SIPRI is pleased to launch a new film capturing insights from global actors on promoting peace in the age of compound political, social, economic and environmental risks reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The film is based on discussions recorded during the 2021 Virtual Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development. These discussions brought together a range of viewpoints from different stakeholders on key topics such as the role of social media in peacebuilding, local and regional cooperation on women, peace, and security, good peacebuilding financing, preventing famine, and climate security.
Click here to watch the video.
Networked multilateralism key to addressing global interconnected risks
The 2021 Stockholm Forum sought to understand the complexities of the overlapping risks reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. These risks include, but are not limited to, violent conflict, human rights violations, environmental degradation, gender inequality and societal fractures. In addition to pre-existing challenges, there are new risks to peace and development in the digital sphere through disinformation, violence and polarization, which threaten democracies worldwide.
Global realities have highlighted the weaknesses of the current international system and the need for a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach to tackling these complex interconnected risks effectively. ‘We need to embrace the reality of global mutual learning as a part of building peace’, said Dan Smith, SIPRI Director, in his concluding remarks. Building trust at all levels and in and between different actors, including state institutions and local actors, is crucial for an inclusive recovery.
Digital solutions for effective peacebuilding
As politics, social mobilization and warfare are increasingly taking place online, the Forum sought to explore how social media can be harnessed more effectively for peacebuilding purposes and it assessed human rights-based and conflict-sensitive policy responses to harmful disinformation campaigns. ‘Everything that we do in the world, whether it is journalism or democracy, is a thinking-slow process. But the platforms are designed for a thinking-fast process, it is insidiously manipulative of our emotions’, observed Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Progress and actionable insights are possible through strengthening monitoring, oversight and collaboration with non-governmental organizations and civil society actors, as well as investing in trust in traditional media.
Increasing famine—A solvable challenge?
The 2021 Forum sought to achieve a deeper understanding of famine, which has been back on the international agenda since 2014. Through short-term humanitarian assistance and longer-term developmental change, as well as the empowerment of women and youth, famine can be combatted and prevented. Agnes Kalibata, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Food Systems Summit, stressed the need for political will to develop cooperative international solutions to local and regional conflicts in conjunction with addressing climate change to prevent future famines and build resilience to such shocks.
Browse the videos of the open panels and thematic webinars on SIPRI’s YouTube channel.
About the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development
Held annually, the Stockholm Forum is a dialogue-driven event that provides a neutral platform for interdisciplinary exchange among members of international communities in the development, humanitarian, peacebuilding and security spheres. The discussion-led roundtable sessions—which the Stockholm Forum is well known for—are developed in collaboration with partner organizations and invite active participation from stakeholders at all levels. The theme of the 2021 Virtual Stockholm Forum was ‘Promoting Peace in the Age of Compound Risk’.
About SIPRI’s films
SIPRI produces a variety of films to cater for different viewing preferences and to serve as an alternative platform for providing insights on peace and security. Events are a core component of SIPRI’s outreach, and livestreams and recordings of SIPRI’s conferences and seminars are produced on a regular basis. Watch more films over at SIPRI’s YouTube channel.
Media
For media inquiries, please contact Alexandra Manolache, Communications Officer (alexandra.manolache@sipri.org, +46 766 286 133).