Center on International Cooperation

Latest Updates

Gone Without a Trace: Syria's Detained, Abducted, and Forcibly Disappeared

Tens of thousands of people have been unlawfully detained by the Syrian government and other parties to the conflict in Syria. In most cases, their fate—and if they are alive, their whereabouts—remains unknown. A new report from CIC and the International Center for Transitional Justice examines the dark reality of detention in Syria and its impact on the families of the missing. The report details urgent steps necessary to help those families obtain information about the whereabouts of their loved ones, gain access to them, and achieve their prompt release.

Publication Date: May 29, 2020

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Hanny Megally , Elena Naughton

Region/Country: Syria

Program(s): Humanitarian Crises

Coping with COVID-19 and Conflict in Afghanistan

Afghanistan faces many hurdles in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: a prolonged armed conflict, a lack of social protection systems, limited healthcare capacity, and insufficient preparedness and coordination mechanisms. This briefing provides an overview of the current state of the COVID-19 response in Afghanistan against the background of the ongoing conflict.

Publication Date: May 21, 2020

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Said Sabir Ibrahimi

Topic(s): Afghanistan, Crises, Humanitarian Crises, South Asia

Program(s): Afghanistan-Pakistan Regional Project

Public Opinion, Trust, and the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, policymakers must navigate public perceptions of coronavirus risk and government responses. This two-part briefing pulls together data from recent global and regional polls to provide a descriptive summary of trends in public opinion towards COVID-19. The first part focuses on levels of public trust in government and other institutions and on public perceptions of the trade-offs involved in calibrating lockdown measures, while the second part compares these results with polling from low-income countries.

Publication Date: May 19, 2020

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Paul Von Chamier, Nendirmwa Noel, Sarah Cliffe, Leah Zamore

Topic(s): Crises, Humanitarian Crises

Program(s): Humanitarian Crises, Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

How Much Lockdown is Enough?

Lockdown measures have been an integral tool in the fight against COVID-19. But they come at a high cost, given their impacts on economies, employment and incomes, education, food systems, mental health and even the potential for civil unrest. This policy briefing examines how countries are balancing the need for lockdown with policy measures to alleviate their effects and plans for reopening.

Publication Date: May 01, 2020

Author(s) / Contributor(s): Sarah Cliffe

Co-Author(s): Paul Von Chamier, Nendirmwa Noel

Topic(s): Crises, Global Governance, Humanitarian Crises

Program(s): Humanitarian Crises, Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies

For the Army, With the Army, Like the Army? The Rise of Guidon Shimiray and the NDC-Rénové in Eastern Congo

Formerly a small local militia, Guidon Shimiray’s Nduma Defence of Congo-Rénové (NDC-R) is today one of the most powerful armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A new report from CIC's Congo Research Group (CRG) draws on 18 months of fieldwork to provide the first in-depth investigation into the origins of this armed group, showing how it is part of a proxy war led by the Congolese army.

Publication Date: May 13, 2020

Region/Country: Sub-Saharan Africa

Topic(s): Fragile States, International Security

Program(s): Congo Research Group