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Peace Research Network

About the Network
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Events
Where are the ANU researchers located?

About the Network

There are many researchers across the Australian National University and in other local and national institutions who are conducting research on different aspects of peacekeeping and peacebuilding. This informal network, which is not restricted to ANU scholars, provides a forum for sharing information about peacebuilding and aims to create networks of scholars with similar interests.

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You can join the mailing list to keep up to date with events around campus and beyond by emailing: cigj@anu.anu.edu.au

Current Events:

30 September

Rights of the Child Lecture

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of Save the Children. Click here for flyer.

Previous Events:

Seminar: Accountability in state building interventions 23/6/09

Presented by RegNet, ANU Department of International Relations and the Peace Research Network
Speaker: Iris Wielders, PhD Candidate Click here for more details.

12.15 – 1.30 pm

Room 1.04 Coombs Extension

Seminar: 'Addressing Gender Health Inequalities in Timor-Leste :Governance Reform and The Right to Health '23/7/09

Ms Clíonadh O'Keeffe, PhD Candidate, Global Women's Studies, School of Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway.
Thursday 23 July, 12 noon, Room 1.13 Coombs Extension Building.
Click here for abstract.

Disability and Social Justice: Past, Present and Future
Professor Peter Blanck, Chairman, Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University, will deliver a presentation on 'Disability and Social Justice: Past, Present and Future', Thursday 30 April , 12 noon, Seminar Room 1.03 Hedley Bull Centre .

The Human Rights Quagmire of Human TraffickingHuman Human iscussion

Post Conflict State-formation in Africa: The role of traditional leadership in reconstituting state and governance in Somaliland

Ms Louise Wiuff Moe
Friday 27 March at 11am
RegNet Meeting Room 3.17, Coombs Extension Building

The Human Rights Quagmire of Human Trafficking
Professor James C. Hathaway, Melbourne Law School
Tuesday 18 November 2008

Professor James Hathaway was appointed Dean and William Hearn Chair of Law at the Law School in 2008. He is also Senior Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Programme, and President of the Cuenca Colloquium on International Refugee Law. Prior to joining the Melbourne Law School, Hathaway was the James E and Sarah A Degan Professor of Law and Director of the Program in Refugee and Asylum Law at the University of Michigan Law School (USA). Prior to that, he served as Associate Dean of the Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto). Professor Hathaway is a leading authority on international refugee law, whose work is regularly cited by the most senior courts of the common law world. He regularly provides training on refugee law to academic, non governmental, and official audiences around the world.

Professor Hathaway’s publications include more than sixty journal articles, a leading treatise on the refugee definition (The Law of Refugee Status, 1991), an interdisciplinary study of models for refugee law reform (Reconceiving International Refugee Law, 1997) and, most recently, The Rights of Refugees under International Law (2005) - the first comprehensive analysis of the human rights of refugees set by the UN Refugee Convention, all linked to key international human rights norms and applied to the world's most difficult protection challenges.

He is of counsel to both the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and Asylum Access, a non-profit organization committed to delivering innovative legal aid to refugees in the global South. Professor Hathaway also sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Refugee Studies and of the Immigration and Nationality Law Reports and directs the Refugee Caselaw Site (www.refugeecaselaw.org), a website that collects, indexes, and publishes leading judgments on refugee law.

First Results of the Peacebuilding Compared Project: Indonesian Cases
Professor John Braithwaite
Tuesday 29 July 2008

The United Nations is putting foreign troops and police into peacekeeping operations more than in the past. So are other organisations like the African Union. What works in peacebuilding? What are the kinds of interventions that create wars and make things worse for the people? How can international peacebuilding and international law contribute to justice and human development after armed conflict? These are the questions we seek to answer in the Peacebuilding Compared Project.

Political Developments in East Timor after the 2007 national elections
Dionisio Babo-Soares, Co-Chair of the East Timor-Indonesia Truth and Friendship Commission and Secretary-General of Prime Minister Gusmao's CNRT Party.
Tuesday 24 June 2008

Mr Babo-Soares is Co-Chair of the East Timor-Indonesia Truth and Friendship Commission and Secretary-General of Prime Minister Gusmao's CNRT Party. Babo-Soares completed his PhD at ANU's Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) and will discuss internal social and political developments in East Timor after the 2007 election and the Commission on Truth and Friendship.

