The ISS Blog on Global Development and Social Justice

International law has an incredible potential to be the vehicle through which global transgender liberation is realized. In this reflective blog, Paxton McCausland  argues that international law is already being used to improve the quality of life for transgender peoples across the world.

16 Days Activism Against GBV Series| The Future of Transgender Liberation is International Law

This blog is part of a series on ‘the Politics of Food and Technology’, in collaboration with the SOAS Food Studies Centre. All of the blogs in this series are contributions made at the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) Conference in Istanbul-Bergen, October 2025, to the panel with a similar title.

Politics of Food and Technology Series | The&nbsp;digital&nbsp;paradox: Digital&nbsp;food&nbsp;assistance&nbsp;in Sudan&nbsp;as a tool for efficiency or exploitation?

This blog is part of a series contributed by presenters at the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) Conference, held in Istanbul and Bergen in October 2025.

IHSA Conference&nbsp;Series: A&nbsp;shrinking humanitarian space requires a New Way of Thinking

Prevailing responses to digital violence against women and girls are largely reactive— demanding justice after a case of revenge-porn, doxxing or cyber-bullying has already destroyed a life, livelihood or a sense of safety.

16 Days of Activism Against GBV Blog Series| Holding Both Ends of the Line in the fight Against Digital Violence

The Dutch have voted. Migration was once again front and centre. Campaigns warned of crises, headlines framed Europe as divided. Open borders versus closed minds, compassion versus control. It all sounds like Europe has taken sides. But has it? New research from the PACES project, led by Anne-Marie Jeannet, Associate Professor at ...  The post Europe’s Silent Middle: Why Migration Isn’t the Polarised Fight You Think It Is appeared first on Bliss.

Europe’s Silent Middle: Why Migration Isn’t the Polarised Fight You Think It Is

Sexual violence response systems rely on a workforce of caregivers who bear witness to trauma daily. Yet, the vicarious trauma eroding these responders’ wellbeing is dangerously overlooked. Drawing on her personal frontline experience, Emaediong Akpan argues that caring for survivors is impossible without caring for those who serve them.

16 Days Activism Against GBV Series| The Unseen Infrastructure of Care: Vicarious Trauma and the Systemic Failure in Sexual Violence Response

Since the first recognition of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  in its jurisprudence Furundžija) to the recognition of gender as a ground for persecution by the International Criminal Court , International Criminal Law (ICL) has increasingly addressed CRSV, but there is ...  The post 16 Days Activism Against GBV Series| Pursuing Justice for Survivors of CRSV in

16 Days Activism Against GBV Series| Pursuing Justice for Survivors of CRSV in Ukraine: Gender and Intersectionality Considerations

International criminal law has made remarkable progress in recognizing gender-based crimes, yet conviction rates alone cannot capture the meaning of justice for survivors.

16 Days Activism Against GBV Series| Beyond Convictions: Rethinking gender justice through survivors’ lived experiences

This blog post is based on the keynote speech delivered by Michelle Jarvis at the Gender Justice in International Criminal Law Conference, held on 29–30 September 2025 in The Hague, the Netherlands. The event was organized in partnership with the Gender Justice Practitioner Hub, Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, Legal ...  The post 16 Days Activism Against GBV Series | Effective Gender Justice as a Pathway to Peace appeared first on Bliss.

16 Days Activism Against GBV Series | Effective Gender Justice as a Pathway to Peace

Politics of Food and Technology Series| Beyond the Numbers: Humanitarian Response in the Absence of Data

In this blog, ISS MA Student, Sagar Jung Karki looks into the rise and success of the 2025 ‘Gen Z’ protests in Nepal, that grew into a society-wide protest movement against corruption in the Nepali government. The protests eventually ended with Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stepping down. Sagar ...  The post From mayhem to momentum: How a week of protest changed Nepal forever appeared first on Bliss.

From mayhem to momentum: How a week of protest changed Nepal forever

Politics of Food and Technology Series | The Politics of Food and Digital Technologies in Changing Global and Local Crises

In this blog, humanitarian practitioner and researcher Carla Vitantonio reflects on the immediate experiences of people in Cuba affected by the path of Hurricane Melissa, which slowly approached the Caribbean nation in mid-October 2025.

Experiences and observations of Hurricane Melissa’s path through Cuba: preparations, sanctions, and citizen networks

This blog is part of a series on ‘the Politics of Food and Technology’, in collaboration with the SOAS Food Studies Centre.

