Security Crisis in Europe: challenges and opportunities for multilateralism

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022 and the unfolding of this war for more than two months, causing deaths and displacement of the civilian population and a security crisis in Europe with global effects, is further evidence of the fragility of multilateralism in the global plan. The Delegation of the European Union to Brazil and the Jean Monnet Network ‘Crisis-Equity-Democracy for Europe and Latin America’, based at PUC-Rio, invite everyone to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the war in Ukraine for the strengthening of multilateralism, and the role of the European Union and Brazil in the multilateral resolution of this and other crises.

The event will take place on May 20, at the RDC Auditorium (PUC-Rio Campus, Gávea), from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The event will allow IRI students who attend to credit hours in Complementary Activities.
Security crisis in Europe: challenges and opportunities for multilateralism
13:00-13:45 – Opening Table
EU Ambassador to Brazil H.E. Ignacio Ybáñez
Vice-Rector Fr. Anderson Antonio Pedroso, S.J.
Prof. Luis Manuel Fernandes, Director, IRI-PUC-Rio
Moderation: Prof. Andrea Ribeiro Hoffmann

13:45-15:15 – War in Eastern Europe: challenges and opportunities for multilateralism
Prof. Kai Lehmann, USP
Professor Jamile Diz, UFMG
Moderation: Prof. Paula AImeida, FGV-Rio

15:15.15:30 – coffee break
15:30- 17:00 – The role of the European Union and Brazil for the multilateral resolution of crises
Professor Miriam Saraiva, UERJ
Prof. Tomaz Espósito Neto, UFGD
Moderation: Prof. Claudia Marconi, PUC-SP & FECAP

Mapping the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ Agenda in Latin America – Launch of the GSUM Policy Brief

The Institute of International Relations of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (IRI/PUC-Rio), through the BRICS Policy Center (BPC) and its Global South Unit for Mediation (GSUM), invites you to the GSUM launch event Policy Brief entitled “Mapping the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ agenda in Latin America: a comparison of UN National Action Plans”.

The event will be held on May 24, 2022, from 3 pm to 5 pm.

The purpose of the event is to publicize the Policy Brief and promote discussion around National Action Plans in Latin America. The launch will be in a roundtable format, which will feature the presentation of the authors of the document and guest speakers, followed by an open debate to all participants. Check out the preliminary composition of the event:

Councilor Viviane Rios Balbino (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Paula Drumond (GSUM/ IRI PUC-Rio)
Tamya Rebelo (ESPM and Fine Arts)
Isa Mendes (GSUM/ IRI PUC-Rio)
Ana Laura Velasco (Women In International Security and GSUM)
Renata Giannini (Igarapé Institute)
The event will be held in Portuguese.

The GSUM is an initiative of the Institute of International Relations of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), through the BRICS Policy Center. The Unit is an institutional space for promoting interaction between academics, diplomats, government officials and non-governmental actors interested in processes of promoting, maintaining and consolidating peace.

Sanctions, informalization and the movement towards authoritarian capitalism in Venezuela

Next Tuesday, April 19, we will hold the event “Sanctions, informalization and the movement towards authoritarian capitalism in Venezuela” with guest professor Benedicte Bull (Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo) and mediation by professor Monica Herz.

04/19 at 1:00 pm. In-person event.
PUC-Rio Campus, Gávea. IAG building, room I006, ground floor.

About Benedicte Bull
His research interests focus on the relationship between politics, economics and development and how international conditions affect the possibilities of establishing good institutions that facilitate positive social change. Its main focus geographically is Latin America, and in recent years it has focused particularly on Venezuela. She especially researches the relationship between politics and business elites through many projects. Now Bull leads three projects: 1) one that analyzes the importance of China for international cooperation, democracy and the environment in Latin America and Africa, 2) one that researches the role of small businesses in the development and reduction of violence. in large violent cities in the South, and 3) one that looks at economic development in Venezuela, with a particular focus on the importance of international sanctions for the relationship between public and private elites. She has led a project on the strategies of Central American economic groups in a globalized economy and another on the importance of changing elites for environmental policy in Latin America. Prior to that, she researched the importance of global private companies to UN organizations and multilateral banking policies. An important reason for her interest in the relationship between elites and institutions is the importance it has for social and economic inequality. Through her work with elites and institutions in Latin America, she has also become increasingly interested in the illegal economy and how the organizations that emerge from it challenge and cooperate with traditional elites.

War and Pandemic: the inauguration of the 21st century?

Journalist and writer Jamil Chade, in his seventh book, embarks on an ambitious task: thinking about the reinvention of the future. After all, the two years of the pandemic and its social impacts revealed that the path we were taking was unsustainable, unfair and simply destructive. In “Luto” (Editora Contracorrente), the author makes a collection of his columns and presents the years 2020 and 2021 as the founding act of the 21st century. In this event, Chad will talk to us about the advent of the pandemic and the war that now , makes us face again the fear of humanitarian proportions.

