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artasfoundation and its project partners are committed to broadening horizons of experience through exchange, promoting diversity of opinion, and providing new impulses for society through exchange. In the current issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest on Arts in Society, field reports and self-analyses explore the question of how artists and newly founded grassroots institutions seek exchange with the international art world without completely turning away from local traditions and starting conditions.

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Deciding between war and peace. The decision is not first made in the outside world. It is first made inside the psyche of every human being. It is the decision between the wrong and the right, the deception and the truth, the power and the powerlessness, the destruction and the fulfillment of life. Making the right decision requires resolving this opposition within oneself. The soul tries to lead each person there.

The book is available in bookstores.

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The opening of rooms for cultural and sports activities in the 4 partner elementary school took place in the presence of the Tunisian Minister of Education.

These rooms have been supplied and prepared by the project team "Dialogue in the school environment: a tool for the prevention of violent extremism" to create living spaces for the students of the institutes and schools concerned. Sporting and cultural activities in educational institutions are a key element in providing students with alternatives to the street and the violence to which they may be exposed.

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From a peacebuilding perspective, the SSD is disappointing, as it does not contain any goals or measures linked to SDG16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. This is surprising because there is certainly a need to take action in this regard, within Switzerland and abroad, and the question of policy coherence is particularly relevant here. Moreover, Switzerland has strongly advocated for SDG16 during the negotiations of the Agenda 2030 and beyond and can contribute significantly to on Sustainable Development in this area. KOFF thus suggests to give the Swiss engagement for peace and human rights its rightful place in the SDD.

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The initiative to ban the veil is supposedly about women's individual freedom and their protection from patriarchal constraints. We consider this initiative as dangerous. It fuels anti-Muslim racism and instrumentalizes women's rights in political discourse. Here you can read the reasons why PeaceWomen Across the Globe and cfd - the feminist peace organization - clearly reject the initiative.

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In the new GSoA magazine, the organization adresses topics such as weapon exports in times of Covid-19, the "citizen service", and what role Joe Biden will play in US peace policy. Enjoy reading! 

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The abuse of children as soldiers is a serious violation of children's rights. It is estimated that over 250,000 children are affected every year. Every year on 12 February, their fate is commemorated worldwide - with the aim of putting an end to this abuse. In South Sudan, too, children are deprived of their childhood through this abuse. Mission 21 and our partners work against this and provide trauma support for affected children.

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Under what circumstances is the COVID-19 pandemic a conflict trigger or a peace factor? What are the security and peacebuilding implications of a health crisis on Security Sector Governance? Are healthcare actors sufficiently trusted and recognized? Almost a year after the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic, the KOFF organizations shared their experience and perspectives on the interlinkages between health and peace.

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The voting booth that women could step into fifty years ago in Switzerland represents a powerful symbol of equality. It also enabled their voice to be heard as citizens. It’s a belated act of justice and wisdom, making one of the oldest democracies, in essence, a young one. Since 1971, the picture of women's political representation nationally in Switzerland looks good. Yet, Swiss politics is local first, as many decisions are taken at a local level.

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In a world where social networks are a major source of information and disinformation, knowing how to distinguish a fact from a lie is a major democratic issue. The media need to play their role fully in this task of education, explains Caroline Vuillemin, General Director of Fondation Hirondelle, in an Opinion Column published on January 27, 2021 by the Swiss newspaper Le Courrier.

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