The Politics of Food and Technology Series | Asserting Digital Sovereignty: The Politics of Internet Shutdowns in Africa

Whether we embrace it or not, digital technologies and AI are here to stay, and they are fundamentally changing the human world of labour. As new technologies revolutionize the healthcare landscape, these changes are reshaping the lives and work of care workers. In this blog, Sreerekha Sathi shares insights from ...  The post From Hands-On to High-Tech: How Dutch Care Workers Navigate Digitalization and Robotization appeared first on Bliss.

From Hands-On to High-Tech: How Dutch Care Workers Navigate Digitalization and Robotization

Slovakia is emerging as a hub for African students seeking affordable, EU-recognized education, thanks to competitive tuition, a safe environment, and growing international support. Yet, life after graduation raises questions: Do students stay or leave, and what barriers shape their decisions?

Risks and Rewards: Why do African graduates in Slovakia stay or move on?

A red line has been drawn three times now by private citizens, who have not only called for boycotts against Israel to hold it accountable for atrocity crimes, but also the responsibility of their own governments to bring about sanctions.

Sanctions and boycotts are a proven way to increase pressure on the Israeli government to completely end the continuing genocide in Gaza&nbsp;after the ceasefire

M-PESA, a fintech platform, created alternative banking for those previously excluded from formal finance. While it advanced financial inclusion, it also highlighted deep inequalities and the extraction of value from vulnerable users. In this blog, Anna Elias, Erwin Tuijl, and Jasmin Hofman remind us that frugal innovation is not just ...  The post What is Frugal About Gig Platforms? appeared first on Bliss.

What is Frugal About Gig Platforms?

In this blog to mark the International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13), HSC Coordinator Tom Ansell dives into the role of ‘Early Warning’ systems and policies as part of Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives. They fit within greater DRR programming to make sure that people are warning in advance ...  The post Early Warning is one of the most important components of Disaster Risk Reduction – and one of the most successful!

Early Warning is one of the most important components of Disaster Risk Reduction – and one of the most successful!

In deprived families in less urbanized zones on the outskirts of Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 2 out of 5 adolescents have become pregnant, have been forced into marriage, or have suffered from Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs), according to new research from the Humanitarian Observatory of ...  The post Humanitarian Observatories series | Conflict-related risks of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted

Humanitarian Observatories series | Conflict-related risks of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies among adolescents, the case of Bukavu

In this blog, Eyob Balcha Gebremariam offers a deeply personal yet widely resonant reflection on the invisible boundaries that shape knowledge production in global academia. Drawing from his lived experience, he unpacks how the quest for epistemic relevance often clashes with Western-centric validation systems, how the dominance of English marginalises ...  The post Epistemic (Ir)relevance, Language &amp;

Epistemic (Ir)relevance, Language &amp; Passport Positionality The three hurdles I’m navigating as a UK-based Ethiopian academic

In this blog, ISS Guest Researcher Kim-Tung Dao delves into the effects that European Union ESG (Environmental, Sustainability, and Governance) standards can have on export partners in the ‘Global South’. Whilst ESG regulations are an important tool for the EU to control corporate behavior, they can have unintended consequences on ...  The post Exporting ESG: Can EU Standards Deliver Fair Sustainability in Global South contexts?

Exporting ESG: Can EU Standards Deliver Fair Sustainability in Global South contexts?

In this blog, Ranon Jahan, a researcher at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD, Dhaka, Bangladesh) brings together his thoughts following the Environmental and Climate Mobility Network conference held in Bonn, Germany, in July of this year.

From the Brahmaputra to the Rhine: Tracing the Currents of Climate Mobility

Technological progress is at the core of the modern (Western) philosophy of science and innovation scholarship, as it promises to end human suffering. However, ignoring the ‘inner capacities’ necessary to guide technology design and its interaction with human mind for too long is causing human suffering. In this blog, Birendra ...  The post What can (Western) philosophers of science and innovation scholarship learn from Buddhist philosophy?

What can (Western) philosophers of science and innovation scholarship learn from Buddhist philosophy?

Land lies at the heart of contemporary politics. As a site of contestation and negotiation, land is central to struggles that affect us all. The Oxford Handbook of Land Politics , edited by ISS Professor Jun Borras and Jennifer Franco, brings together contributions from leading scholars in critical agrarian studies, offering ...  The post The politics of land: Introducing an important new collection appeared first on Bliss.

The politics of land: Introducing an important new collection

Global Governance and Policy Analyst Chimwemwe Salie Hara looks into the road towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 in this blog, arguing that reform of financing and governance must be made in the face of significant geopolitical tensions if we are to achieve better outcomes for countries across ...  The post To address recurring crises, we must attempt global development policy reforms appeared first on Bliss.

