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The Impact of COVID-19 on Local Peacebuilding in the Middle East

Reflections from Yemen, Syria, and Iraq

CENTER: Middle East and Africa Center

FILE — Iraqi border police at the Zurbatiya border crossing with Iran, Monday, March 9, 2020. The coronavirus has touched almost every country on earth, but its impact has seemed capricious as global metropolises like New York, Paris and London have been devastated, while teeming cities like Bangkok, Baghdad, New Delhi and Lagos have, so far, largely been spared. (Ivor Prickett/The New York Times)

The outbreak of COVID-19 in conflict zones was regarded by many as an opportunity for peace. But today, the stark reality in many conflict zones has shown that the opportunity may have been missed. Cease-fires are being ignored, and the politics of the pandemic have enabled conflict and violence rather than deterred them. The past few months have shown that while the COVID-19 health crisis will eventually subside, its economic, social, and political implications will unfortunately outlive it. In the face of these challenges, how are local peacebuilding efforts in the Middle East coping with the far-reaching effects of the pandemic in both the short- and long-term?
Iraqi border police at the Zurbatiya border crossing with Iran, Monday, March 9, 2020. (Ivor Prickett/The New York Times)
Iraqi border police at the Zurbatiya border crossing with Iran, Monday, March 9, 2020. (Ivor Prickett/The New York Times)
Join USIP and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) for a panel discussion featuring peacebuilding experts and practitioners from the Middle East. The online conversation will look at the implications of COVID-19 on peacebuilding at the local level in three particular Middle Eastern contexts—Yemen, Syria, and Iraq—as well as how regional and international actors should engage in the Middle East to support local peace actors as they try to preserve the gains they’ve made over the past few years.Join the conversation with #COVIDInMiddleEast.

Speakers

Dr. Elie Abouaoun, opening remarks
Director of Middle East and North Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Dr. Sultan Barakat
Founding Director, Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies

Dr. Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, opening remarks
Director of Politics and Governance, ODI

Mrs. Nadwa Al-Dawsari
Non-resident Fellow, The Middle East Institute

Mrs. Noor Qais
Program Officer, Sanad for Peacebuilding, Iraq

Dr. Sherine Taraboulsi-McCarthy, moderator
Interim Senior Research Fellow, The Politics and Governance Program (ODI)

Categories: Arab World, Asia, Iraq, Syria, Yemen

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