Columbia World Projects (CWP) on Wednesday published a report on a recent meeting – held in collaboration with the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office – that explored ways in which the international community, and in particular the UN, might better enable an environment in which peaceful protest movements can pursue positive change, while also mitigating against the instability and violence that protests can trigger.
The meeting, held in the wake of a decade-long escalation of protests, drew together experts from multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations, and universities. The group explored historical precedents to contemporary street politics and drivers animating these political and social activities. Participants also explored the tactics and goals of various social movements in an effort to better understand both their commonalities and their distinctions.
In addition, participants also discussed how the international community could respond in a more systematic and consistent way to a growing wave of protest movements and to the demands undergirding them. The new report details insights from the meeting and various recommendations proposed by participants.