Myanmar flag in
Naypyidaw, Naypyidaw Union Territory, Myanmar, photo by Aboodi Vesakaran via Pexels, photo has been cropped.
This week, renewed ceasefire talks amid intensified conflict in Gaza. ASEAN plans meetings to address Myanmar crisis. US Institute of Peace regains control of headquarters. Pope Leo offers to host Russia – Ukraine peace talks.
Renewed Ceasefire Talks Amid Intensified Conflict in Gaza
Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas resumed in Doha on May 17. Hamas official Taher al-Nono told Reutersthat both sides were discussing all issues without “pre-conditions.” However, Israel intensified its military operations in Gaza, launching Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which involves a ground incursion. The operation killed at least 160 people on March 17. ABC News’ journalist Diaa Ostaz, reporting from Khan Younis, said the situation is “getting worse not day by day, but hour by hour.”
Ever since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people, the humanitarian situation has continued to deteriorate for Palestinians in Gaza. Over 50,000 Palestinians are reported to have reported killed. Meanwhile, Israel believes that Hamas is still holding 59 hostages in captivity in Gaza, 24 of whom are still alive.
ASEAN Plans Meetings to Address Myanmar Crisis
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plans to hold two dedicated meetings focusing on Myanmar’s ongoing civil conflict ahead of its summit next week, Straights Times reported. The meetings aim to revitalize the stalled peace process, although Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn did not specify which issues would be discussed.
ASEAN’s 2021 Five-Point Consensus, which calls for an end to violence and inclusive dialogue following the military coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, has been criticized by Myanmar activists as being ineffective. Critics of the consensus have pointed out that its implementation has been extremely slow, partly due to ASEAN’s “divisions, consensus-based decision-making process and non-interference doctrine,” as Sai Latt writes in Frontier Myanmar.
The country’s civilians continue to bear the brunt of the ruling junta’s actions. After a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, reports indicated that the country’s ruling junta had continued airstrikes, complicating aid delivery and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. On April 28, the London-based Centre (CIR) for Information resilience reported that it had documented 80 air attack incidents across Myanmar between March 28 and April 24. The CIR also reported several paramotor attacks.
US Institute of Peace Regains Control of Headquarters
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) regained control of its headquarters after a federal judge ruled on May 19 that its forced removal by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was illegitimate. The incident began in March when DOGE staffers took over the building and tried to shut USIP down. The court’s decision restores USIP’s leadership and access to the building, reaffirming its independence as a non-executive branch agency dedicated to preventing violent conflicts and promoting peace.
Pope Leo Confirms Willingness to Host Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, has confirmed his willingness to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican. Global leaders have indicated their interest in the Vatican as a neutral institution, including US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Vatican has previously facilitated humanitarian efforts during the conflict, including prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of Ukrainian children.
A woman in Cusco, Peru, photo by Joel Alencar via Pexels.
A diverse gathering of Indigenous leaders, diplomats, and activists assembled at the United Nations in New York on April 24 to 25, 2025. Over two events at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), participants from dozens of countries issued a ‘clarion call’ for Indigenous-led peacebuilding. The two events included “Indigenous Peacebuilding: Pathways towards Healing People, for Peace and Planet” and “Global Strategy Meeting for International Decade of Indigenous Humanitarian Peacebuilding 2025-2035.” Participants pointed out that 80% of today’s conflicts are happening in biodiversity regions where indigenous peoples live, with 107 wars displacing 200 million people globally. With that in mind, the meetings laid out a bold agenda.
Key outcomes of the events included: recognizing UN Resolution A/79/455, which recognizes the role of Indigenous peoples and peace; calling for a UN Secretary-General’s report and a formal Peacebuilding Decade from 2026 to 2035; launching the first International Declaration on Indigenous Peacebuilding, with principals rooted in indigenous knowlege; and for the first time urging official recognition of ‘Indigenous Peace Women’ and ‘Peace Mothers’ for their roles in conflict prevention and healing. Participants also stressed the link between conflict and environmental destruction, and demanded that conflicts in Indigenous territories be treated as a key international security issue.