Côte d'Ivoire: From Peace to Price Agreement
Karene Melloul
Tuesday 17 June 2008

Karene has been a conflict/fragile states specialist with the World Bank for the last 5 years. Focusing mostly on French-speaking Africa, she has been involved in areas such as Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Disarmament, Demobilisation & Reintegration and Security Sector Reform, Community Driven Reconstruction, Governance & Institutional Development, Civil Registry Systems and Conflict, Fragility and Political analysis.

In late 2006, she was based in Ivory Coast to manage the Post-Conflict Assistance Program and she participated to the World Bank reengagement in the country as it was in arrears towards the financial institutions.

She recently moved to Canberra.

Are Women Peaceful? Reflections on the role of women in peacebuilding
Professor Hilary Charlesworth
Tuesday 3 June 2008

Hilary Charlesworth is an Australian Research Council Federation Fellow, Professor in RegNet and Director of the Centre for International Governance and Justice, ANU. She also holds an appointment as Professor of International Law and Human Rights in the ANU College of Law. Her research interests are in international law and human rights law.

Women have played an important part in peacebuilding in many parts of the world. This lecture will consider the roles women have taken in peacebuilding in Bougainville, Timor-Leste and the Solomons in particular
and the problems they face in these 'post-conflict' societies. It will use these examples to reflect on the way women, peace and security are constructed more generally in the international sphere.

The development of the East Timorese Police Force 1999-2006
Bu Wilson
Tuesday, 6 May 2008

Dynamics of complex recovery Processes: Rebuilding Aceh and Nias after the Tsunami
Satya S. Tripathi, UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias, Office of the UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC)
Monday 17 March 2008

Satya S. Tripathi gave a seminar on the complex recovery and reconstruction process in Aceh and Nias following the December 2004 Tsunami and the resultant peace process that brought the decades long conflict to an end. His talk will survey the progress and discuss the challenges that still remain, 3 years after the tsunami. Mr. Tripathi has served as the United Nations Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias since January 2007, heading the office responsible for coordinating and facilitating international support to recovery efforts including that of the United Nations, providing policy and strategic advice to the Indonesian Agency for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (BRR) and the provincial governments, and ensuring structured approaches to longer-term recovery. Before assuming this position, Mr. Tripathi was the International Policy and Aid Coordination Advisor to the Liberian Head of State responsible for overseeing the implementation of its post-conflict transitional recovery framework – RFTF for Liberia. He has served with the UN in various positions spanning a broad range of tasks and responsibilities. In doing so, he has headed country level offices/operations of Programme Planning and Assessment, Humanitarian Affairs, Human Rights, Public Sector Restructuring, Economic Governance, etc in various post-conflcit countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. A lawyer and an economist by training, Mr. Tripathi’s work as the Chair of the Committees on Laws, Treaties and Administrative matters in the Secretary-General’s Good Offices Mission to Cyprus came in for critical acclaim by all parties to the UN mediated Cyprus unification talks from 2003 to 2004. Mr. Tripathi has held responsible government positions as a member of the national civil services of India and has varied experience in governance, rule of law and development issues.

The powerpoint presentation is available here.

Building Democracy and Justice in Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste: Tales from the Frontline
Adrian Morrice and Caitlin Reiger
Wednesday 27 February 2008

Adrian Morrice and Caitlin Reiger discussed their peacebuilding experiences in Timor-Leste, Sierra Leone and various other post-conflict situations. Adrian spoke about the design and conduct of post-conflict elections. Caitlin talked about the role of courts and international tribunals in promoting transitional justice.

Caitlin Reiger is Deputy Head of the Prosecutions Program at the International Center for Transitional Justice. From 2003-2005 she was the senior legal adviser to judges of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. In 2001 she co-founded and served as legal research coordinator of the Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) in East Timor. Caitlin has also appeared as defense counsel before the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in Timor and has provided policy advice and comparative research on hybrid national-international tribunals for serious human rights violations.

