On 15 May the CCDP hosted a multi-disciplinary workshop on the future of international responses to civil wars and violence, in collaboration with the British Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

More than thirty academics, experts and practitioners from international and non-governmental organizations and academia actively participated in debates to explore how current trends in conflicts will shape opportunities and create potential obstacles for future international responses.

The changing nature of wars and violence, including the targeting of humanitarian workers and civilians, has had an impact on international responses to these conflicts. The use of drones and chemical weapons, or urban areas as battlefields, pose challenges to the “rules of war”, making international intervention and peacebuilding programmes even more complex. Participants discussed these issues, and shared evidence and experiences from a variety of international conflict de-escalation or post-conflict stabilization processes.

The one day-event was structured around roundtable discussions that respectively considered future developments in civil wars and violence and the evolution of international responses, as well as innovations and challenges in peacebuilding. The afternoon session focused on the relationship between conflict, conflict resolution, and international normative commitments, and the challenges of mobilizing the international community.

In addition to sharing experiences, findings, and insights, the aim of the workshop was also to gain feedback from Geneva-based practitioners and policymakers that will feed into ongoing academic research and outreach activities of the three convening organizations.