The summit drew on years of Indigenous organizing. A year earlier, in April 2024, 120 Indigenous elders, women, and youth from around the world had held the First Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding in Washington, D.C., adopting the Declaration on Indigenous Peacebuilding. At the New York meetings, Wakerahkáhtste Louise McDonald Herne (Mohawk Nation) opened with a prayer, and frontline activists spoke about the stakes. Binalakshmi Nepram, founder-director of India’s Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, urged that “hundreds of conflicts” raging where indigenous peoples live demand urgent action. In other remarks, UN Special Rapporteur Dr. Albert Barume warned that Indigenous peoples are too often excluded from security discussions and even called extremists, yet securing their land ownership and cultural rights would strengthen security.
Bridging Tradition and Policy
Speakers ranged from grassroots leaders to UN envoys. Guatemala’s Ambassador José Briz Gutiérrez launched the new Declaration, calling it “a very special occasion” for indigenous peoples around the world. He noted Guatemala’s own peace process had shown how vital Indigenous mediation is to building inclusive democracies. Australia’s Ambassador Justin Mohamed reminded the room that Australia’s First Nations people were historically its first diplomats and peacemakers and urged formal peace processes worldwide to integrate Indigenous governance practices.
Mexico’s Foreign Minister Graciela Gómez spoke of Indigenous women’s peace networks and a national “Weavers of the Nation” strategy to enshrine indigenous women’s rights. UN official Awa Dabo celebrated the UN resolution A/79/455 as a pivotal shift recognizing Indigenous communities as agents of peace, and emphasized that empowering Indigenous women and youth in peace talks would be a critical opportunity for change.
Local Indigenous leaders shared personal insights. Tarcila Rivera Zea, from Peru, stressed that peacebuilding must include a spiritual, bodily, and territorial dimension, especially for Indigenous women – recalling how decades of conflict in her country have shaped indigenous women’s movements. Professor Elsa Stamatopoulou of Columbia University noted that indigenous participation rights are critical: She urged UN bodies to include Indigenous peace leaders, especially women and youth, in relevant forums. Kenneth Deer, from the Mohawk Nation, stressed the role of non-violence and patience, and spoke of building diplomacy through consensus-building and rational dialogue.
Even voices from conflict zones around the world spoke up, including Liudmyla Korotkykh, a lawyer from the Crimean Tatar Resource Center. Korotkyh advocated for justice for the Crimean Tatar people. Other participants came from: Mali, Sahel Region, Nuba Mountains, Sudan, Congo, Tanzania. Bolivia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, USA, Philippines, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Siberia, Geneva, Ukraine, Peru, Canada, Kenya, and several other countries.
Toward a Global Strategy
From these discussions emerged a roadmap. A list of strategic recommendations was announced, calling to: send a formal request to the UN on September 21, Peace Day, to declare the Indigenous Peacebuilding Decade; prepare a program of action to be led by indigenous peacebuilders; develop peacebuilding curricula; strengthen the Global Network of Indigenous Peacebuilders, Mediators, and Negotiators; Advocate for UN bodies and member states inclusion of Indigenous Peacebuilding into security and peacebuilding frameworks; center survivors at the heart of Indigenous Humanitarian Peacebuilding efforts for ensuring their dignity, peace, and security; and prepare for a Second Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding in April 2026.
Keywords: Indigenous peoples, indigenous, peace, peacebuilding, conflict, conflict resolution, United Nations, UN
Illustration made by Global Voices using Canva Pro.
This piece, originally published in Global Voices, written by Natalia Romero and Ricardo Sánchez Gómez, gives an overview of the Mi Historia (My Story) participatory journalism initiative, of which they are members, developed by and for teenagers and young people in Colombia. The project uses journalism to prevent the forced conscription of children and teenagers by non-state armed groups. It has been translated by Beatrice Twentyman for Latin America Bureau.
Colombia is a country that has for decades suffered the consequences of internal armed conflict. Despite the peace agreement in 2016 between the Colombian government and guerrilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), the violence has not ceased entirely.
War in Colombia has continued, owing to the persistence of armed groups who refuse to disband, whilst new violent actors have emerged, including FARC dissidents and criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining, like the Clan del Golfo. The weakness of the state in certain regions, as well as the lack of sufficient implementation of the peace agreement, have contributed to the continuation of the conflict.
