Independence from fossil fuels is crucial for human security

Nations today are faced with the Energy Trilemma; how to achieve energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability – at the same time. And transitioning towards renewable forms of energy is essential to achieve human security worldwide, according to Marie Stjernquist Desatnik at Naturskyddsföreningen (the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, SSNC). Image: A military attack on energy infrastructure. Photo by: Ecoaction.

Of: Marie Stjernquist Desatnik

The world's addiction to fossils fuel is the main contributor to the climate crisis, and it impacts peace and security worldwide. This was clearly demonstrated in 2022 by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But why is it so difficult for nations to move away from fossil fuels? Part of it can be explained by the so-called energy trilemma, according to Marie Stjernquist desatnik, Senior Climate Policy Advisor at The Nature Conservation Society (the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, SSNC). She I argues that ttransitioning towards renewable forms of energy is essential to Achieve human security worldwide. 

January 17, 2023, English, Guest analysis, Guest piece, Magazine

Spring Brings Disappointment for Afghanistan's Women

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, they have - among other restrictions for women - restricted girls' possibility to go to school. Photo: Kajsa Waaghals.

Of: Arzo Bahar

Eight months after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, hope is paused as new policies restricting women are confirmed. These include an ongoing ban on secondary school for girls and increasingly stringent male escort requirements. Arzo Bahar, the president of the Female Staff Association of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, describes her experience as a working woman and mother, and the fears she has for her daughters.

April 26, 2022, English, Guest chronicle, Guest piece, Magazine

EU external action gives youth a place to raise their voices

Policy-making at the European level is starting to include voices of young people in decision-making processes, according to Johanna Caminati Engström, Policy- and Advocacy Officer for Plan International EU Office and past writer for FUF.

Of: Johanna Caminati Engström

Several EU institutions are currently working to improve the inclusion and representation of youth in the European Union and especially in its external action agenda, says Johanna Caminati Engström, policy and advocacy officer at Plan International's EU office. She highlights the importance of the EU's newly implemented work such as the first-ever Youth Action Plan and reflects on its long term impacts.

March 31, 2022, English, Guest piece, Magazine

Campesino struggle for rights in post conflict Colombia

For generations people have been farming the harsh lands in Sumapaz, Colombia. Photo: Nellie Banestig.

Of: Nellie Banestig

Caught between two opposing sides of an armed conflict, campesinos, the farmers of Sumapaz in rural Colombia, have had to face adversity for decades. After the 2016 peace treaty signing between the Colombian state and the FARC guerrillas, things began to improve yet the effects of the conflict are still being felt by many civilians. Campesinos livelihoods are still threatened, as is the strong cultural identity tied to that livelihood. This begs the question; is peace in effect for all of Colombia?

February 25, 2021, Chronicle, English, Guest piece, Magazine

(How) can migration contribute to development?

people migrating

Individuals and families migrate in hope of a better future and freedom. Photo: jaci XIII / Flickr

Of: Alice Hertzberg

My interest in the relationship between migration and development grew when anti-immigration discourses started to gain a stronger foothold in Europe and the US. In the meantime, the largest refugee crisis since the second world war took place in parts of the Middle East and Africa. The year was 2015, the same year the UN [...]

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June 1, 2020, English, Guest piece, Magazine

Online Gender Activism in India: Working Through the Fears

The #SupremeInjustice protests held in many cities across India in May 2019 were largely conceived, organized, and promoted online by gender activists. Photo: Padmalatha Ravi

Of: Shruti Sharada

A year has passed since #MeToo galvanized online gender activism in India. But as defamation cases rise and the accused remain powerful, activists need to look back at what made online activism so powerful in the first place.

January 31, 2020, English, Guest piece, Magazine

Disastrous floods after prolonged droughts have challenged Iran

The historic Kashkan bridge was damaged in the recent flood. Photo: Ali Mostafanezhad.

Of: Seyyed Hasan Hosseini

Heavy rainfall and flooding in late March and early April 2019 affected millions of people in Iran, causing deaths, displacement and catastrophic damage to the infrastructure. This is happening while the country has long suffered from frequent droughts and adaptive management practices are not in place to deal with such fluctuations.

June 17, 2019, English, Guest piece, Magazine