To address recurring crises, we must attempt global development policy reforms

In this blog, ISS alumnus Eyob Balcha Gebremariam, PhD, critiques the superficial ethical framing often used in Global North–Africa partnerships. Through reflections on a UK–Africa research network, he highlights persistent power imbalances, where African partners are relegated to the role of data collectors while institutions exploit student fees and metrics.

Decolonising international research collaboration requires us to go beyound the ‘Ts and Cs’ apply approach

Earlier this year, Bilge Sahin and Phyllis Livaha, with support from Anne Biwott, organized a one-day workshop in collaboration with Grace Agenda—a Kenyan civil society organization that supports survivors of the 2007–2008 post-election violence.

Caring as a Practice of Everyday Peacemaking in the Lives of Sexual Violence Survivors in Kenya

Police violence against recent protests by civil society groups and social movements marks the biggest challenge for Indonesia’s Prabowo administration and tests the Indonesian political class’ commitment to democracy. In this blog Iqra Anugrah and Rachma Lutfiny Putri explain how Oligarchic agendas of the elites have led to disastrous policy choices, triggering the protest movement.

<em>
 Police violence against recent protests by civil society groups and social movements marks the biggest challenge for Indonesia’s Prabowo administration and tests the Indonesian political class’ commitment to democracy. In this blog Iqra Anugrah and Rachma Lutfiny Putri explain how Oligarchic agendas of the elites have led to disastrous policy choices, triggering the protest movement.
</em>

The Ruling Elites Put Democracy under Duress in Indonesia – and the People are fighting back

In his 1975–76 lecture series at the Collège de France, Michel Foucault famously declared, ‘Society must be  defended’. While framed within the context of biopolitics and the genealogy of state violence, this provocation has found renewed relevance in the 21st century as new forms of warfare emerge. Today, the greatest threats ...  The post Society Must Be Defended!

Society Must Be Defended! Rethinking Defence and Security in the age of Cognitive Warfare and the WPS Agenda

Despite claims of evidence-based policymaking, migration research is often sidelined – except when it serves political goals. In this blog, Riccardo Biggi explores how governments at national and local levels selectively use expert knowledge, depending on the policy area at stake.

Truth on demand: The politics of using and dismissing migration research&nbsp;(PACES Blog Series)

Conventional Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) frameworks in Africa remain limited by masculinist and colonial legacies that marginalise the knowledge of African women’s and their lived realities. In this blog, visiting International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) researcher, Esther Beckley advances a feminist-decolonial intervention that centres women’s knowledge as indispensable ...  The post A clash of peace(s)?

A clash of peace(s)? Feminist-decolonial reckoning with extractive disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) programmes in Africa

In this blog, Siyum Adugna Mamo and Ayehu Bacha Teso look at political developments within Ethiopia in the last decade, and their effects on freedom of academic work and thought as well as on material conditions within the country. They find that by deliberately weakening intellectuals both morally and economically, ...  The post Silencing Minds, Starving Bodies: Authoritarian Epistemicide in Ethiopia    appeared first on Bliss.

Silencing Minds, Starving Bodies: Authoritarian Epistemicide in Ethiopia

Amsterdam marked its 750th anniversary by distributing 60,000 copies of a commemorative book, Mijn Jarige Stad (“My Birthday City”), to children across the Dutch city. But what was intended as a celebratory gift has instead sparked controversy over its casual perpetuation of racial stereotypes. In this blog, Zhiqi Xu, PhD student ...  The post Amsterdam’s Troubling Children’s Book appeared first on Bliss.

Amsterdam’s Troubling Children’s Book

In this blog to mark the International Day of Biodiversity, Kim-Tung Dao explores the interplay between international trade and environmental sustainability, which has become increasingly consequential in an era marked by escalating climate crises and geopolitical tensions.

Trade Wars vs. Planetary Peace: Can International Trade Support Environmental Harmony?

Kalehe, a territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) located just to the north of Bukavu, has witnessed an unprecedented humanitarian crisis triggered by heavy rains in May 2023, resulting in at least 513 deaths, 5 525 people missing, 2 046 houses destroyed, many schools and health centres destroyed ...  The post Humanitarian Observatories Series | preventing crisis through reforestation: the case of Kalehe in the Eastern Democratic

Humanitarian Observatories Series | preventing crisis through reforestation: the case of Kalehe in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Can local wisdom offer solutions to current environmental crises? As the world commemorates the International Day of Biological Diversity, we are reminded that the solutions to today’s ecological crises often lie in the knowledge systems of the past.