Illustration from Mi Historia, used with their permission.
Civilians have not been exempt from the suffering caused by the war, nor have the many children who have become victims of the violence. According to the Truth Commission, from 1990 to 2017, there were 16,238 cases of forced conscription in the country. Figures from the Presidential Council for Human Rights indicate 8,245 minors have been victims of conscription by criminal organizations since the peace agreement between the government and the FARC was signed in 2016. More than 15 percent of these minors belong to Indigenous and Black communities.
The conscription of young people is carried out by armed criminal groups who seek to strengthen their ranks using different tactics, including scams, coercion, and the promise of economic benefits. From the perspective of the young people targeted for forced conscription, the lack of employment and education opportunities in conflict-affected regions is the driving factor, as it leaves them vulnerable to the influence of these armed groups.
Mi Historia was created in 2022 as a response to this situation. It emerged as a result of a partnership between the Mi Historia Foundation, the charity Benposta, the University of Leeds in the UK, and the University of Rosario in Bogotá.
Mi Historia promotes peace in some of the most marginalized communities in Colombia. In these settings, journalism emerges as a tool that allows young people to explore not only the world around them and their place in it, but also themselves. It becomes a tool for young journalists to question and explore their own lives and their surroundings.
The director of the project, Mathew Charles, a former BBC journalist and Latin America correspondent for The Telegraph, explains:
“Most young people who join armed groups do so because they see it as a solution to whatever crisis they are facing. It could be poverty, domestic violence, or seeking revenge, amongst other things. So, we use journalism to strengthen psychosocial and emotional competencies, which we have identified as fundamental to the development of mental health and self-esteem, when considering violence prevention. The basic idea is that a young person who feels good about themself is not a young person who would join an armed group.”
Caribbean Press Team (Alto San Jorge) in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba (2022). Photo used with permission.
Responsible journalism contributes to forging social bonds and healing the fractures of conflict by building empathy and mutual understanding.
Daniel Pardo from UNICEF said about the project:
“Through journalism and the use of digital tools, young people can express their feelings and contribute to peacebuilding as a resolution to conflict. This highlights the crucial role that journalism and technology play in youth empowerment and promoting a calm and conciliatory environment.”
The initiative includes more than 80 young reporters distributed across five regional newsrooms: the Amazon Newsroom, the Andean Newsroom, the Caribbean Newsroom, the Llanera Newsroom, and the Pacific Newsroom.
Older screenshot of the website “Mi Historia” featuring the different newsrooms across Colombia. Fair use.
The project has enabled children all over the country to manage their daily lives more fluidly and naturally. Ángela España, a youth journalist from the Pacific Newsroom, says:
“Before [joining Mi Historia], I didn’t like socialising or talking much to other people, but now, thanks to the project, I feel freer to talk to others and I even do interviews.”
The young journalists took a diploma course in journalism for peace and audiovisual production. The academic youth program not only enriched their journalistic skills but also gave them valuable insights for everyday life and for future work. Laura Paez, a young journalist from the Llanera Newsroom, comments:
What I liked most about my diploma is that I learned to be more self-reliant, to understand the importance of journalism in everyday life, to have better public speaking skills, and to let go of my fear of the camera.
Pacific Press Team on a visit to Bogotá from Buenaventura (2022). Photo used with permission.
In addition to its newsrooms, Mi Historia has established more than 20 journalism clubs in schools located in areas where violence is part of daily life. These clubs not only encourage an interest and participation in journalism but also provide essential training in areas such as basic photography, writing, and audiovisual production. These initiatives seek to empower students by providing them with the tools to explore and express their surroundings, whilst also promoting the transformative role that journalism can play in peacebuilding.
For Mónica Ochoa, from USAID, Mi Historia has left a lasting impression on the lives of its journalists:
“I think it has left a mark on the young people involved in terms of giving them the tools to open their minds and their capabilities, to understand that the problems they may experience in their territories do not only happen to them.”
Carribean Press Team (Alto Sinú) in Tierralta, Córdoba (2023). Photo used with permission.
