In May 2010, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that called for high-level meetings to address the global burden of NCDs. This paper highlights the growing global burden of NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and diabetes), provides a brief historical background on the adoption of the UN NCDs resolution and argues that the resolution provides a remarkable new opportunity for improved international collaboration to address NCDs. Additionally, the paper argues that while the existing World Health Organisation programme on NCDs be continued and expanded, the UN can provide the expanded political leadership that is necessary for multi-sectoral collaboration and can serve as a respected forum for dealing with the issue across numerous key UN agencies.

Armed conflict and violence against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has persisted for years starting in the 1990s. The Eastern, Western and North-Eastern parts of the country have seen the presence of a multiplicity of armed groups that have caused an escalation of the humanitarian crisis. The United Nations, in the interest of civilian protection, peacekeeping and security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a mission under The United Nations Organisational Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). In spite of this mission, civilians continued in the Congo to suffer attacks and to endure human rights abuses by the armed militants that are fighting government and the government forces in shape of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). This study examines the problematique of the mandate of MONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in light of the challenges that have made its success debatable. The success of MONUC has become debatable in light of the fact that in spite of its presence and implementation in the DRC, between 2007 and 2010, conflict and the violence against civilians escalated to unprecedented levels. This study examines the causalities of the failure and observes its effect while making propositions towards amelioration of the challenges and the failure of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. / Political Sciences / M.A. (International Politics)

Women living in northern Nigeria face a herculean challenge of overcoming direct and indirect violence. These include domestic violence, political instability, social inequality, and the threat of Boko Haram. Boko Haram is an extremist militant group that has been known to kidnap, rape, and torture women and young girls as means of terrorizing the Nigerian community. Northern Nigerian women have also faced challenges within their own community as they are barred from participating in public activities, are under-represented in government, forced into early marriages, and are often victims of domestic violence. This study examines the lived experiences of women peacebuilders living in northern Nigeria as they negotiate regional conflicts and manage the peacebuilding process. Seven northern Nigerian females between the ages of 30 to 60 were recruited to participate in this study. All came from diverse backgrounds but shared a commonality of peace building and conflict management within their respective communities. The goal of this study was to better understand the meaning of these experiences and to uncover how these women handle these daily challenges. Feminist standpoint and structural violence theories provide the theoretical framework to dissect the essence of their experiences. The study adopted Clark Moustaka’s approach towards conducting transcendental phenomenological research methods and procedure. The results of the study will inform project design and policy formulation and serve as a source for future research and interventions by development agencies and other stakeholders interested in peace within the region.

« Le sujet de cette thèse traitera du Liban entre les deux retraits israélien et syrien, 2000 – 2005.En effet, cette récente période s’inscrit comme l’une des plus critiques dans l’histoire contemporaine du Liban. La guerre civile déclenchée en avril 1975 est officiellement terminée en octobre 1990 par une « paix syrienne » imposée aux belligérants Libanais, soutenue par la Ligue Arabe et la communauté internationale. Cette période de paix entre 1990 et 2005, fut d’une part une période de reconstruction et de développement du Liban. Mais d’autre part, ces quinze années témoignent d’un profond malaise et mécontentement inscrits dans une situation globale apparemment paisible mais en fait marquée de fragilités politiques, sociales et communautaires profondes.Deux évènements majeurs - les retraits : israélien en 2000 et syrien en 2005 - viennent bouleverser ce statut quo libanais et déclenchent le processus inévitable d’une nouvelle « démocratisation » du Liban dont les conséquences ne cessent de se ressentir et de rebondir à ce jour. Entre ces deux retraits, un troisième « évènement choc », le 11 septembre 2001 semble au regard de certains Libanais la perspective d’une nouvelle politique américaine et européenne dans la région.Cette période sera marquée au Liban, par les événements d’août 2000, arrestations arbitraires à l’encontre des opposants au régime prosyrien, la fermeture forcée de la chaîne de télévision libanaise anti syrienne MTV, les discours virulents des prélats maronites de l’église du Liban et du patriarche du Liban contre le régime en place, la nouvelle politique du leader druze Walid Joumblatt, l’éloignement du Premier Ministre libanais Rafic Hariri de la politique syrienne, et le début de la création d’une opposition multiconfessionnelle contre la reconduction du président libanais prosyrien Emile Lahoud, le vote de la résolution 1559 au conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, et finalement le « 11 septembre libanais » ou l’assassinat de Rafic Hariri, en février 2005 et la « révolution du Cèdre » qui en suit. / «The subject of that thesis will deal with Lebanon between both Israeli and Syrian withdrawals, on 2000 - 2005. Indeed, this recent period joins as one of the most critical in the contemporary history of Lebanon. The civil war started in April, 1975 is officially ended in October, 1990 with a " Syrian peace " compulsory for the Lebanese belligerent parties, supported by the Arab League and the international community. This peace period between 1990 and 2005, was on one hand a period of reconstruction and development of the Lebanon. But on the other hand, these fifteen years testify of a profound faintness and a dissatisfaction registered in an apparently peaceful global situation but in fact marked with deep political, social and community fragilities:Two major events - withdrawals: Israeli in 2000 and Syrian in 2005 come to upset this Lebanese status quo and activate the inevitable process of a new "democratization" of Lebanon of which the consequences do not stop feeling the effects and bouncing to this day. Between these two withdrawals, the third " event shock ", September 11th, 2001 seems with regard to certain Lebanese the perspective of a new American and European policy in the region.This period will be marked in Lebanon, by the events of August 2000, arbitrary arrests against the opponents of the proSyrian regime, the forced closure of the Lebanese anti Syrian television channel MTV, the virulent speeches of the Maronite prelates of the church and the patriarch of Lebanon against the regime in position, the new policy of the Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, the estrangement of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri of the Syrian politics, and the beginning of the creation of a multidenominational opposition against the renewal of the proSyrian Lebanese president Emile Lahoud, the vote of the resolution 1559 in the United Nations Security Council, and finally on the " Lebanese September 11th " or the murder of Rafic Hariri, in February, 2005 and the " revolution of the Cedar ".

Armed conflict and violence against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has persisted for years starting in the 1990s. The Eastern, Western and North-Eastern parts of the country have seen the presence of a multiplicity of armed groups that have caused an escalation of the humanitarian crisis. The United Nations, in the interest of civilian protection, peacekeeping and security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a mission under The United Nations Organisational Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). In spite of this mission, civilians continued in the Congo to suffer attacks and to endure human rights abuses by the armed militants that are fighting government and the government forces in shape of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). This study examines the problematique of the mandate of MONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in light of the challenges that have made its success debatable. The success of MONUC has become debatable in light of the fact that in spite of its presence and implementation in the DRC, between 2007 and 2010, conflict and the violence against civilians escalated to unprecedented levels. This study examines the causalities of the failure and observes its effect while making propositions towards amelioration of the challenges and the failure of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. / Political Sciences / M.A. (International Politics)