On Wednesday 23 August 2023, PeaceRep was pleased to host a visit to Edinburgh Law School by Lord Ahmad, the UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United Nations, who was joined by colleagues from across the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
PeaceRep showcased the award-winning PA-X Peace Agreements Database, key research findings from the Middle East and South Asia, and PeaceRep’s work on supporting women and girls.
Minister Lord Ahmad hails PeaceRep for "world-leading research" on peace and security
PeaceRep researchers demonstrated the PA-X Peace Agreements Database, the most expansive collection of peace agreements data in the world, containing more than 2,000 peace agreements across more than 150 peace processes between 1990 and 2023.
Lord Ahmad commented on the relevance of the PA-X Database to current conflict mediation practices:
PeaceRep’s database is now the go-to site for mediators embarking on the difficult process of opening dialogue to stop violence and plot a path to peace.
Lord Ahmad, who is also the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, was keen to discuss PeaceRep’s work in the Middle East and in South Asia, and on supporting women and girls. PeaceRep researchers shared key findings from PA-X Gender (a sub-database of peace agreements with provisions on women, girls, gender or sexual violence), how these findings informed the United Nations Secretary General’s Women, Peace and Security report in 2022, and how the PeaceFem mobile app is enabling inclusive mediation practices.
Lord Ahmad also described PeaceRep as “a wonderful example of Scottish-based academic institutions leading and collaborating within an international consortium” with a focus on supporting peace and conflict resolution worldwide:
PeaceRep is producing world-leading research and playing an extraordinary role in delivering peace and security across the world. The UK Government is proud to be supporting the team based at the University of Edinburgh.
PeaceRep’s Executive Director Christine Bell and Managing Director Tim Epple thanked FCDO for their continued support and funding of PeaceRep’s research.
Lord Ahmad later tweeted about the visit:
Visiting @EdinburghUni to find out how @FCDOGovUK funded @Peace_Rep_ is using its world-leading research to support peace processes across the world. Learning lessons from the past is vital if we are to plot paths to peace and build a better future. pic.twitter.com/LTi54ZcNPE
— Lord (Tariq)Ahmad of Wimbledon (@tariqahmadbt) August 23, 2023
Browse PeaceRep’s key findings