Adrian Morrice has worked as an electoral officer and political analyst for the United Nations for more than a decade. He has helped design and conduct elections as well as coordinate national and international observer groups in different UN peacekeeping and UNDP Country Office settings such as Liberia, Western Sahara, Nigeria, Nepal, Timor-Leste, Mexico and Sierra Leone. He was first motivated to work for the UN while serving as a Naval Officer with the Australian contingent supporting the UN Mission in Somalia in 1992-1993. More recently he has been part-time house Dad and part-time consultant with the departments of peacekeeping and political affairs in New York.

Humanitarian Action in a Troubled World: Principles, Power and Perceptions
Professor Antonio Donini, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University
Monday 26 November 2007

Antonio Donini will present the findings of a major 12-country research project that looks at how communities affected by crisis or conflict perceive and understand the role external aid actors. The research focusses on four key issues: whether humanitarian action is perceived as a universal effort (or not); the impact of terrorism and counterterrorism on humanitarian action; the relationship between humanitarian action and political agendas; and issues related to the security of humanitarian personnel.

The Feinstein International Center strives to improve the lives and livelihoods of communities caught up in complex emergencies, war, and other crises through researching the politics and policy of aiding the vulnerable, on protection and rights in crisis situations, and on the restoration of lives and livelihoods. This research feeds into both its teaching and its long-term partnerships with humanitarian and human rights agencies.
For more information please see the Center's website at: http://fic.tufts.edu/

Improving development effectiveness in Timor-Leste: reflections on Australia's role
Andrew Egan, Director Office of Development Effectiveness, AusAID
Friday 9 November 2007

A Year in Iraq
Peter Khalil
Wednesday 27 June 2007

Peter Khalil recently joined the office of the Federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd as his foreign policy and national security adviser. Prior to his new appointment Peter was a Senior Middle East and Africa Analyst at the Eurasia Group where he provided political risk and foreign policy analysis and consultancy to over 200 clients including, US Government and intelligence agencies, Japanese Government and corporations, Wall St Financial institutions/investment banks and International oil and energy companies. From October 2004 to October 2005 he has been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Saban Center Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Previously, he served as an Assistant Director Iraq Policy at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in Canberra, Australia (June 2004-October 2004). From August 2003-May 2004, Peter was a Director of National Security Policy at the CPA in Baghdad. In that position, he provided policy advice to Ambassador Bremer and senior military leadership on counter terrorism, counter insurgency, defense and international security sector reform issues; served as the CPA representative on the Security Committee of the Iraqi Governing Council; provided foreign policy, defense and security advice to the Iraqi interim ministers as well as extensive security consultations with Iraqi political parties, tribal sheiks, clerics, Governors, academics and NGO’s; worked on establishing the Iraqi National Security Council of the Cabinet, the National Command Authority Structure and the new Iraqi Ministry of Defense; was involved in the selection of Iraqi national security senior leadership including the NSA, Minister of Defense, the Chief Defense Staff and Secretary-General of the Ministry; and worked on the Sunni and tribal strategy in conjunction with military counter insurgency plans. He was recently awarded the overseas humanitarian services medal from the Australian government for his service in Iraq.

UN Resolutions and Western Sahara
Malainian Lakhal, Kamal Fadel & Nick O'Neill
Friday 22 June 2007

Malainin is a human rights activist and secretary general of the Saharawi Journalists and Writers Union. He is particularly interested in the topic of rights over natural resources, the UN peace process and standard aspects of this decolonization issue.
Kamal is the Polisario representative in Australia. From the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro the Polisario Front is a politico-military organization committed to the liberation of the Saharawi people and to the independence of their territory from Morocco.
Nick is Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law at UNSW and national president of the Australian Western Sahara Association (AWSA).

