The global pandemic triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak has affected many areas of life, including conflict, peace and war.
The pandemic has provided a window of opportunity, giving greater hope to conflict prevention and a move towards multilateralism and global policy as a replacement for military and/or political interventions.
Whilst the opportunity for change has been brought about as a result of COVID-19, so too has the worsening of preexisting human insecurities and violent conflicts.
As such, whilst the world begins to recover from the coronavirus crisis, there is a greater need and enthusiasm for cooperation, solidarity and diplomacy.
COVID-19 in Conflict Zones
Professor Jake Lynch and others who regularly work in conflict zones understand that those living in a war zone or in the aftermath of a conflict are much more likely to suffer from the outbreak of COVID-19.
This is because war and periods of prolonged unrest often coincide with mismanagement, foreign sanctions and corruption, which results in ineffective and under-funded national health systems that are not prepared to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution
One reason that refugees and displaced peoples are more vulnerable to COVID-19 is that lockdown restrictions have made it much more difficult for international institutions to continue to serve conflict-affected areas. The restrictions and travel bans associated with the pandemic have impeded humanitarian aid and supply chains, making it much more difficult to gain access to those in need.
Travel restrictions have also taken their toll on international mediation. For example, UN envoys who are working in the Middle East have been unable to travel to the region. Other diplomatic and mediation work has been delayed, cancelled or reduced by the global pandemic, including work in Afghanistan, South Caucasus, West Africa and Venezuela.
Crisis management and conflict resolution have also been negatively affected, as international leaders have had to focus more on domestic issues related to coronavirus, which has dramatically reduced the amount of time and resources that can be spent on resolving international conflicts and crises.
Topics that were previously high on the agenda, such as the European effort to secure a Libyan ceasefire, no longer receive high-level attention, as COVID-19 has taken over on the domestic front.