International Day of Biological Diversity: Embracing Javanese Local Wisdom as Pathways to a Sustainable Future

In this blog, Dr Maria Gabriela Palacio uses the example of The Darien Gap (a jungle crossing formerly utilised by forced migrants and refugees to travel North towards the USA) to consider the effects of recently changed and more brutal deportation policies put into place by the USA. More and ...  The post Governing through expulsion: rise in U.S. deportations quiets the Darién Gap, shifting burdens south appeared first on Bliss.

Governing through expulsion: rise in U.S. deportations quiets the Darién Gap, shifting burdens south

In this blog, Carla Vitantonio (and host of the ‘Living Decoloniality’ podcast), takes stock of the views of humanitarian practitioners and researchers at the recent Humanitarian Leadership Conference, held in Doha, Qatar. Throughout the conference, Carla interviewed various humanitarian practitioners and researchers for a special podcast series.

Polycrisis and reasons for hope at the Humanitarian Leadership Conference: a practitioners’ perspective

Domestic fires have heavily affected Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), causing deadly humanitarian crises with multiple effects.

Humanitarian Observatories series | how domestic fire has become a humanitarian crisis: case of Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Colombian President Gustavo Petro signs a Pact for Land and Life; Revolution for Life, committing to carry out land redistribution, restitution, and recognition to enable rural working people to pursue economically and ecologically regenerative livelihoods. In this blog, Prof. Jun Borras and Itayosara Herrera discuss the implications of this pact.

A revolution for land and life in Colombia – and the world

What happened to the scholar that didn’t embrace new media? They ran out of cassette tapes! Awful jokes aside, it’s more and more important for scientists, and particularly social scientists, to be plugged in to society to better interact with it. A recent Economist article highlighted that academic research papers in ...  The post The need for ‘Impact’: whatever ‘Impact’ means appeared first on Bliss.

The need for ‘Impact’: whatever ‘Impact’ means

Nepali brides in South Korea are often portrayed as victims of violence, abuse, exploitation, slavery, and trafficking. But are these the only realities of Nepali brides? Nilima Rai in this article, challenges the dominant monolithic narrative of victimhood and sheds light on the other realities of these women – many ...  The post Beyond victimhood: The untold realities of Nepali brides in South Korea appeared first on Bliss.

Beyond victimhood: The untold realities of Nepali brides in South Korea

In this blog, Drs. Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits and Bilge Sahin reflect on Home Game, a documentary that unfolds not simply as a story of survival but as a profound meditation on the human condition—on displacement, memory, and the perpetual search for identity and belonging.

Home(s) in the In-Between: Trauma, Memory, Identity and Belonging in Home Game by Lidija Zelović

Gender inequality and the discrimination of sexual and gender minorities in Nigeria are often attributed to sociocultural norms and unfavourable state policies. However, reflecting on body politics reveals a deeper entanglement with state control, colonial legacies, and capitalism. Our bodies are not just personal, they are sites of regulation, commodification, and ...  The post Bodies Designed for Profit appeared first on Bliss.

Bodies Designed for Profit

Humanitarianism has long been in crisis, but since early 2025, the sector has been experiencing an unprecedented organizational, institutional, normative, and political collapse. In this blog, Kristin Sandvik from the University of Oslo, calls on scholars active in the broad, inter-, and multidisciplinary field of humanitarian studies to try to ...  The post What Now for Humanitarian Studies? appeared first on Bliss.

What Now for Humanitarian Studies?

On the first day in office of his second presidential term, Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing the USAID for 90 days, reportedly to assess the programme’s ‘effectiveness and alignment with US foreign policy’. On 10 March 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended the world’s most vulnerable communities’ slight hope ...  The post Humanitarian Observatories Series | USAID suspension is a wake-up call to address

Humanitarian Observatories Series | USAID suspension is a wake-up call to address fragility of Humanitarian Actions in Ethiopia

Digital spaces can amplify marginalized voices, but for many women, especially Dalit women in India, they often become sites of abuse. Navigating the intersection of gender, caste, and religion, Dalit women face systemic exclusion and violence, reinforced by both offline and online structures.

Mobilizing against patriarchy and caste on Twitter: How women in India use digital spaces to speak up against gender-based violence

The UN Refugee Convention contributes to asylum and migration-related challenges in the EU, as well as the often inadequate reception of refugees globally. In this Opinion piece, Tom De Veer explains how some adjustments to the Convention could remove a key flaw that currently exacerbates these issues.

Suggestions for Adaptation of UN and Other Refugee Treaties and Conventions that Can Make the World a Better Place for Refugees

Gender Studies worldwide confront the double whammy of the academic field’s persistent urgency amidst heightened risk for its scholars and students.