We invite everyone to participate in the first IRI in-person event in the last two years, since the beginning of the pandemic. We will meet in the Auditorium Fr. Achieta, at the PUC-Rio campus, on March 31, at 1 pm. Seats are limited.

Peace and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Processes: what is the role of mediation?

The “Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration” (DDR) processes are fundamental parts of the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements. They express many of the challenges that permeate the reconstruction of political communities, including, among other elements, the end of the armed conflict, the reform of the rules for organizing violence in the so-called “post-conflict” period and the democratic control of the Armed Forces. In this sense, it is worth asking: what is the role of mediation in this context of practices?

The course “International Mediation”, taught by prof. Maíra Siman, conceives international mediation as a privileged analytical prism to address important theoretical, conceptual and empirical aspects that structure the dominant forms of managing violence and building peace in contemporary armed conflicts. It is understood that the study of mediation practices for peace makes it possible not only to shed light on the hierarchies and marginalizations that permeate the intervention of international actors in contexts of armed violence, but also to (re)think the place of the Global South in the production of knowledge and expertise in conflict resolution and transformation.

The course builds on the work of various research carried out within the framework of the Global South Unit for Mediation (GSUM).

We invite everyone to the open class on 12/2, at 3:00 pm, with the participation of prof. Monica Herz, GSUM coordinator.

Uncertain multilateralism, adaptation and renewal: what role for United Nations peace operations in a changing world?

Since the deployment of the first military observers, in May 1948, the United Nations (UN) peace operations have been actively contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security. Over these 73 years, this multilateral instrument aimed at managing and resolving conflicts has faced different periods of crisis. Despite these difficulties, the United Nations sought institutional ways to adapt to a constantly changing world and respond to the challenges posed by societies affected by armed conflict.

Over the past twenty years, given the challenges to the international liberal order and its various consequences for multilateral arrangements, peace operations have been permeated by a set of dilemmas that call into question its effectiveness as a mechanism of collective security and promotion of peace. Among such difficulties, the consequences of geopolitical dispute between the great powers and developing countries stand out; as well as the growing role of cyber in the political, social, and cultural relations; the increase in complexity and instabilities caused by terrorist groups; and the urgent challenges in area such gender, health and the environment, among other issues. The short, medium, and long-term effects imposed by the COVID19 pandemic should be added to this list of difficulties.

The UN reform process has received new impetus by the current Secretary General, António Guterres, and, in the field of peace operations, it has also involved member states, the Security Council, host countries, military troop and police contributors, regional partners, and humanitarian and development donors. In this direction, the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P), launched in 2018, listed eight priority areas of action for the United Nations: (1) politics; (2) women, peace and security; (3) protection; (4) safety and security; (5) performance and accountability; (6) peacebuilding and sustaining peace; (7) partnerships; and (8) conduct of peacekeepers. Such commitments, made in the light of a changing world to which peace operations seek to adapt, raise an important set of questions that we aim to discuss at the V REBRAPAZ Annual Meeting.

After the launch of REBRAPAZ, in 2016, this V Annual Meeting (2021) continues the effort to debate relevant and current aspects of the peace operations agenda, as well as identifying paths that contribute to strengthening Brazil in the context of an UN reform. Expanding the scope of previous meetings, this V Annual Meeting will be organized around REBRAPAZ working groups (WGs): (1) protection of civilians and use of force; (2) norms and doctrines; (3) capabilities and performance; (4) women, peace and security; and (5) civilians in peace operations.

In preparation for the V Annual Meeting, the IV REBRAPAZ Research Seminar will be held on November 9th. The Research Seminar is an opportunity to debate and disseminate studies that contribute to the agenda of peace operations in Brazil. It will be held in Portuguese, with no translation.

The activities of the Research Seminar will be based on the model of panels with discussants. Each accepted paper must be presented within 15 minutes, giving time for the discussant to engage critically with the presenter. The audience will be also allowed to present their questions and comments at the end of each panel. On November 10th, during the V Annual Meeting itself, there will be an opening lecture in the morning and three debate panels, with Brazilian and foreign speakers. It will be held in English, with no translation.

Programme – IV Research Seminar (Nov. 9^th)

Programme – V Annual Meeting (Nov. 10^th)

Panel I: “Uncertain Multilateralism, Adaptation and Renewal: Brazil and United Nations Peace Operations in a Changing World”
Panel II: “Civil-Military Integration and Improving the Effectiveness of Peace Operations”, will address topics related to WG 3 (capabilities and performance) and WG 5 (civilians in peace operations).
Panel III: “Protection of civilians and the normative and doctrinal framework of peace operations”, will address topics related to WG 1 (protection of civilians and use of force) and WG 2 (norms and doctrines).

