like many European students profit from exchange programs. The experience of wars, famines, demographic growth, repressive regimes and the lack of job opportunities are substantially challenging Africa’s youth. Empowerment of the African youth to improve economic and social development but also good governance and democracy in their home countries is essential and likewise the change of the current narrative on migration.
These topics have been discussed between Victor Ochen from Uganda, Hannes Swoboda, Muna Duzdar, Ana Kalin and Youssouf Diakité under the moderation of Rita Isiba.
The International Institute for Peace as part of the Platform for Dialogue and Conflict Resolution in Ukraine organized, together with the partner organizations, a Ukraine themed week in December. Therefore various experts were invited on the 11th December 2017 into the facilities of the IIP to figure out the Ukraine’s conflict status quo, and based on the finding how the situation will evolve in the near future.
With an estimated number of 250.000 children, the issue of child soldier recruitment continues to be a problem of high importance. Junior Nzita used to be one of those children fighting and killing with weapons for purposes they never knew. Fortunately he managed to escape the children’s army in DRC and is now running an NGO, which is trying to give perspectives to children other than serving to the weapon. In his position as a UN ambassador he tries bringing together the international community for ostracizing child soldier recruitment.