The young journalists wrote news and features, produced podcasts, and created photo essays and audiovisual pieces for the project’s channels. Mi Historia’s microphones have featured well-known figures such as truth commissioner Lucía González and professor Mauricio Jaramillo, as well as being used to produce documentaries such as “Refugio” and “Mitú: Tristeza en la selva” There are also opportunities for young reporters to give their own opinions on topics of interest to them. The project also provides didactic videos, where, for example, it gives guidelines on how to conduct a good interview.
This documentary, for example, is about the Benposta community, a shelter for at-risk youth:
“En mis propias palabras” (“In my own words”) was a podcast series where journalists investigated the issues that challenged them and reflected on the daily situations they experienced in their municipalities. That first sound exercise has now become Radio Trompo, a digital and alternative radio station produced by young journalists from Mi Historia.
Radio Trompo is a project in partnership with Benposta Regional Caribe, which seeks to ensure that young people are included in public debate and peacebuilding. The station, which has received funding from the Austrian embassy in Bogotá and German charity Misereror, promotes a community narrative, focused on integrating diverse voices and deconstructing divisions to understand how conflict affects communities.
Mi Historia has evolved from a one-off response to a critical problem, where it addressed the experiences of victims of forced conscription, to a comprehensive platform for participatory journalism that nurtures and empowers young people in Colombia and within their own communities.
Refugee women and children, photo via Storyblocks.
Decreasing budgets for peacebuilding across the Global North are forcing a rethinking of the field. Experts say that the dramatic cuts present significant risks, but also offer a window of opportunity for the industry to become more efficient and sustainable.
Senior staff at peacebuilding organizations agreed that reducing funding for peacebuilding would have clear adverse consequences for global stability and people in conflict areas. “In an age where conflict globally is increasing (…) when the human and financial tolls are really obvious and clear, cutting funding to support conflict resolution and peace efforts is a penny wise and a pound foolish,” said Mike Jobbins, Vice President of Global Affairs and Partnerships at Search for Common Ground. He told Peace News Network (PNN) that while every government needs to make its own financial decisions, peacebuilding cuts are ultimately counterproductive. “This is a core capability. Undermining this core capability doesn’t benefit the long-term health that any society wishes for its children, or build the world you want children to live in,” he said.
Liz Hume, Executive Director of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, said that cuts by western governments and especially the United States have affected peacebuilding organizations negatively. “Many of our AfP members, their programming was, in some way, completely wiped out,” she said. Hume noted, however, that she had not seen any organizations fully shut down yet.
Hume added that current funding cuts come at a particularly bad time, pointing to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development data released in mid-April showing that official development assistance fell in 2024 – its first drop after five consecutive years of growth. This is happening at a time, she said, where global conflict resolution needs are greater than ever. “Violent conflict, violence, fragility, instability is at all-time, record-breaking levels,” she said.
Conflict resolution programming has shown itself to be cost-effective, argued Hume, referencing a December 2024 International Monetary Fund (IMF) report that found that returns on $1 spent on prevention range from $26 to $75 for countries that have not recently experienced violence, and up to $103 for countries that have.
Peacebuilding organizations, she said, will have to adapt to working with fewer staff, and weather funding instability by prioritizing support for local partners who already do most of the work on the ground. Conflict resolution groups may also have to be more strategic when choosing where to work. Hume said, “You can’t work all over the country, you might be working in the areas that are the most fragile and unstable and conflict-affected.”
Despite acknowledging the harm of the cuts, both Hume and Jobbins said that the current challenges present an opportunity to fundamentally reform the peacebuilding field and make it more sustainable. For too long, they admitted, the sector has overrelied on funding from western governments, which was always a risk. Now, there is an opportunity to seek more diverse funding elsewhere. In particular, the field might have the chance to channel direct donations by citizens, said Jobbins, in a way that allows for more efficient operations with fewer of the strings attached associated with public funding.
“If we’re less reliant on the USAIDs of the world, then maybe we have an opportunity for individuals, for all of us to step up to support with our own giving to produce a world that’s much more reflective of what we want to see, and also support organizations in a way that’s much more nimble, responsive, and mission-driven than those that are exclusively reliant on governmental funding,” he said.