Western Sahara is Africa's last colony (of Spain), but contrary to an ICJ advisory opinion and the UN Charter and decolonisation principles was invaded by Morocco in 1975. Since then efforts to resolve the matter by letting the people of Western Sahara exercise their right to self-determination through a UN sponsored referendum have failed. The Western Sahara is a copybook example of some of the key things the UN was set up to achieve namely the peaceful resolution of conflicts and the overseeing of the decolonisation processes. Three issues of international human rights law stand out. These are: 1. the right to self-determination, 2. the right to exercise civil and political rights and the obligation of governments to protect the people they govern, even as a result of invasion, and 3. the right of the peoples of non-self-governing territories not to have the natural resources of their countries exploited without their consent.

This seminar discussed these matters and the difficulties in translating the fine statements of principle in treaties and UN resolutions in effective action and outcomes in relation to Western Sahara.

Pdf of the Power Point presentation available.

For more information please visit the AWSA website

Implementation of International Human Rights Law in Afghanistan: backlash without buy-ins
Leanne Smith
Wednesday 20 June 2007

Leanne Smith has recently returned from two years in  Afghanistan with the UN where she worked as a Human Rights Field Officer with  UNAMA and with OHCHR as an International Legal Adviser to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign  Affairs on human rights treaty reporting.  She was seconded from DFAT where she has worked since 1999, mostly in the International Organisations and Legal Division, also serving as Second Secretary in the Balkans from 2001-2004. Prior to this, Leanne worked with HREOC and the Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions. She graduated from ANU Law School in 1998.

Enhancing the Impact and Effectiveness of Peacebuilding Programmes: Lessons from Collaborative Learning
Peter Woodrow, Co-Director the Reflecting on Peace Practice Project
Wednesday 23 May 2007

The Reflecting on Peace Practice Project, at CDA Collaborative Learning Projects based at Cambridge, is an experience-based learning process that engages peace practitioners from humanitarian organizations and aid agencies in a collaborative effort to learn how to improve the effectiveness of peace practice. CDA has been working with active peace programs in the Balkans and Africa to test and refine initial learning outcomes from the project (see www.cdainc.com) This seminar discussed peacebuilding strategies and the “Do No Harm” approach to humanitarian and development assistance.

Strengthening our Neighbour
Hugh White
Thursday 1 March 2007

Hugh White, Professor of Strategic Studies and Head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, ANU & Visiting Fellow, Lowy Institute for International Policy. Hugh is the co-author of Strengthening Our Neighbour: Australia and the future of Papua New Guinea, (ASPI, 2004). 

Hugh spoke about his past experience working on peace-building initiatives for the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, and more generally on regional stabilisation options in Australia's strategic and defence policy. He brings a significant policy experience background to this topic having been a Senior Advisor to Defence Minister Kim Beazley and Prime Minister Bob Hawke (1985 - 1991); as Deputy Secretary for Strategy, Department of Defence (1995 - 2000); and as the inaugural Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (2001 - 2004).

For more information please visit the Lowy Institute.

Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding Workshop
Friday 10 November 2006

At this workshop a number of researchers shared their varied experiences on the obstacles encountered in conducting peace-building/peace-keeping research.

Speakers:
David Horner (Official History of Australian Peacekeeping Project, SDSC, RSPAS)
Augustine Park (CIGJ, RegNet and York University, Toronto)
Anthony Regan (State, Society & Governance in Melanesia Project, RSPAS)

Roundtable
Friday 22 September 2006

The Centre for International Governance and Justice in RegNet, RSSS hosted a roundtable meeting for ANU scholars working in the areas of peace-keeping and peace-building.  The aim of the roundtable was simply information sharing about our respective projects and to create informal networks of scholars with similar interests.

Areas across the ANU that are conducting research into peacebuilding and peacekeeping related issues:

State, Society & Governance in Melanesia Project
Strategic and Defence Studies Centre
Department of Political & Social Change
Department of International Relations
Faculty of Asian Studies
Crawford School of Economics and Govenance
Centre for International and Public Law
Centre for Democratic Institutions
Offical History of Australian Peacekeeping
Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy
Division of Pacific and Asian History
Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet)
Centre for International Governance and Justice