The issues related to WG 4 (Women, Peace and Security) will be transversal and addressed in all panels.

Methodology

Aiming to facilitate dialogue and promote practice-oriented debates, the opening lecture will be in a talk show format, and panels II and III on November 10th will be in a knowledge café format. The Talk Show method applied to the opening session works like an interview for a television program: a facilitator will ask the keynote speaker questions. Shorter questions and answers contribute to a greater amount of knowledge being conveyed faster, more directly and more engagingly, as the audience tends to stay focused longer in this format than in a traditional presentation format.

The Knowledge Café is a conversation process that brings together a group of people to share experiences, learn from each other, and build common ground. The method foresees the analysis of a set of possible questions to be explored and addressed by the participants. The topics are debated on interactive rounds, with discussions based on central questions presented by a main host or facilitator and commented by the other participants. Based on the conversations, policy briefs of at most two pages are drawn up, with an introduction on the topic discussed and recommendations.

Target Audience

The target audience of the two-day event is specialists and researchers, scholars, university students, military, police, UN civilians, diplomats and others interested in UN peace operations.

Registrations

The activities and debates will take place online and will be broadcast on the networks of the BRICS Policy Center (BPC), of the Institute of International Relations at PUC-Rio.

Registration for both days must be made through the following links:

Research Seminar (in Portuguese)

V Annual Meeting

Certification and Contact:

Digital certificate will be sent to those who participate in the Meeting upon request.

For further details, please write to eventos.rebrapaz@gmail.com

Digital currencies: implications for the international monetary system

The value of global cashless payments has been radically increasing worldwide. Despite cash being the most used payment instrument in the world, technological innovation and new consumer preferences are decisively transforming the way consumers pay and manage money. In this context of vibrant transformations, digital currencies are gaining momentum. Eighty-one countries, representing over 90% of the global GDP, are exploring the issuance of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). This number is up from only thirty-five in May 2020. Facebook’s stablecoin project, formerly known as Libra and now renamed Diem, might see the light of day soon. In the meantime, El Salvador has adopted Bitcoins as legal tender.

Digital currency is a type of currency that has no physical configuration and only exist in digital form. This broad definition comprises new types of money which radically differ in terms of accessibility, issuer, form and technology. Digital currencies could produce major changes in our economy and society and they could produce several implications in the international monetary system. The aim of this webinar is to set the ground to better understand what digital currencies are and which could be key implications they could produce.

15:00 European Time (CET)
10:00 Rio de Janeiro (BRT)

This event is part of the Jean Monnet Network project. There will be simultaneous translation English / Portuguese.

Democracy and Legitimacy: how important is Electoral Monitoring for Brazil in 2022?

Several intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations – OSCE, OAS, African Union, and the Carter Center – engage in election monitoring. The OSCE`S Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, for example, has developed norms and technologies for this practice that are recognized as a reference worldwide. Although initially missions were deployed mainly in situations of fragility, today they are requested by more than 100 countries. International election monitoring has provided both stability and references for tackling disputes.

Since the 2000s elections, Brazil has been considered one of the most efficient democracies in the world and one of the less vulnerable to fraud, in addition to its exemplary experience regarding logistics. More than 100 million voters head to the polls on the same day and just hours after the end of the procedure the result of the elections is issued. Despite this success, there has been an increase in the number of public manifestations expressing distrust of the electronic ballot box. This theme is fundamental to the public debate in the country, especially considering the 2022 national elections. Therefore, the discussion of the electoral process presently is absolutely crucial and an interesting topic to honor the International Day of Democracy.

In honor of the International Day of Democracy, celebrated officially on September 15th KAS Brazil, in cooperation with the Institute of International Relations of PUC-Rio, is holding this seminar to discuss Election Monitoring taking into consideration the Brazilian national elections in 2022. This seminar will start with the international experience on election monitoring and then focus on the Brazilian case.

Program

Panel I: The Practice of International Election Monitoring How does an International Election Monitoring mission work and what kind of challenges might appear? How has this practice advanced throughout the years? What are the recommendations for an election monitoring in a Latin American country?

Panel II: The Brazilian Case – keeping an eye on 2022 Despite the success of the electoral process in Brazil, there has been an increase in the number of public manifestations expressing distrust of the electronic ballot box. What should we expect for the 2022 Brazilian national elections? What are the main characteristics of the electoral process in Brazil? What are the benefits and risks of an electronic ballot box?

Registration

Serão emitidos certificados aos participantes. Faça a sua inscrição pois as vagas são limitadas!