According to Jobbins, there is now a chance for the field to focus on impact rather than simple outputs. “Ten smart dollars are worth more than forty dumb dollars,” he said. What is most important, he said, is that limited resources be channeled towards proven solutions, especially local staff working in multi-partial teams across entire conflict areas.
The sector also has to work harder to communicate results and demonstrate clarity about what does not work, said Hume, and results need to be published more consistently. Peacebuilders also need to more effectively make the case for their work, translating the complex language of programming in a way that builds a constituency for it. “It’s practical, it’s actionable. It is something you can measure,” said Hume.
Jobbins agreed. “Our sector has a good story to tell, because an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of private funding supporting cash-strapped peacebuilding organizations, Hume said that while private funding will not be able to fill the fap left by Global North donors, there is a real need to tap into innovative funding, and make the case to corporate partners that conflict is a global destabilizing force with effects that go beyond a company’s bottom line in any one country.
Ultimately, said Hume, the changes ahead will be difficult yet necessary. According to her, the peacebuilding field should use this moment of flux to plan for the future and ensure the long-term survival of its work.
“Multiple things can be true at the same time: it can be disastrous or it can be an opportunity to reform.”
A part of Kashmir struck by India, screen grab from Channel 4 video.
This week, a delicate ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Civilians and hostages continue to suffer amidst slow ceasefire progress between Israel and Gaza. Amidst ‘new phase’ of Sudan’s civil war, Saudi Arabia says it will keep up peace efforts through Jeddah talks.
A Delicate Ceasefire Between India and Pakistan
The recent conflict between India and Pakistan caused death and destruction for both countries. Pakistan reported on May 13 that India’s air strikes had killed at least 51 people, including 11 soldiers and several children, while India reported that 21 people killed, including five military personnel and 16 civilians.
On May 10, the two countries managed to arrive at a US-brokered ceasefire. However, the ceasefire remains delicate, with several measures in place, BBC reports. These measures include: the suspension of the Indus waters treaty; the suspension of visas and expulsion of diplomats; the closing of borders; the closing of air space; and the suspension of trade.
These measures will greatly impact civilians. Pakistan heavily depends on the rivers in the Indus basin for its civilian water supply. The Attariwaghah border, the only land crossing between the two countries, has long been crossed by people visiting family members. Due to the closing of air space, international flights now must take longer and more expensive detours. Pakistan’s economy is already struggling, and the suspension of trade is likely to worsen the situation if Pakistan loses access to crucial goods such as medicines.
Civilians and Hostages Continue to Suffer Amidst Slow Ceasefire Progress Between Israel and Gaza
Gaza’s civilians, as well as Israeli and foreign hostages, continue to suffer amidst slow progress in reaching a ceasefire. Rescuers in the strip said that at least 80 people were killed in Israeli bombardment there on May 14. Meanwhile, 58 hostages remain held captive in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, BBC reported on May 12.
One positive development is that Hamas has said that it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire. A senior Hamas official told BBC earlier that it was holding direct negotiations with a US official in Qatar.
While some believed that Alexander’s release might lead the way to a ceasefire, a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stressed that the PM remained, “determined to complete all of Israel’s war goals: the release of all our hostages, the military and governmental defeat of Hamas, and a promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
Amidst ‘New Phase’ of Sudan’s Civil War, Saudi Arabia Says it Will Keep Up Peace Efforts Through Jeddah Talks
In the midst of what is being called a ‘new phase’ in Sudan’s relentless civil war, Saudi Arabia says it will keep up its peace efforts through the Jeddah platform. Last week, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck an army base in Port Sudan, causing a massive fire. On May 11, Al Jazeera reported that at least nine civilians, including four children, were killed and seven injured in attacks on Sunday by the RSF in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, according to the Sudanese army.
On May 14, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that his country would continue efforts to end the crisis “through the Jeddah platform, which Riyadh and Washington sponsor.” The prince said that the efforts would push for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Due to the RSF and Sudanese army’s failure to implement confidence, U.S.-Saudi mediated talks in Jeddah were suspended in December 2023. One of these measures was the withdrawal of the RSF from major cities and civilian facilities.
Sudan’s civil war born out of a power struggle between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) leader Abel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The conflict has left the country in what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described as the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine.”
