What is the primary focus of this conference?

The conference focuses on the interconnectedness of violence, human rights, and global development, aiming to explore solutions and strategies.

What format will the conference follow?

The conference is described as an international gathering, suggesting a format that includes presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities.

International Conference on Violence, Human Rights, and Global Development

Name: International Conference on Violence, Human Rights, and Global Development
Start: 2026-11-17T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-11-17T00:00:00Z
Location: Abuja

Nov 17, 2026Abuja, NigeriaIn-person

Registration open

The International Conference on Violence, Human Rights, and Global Development is set to convene in Abuja, Nigeria. This event will serve as a critical platform for academics, policymakers, and practitioners to deliberate on the intricate relationships between violence, human rights, and the broader agenda of global development. Participants will engage in discussions aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of these interconnected challenges and exploring effective strategies for their mitigation. The conference emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, inviting contributions from various fields to enrich the dialogue. It aims to bridge theoretical insights with practical applications, encouraging the exchange of research findings, policy recommendations, and innovative solutions. The gathering in Nigeria underscores the global nature of these issues and the necessity of collaborative efforts to address them.

Committees & topics

Topics
Global Development and Human Rights · Impact of Violence on Development Goals · Sustainable Development and Rights · The Role of International Aid in Development · The Dynamics of Violence in Global Contexts · Human Rights Frameworks in Conflict Resolution · Governance and the Protection of Human Rights · Peacebuilding Initiatives: Strategies and Challenges

Why it matters

The convergence of violence, human rights abuses, and stalled global development represents one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Persistent violence, whether state-sponsored, communal, or gender-based, directly undermines human rights, leading to displacement, loss of life, and the erosion of fundamental freedoms. This, in turn, creates significant obstacles to sustainable development, diverting resources, destabilizing economies, and hindering progress in education, health, and poverty reduction. Understanding these causal links is crucial for crafting effective interventions.

This conference provides a vital forum for dissecting these complex dynamics. By bringing together diverse perspectives, it facilitates a comprehensive analysis of how violence manifests, its impact on human rights, and the subsequent impediments to development. Such an event is particularly relevant in the current global climate, where conflicts and human rights violations continue to destabilize regions and impede the achievement of global development goals. The discussions will likely highlight the need for integrated approaches that address the root causes of violence while simultaneously promoting human rights and fostering sustainable development.

Furthermore, the focus on global development alongside human rights and violence underscores the principle that true development cannot occur in the absence of peace and respect for human dignity. The insights generated from this conference could inform policy-making at national and international levels, guiding efforts to build more resilient and equitable societies. It offers an opportunity to share best practices and develop new frameworks for intervention.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for this conference should focus on developing a robust understanding of the interdependencies between violence, human rights, and global development. A strong foundation in Dynamic Analysis will be beneficial for understanding how these factors evolve and influence each other over time. Consider how different forms of violence—political, economic, social—impact various human rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and security of person, and how these impacts subsequently hinder development indicators like poverty reduction, education, and health outcomes.

It would be prudent to research specific case studies, particularly those relevant to the host region, Africa. Understanding the nuances of Gender Dynamics Across Cultures is also critical, as gender-based violence is a significant human rights issue with profound developmental consequences. Delegates should be prepared to discuss how international and local actors can collaborate effectively to address these challenges, potentially drawing on concepts from Engagement Strategies.

Finally, preparing for discussions on policy implications and practical solutions will be key. Consider how different stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations, and international bodies, can contribute to mitigating violence, upholding human rights, and advancing global development. Familiarity with the concept of Hidden Stakeholders can help identify overlooked actors whose inclusion might be crucial for successful interventions.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Nigeria

As the host nation, NGA is deeply invested in addressing the nexus of violence, human rights, and development, given its own experiences with internal conflicts and efforts towards sustainable growth.

Role in topic

NGA serves as a critical case study for discussions on violence, human rights, and development, offering insights into regional challenges and potential solutions. Its role as host highlights the importance of these issues within an African context.

United States

The USA generally advocates for human rights and democratic governance as foundational to global development and stability, often providing aid and diplomatic pressure.

Role in topic

The USA is a significant donor and advocate for human rights globally, often linking development aid to human rights performance and democratic reforms. Its perspective will likely emphasize international cooperation and accountability mechanisms.

China

CHN emphasizes state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, often prioritizing economic development as the primary driver of stability and human well-being.

Role in topic

CHN's perspective will likely focus on the role of economic development in alleviating conditions that can lead to violence and human rights abuses, while also emphasizing national sovereignty in addressing these issues.

Norway

NOR is a strong proponent of human rights, peacebuilding, and humanitarian assistance, often playing a mediating role in conflicts and advocating for international law.

Role in topic

NOR's engagement will likely center on its long-standing commitment to human rights, peace processes, and development cooperation, offering perspectives on conflict resolution and humanitarian interventions.

South Africa

ZAF has a strong constitutional commitment to human rights and often champions African-led solutions to continental challenges, including violence and underdevelopment.

Role in topic

ZAF can offer valuable insights into post-conflict reconciliation, constitutionalism, and regional efforts to address violence and promote human rights within the context of African development.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Global Development and Human Rights

The link between development and human rights was formally articulated in the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development, which framed development as a comprehensive economic, social, cultural, and political process aimed at the well-being of all individuals. The 1993 Vienna Declaration further affirmed the indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, rejecting the Cold War-era separation between the two human rights covenants. Since then, the 2000 Millennium Development Goals and the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals have attempted to integrate rights-based approaches into development planning. In practice, however, the relationship remains contested. Donor states often emphasize civil and political rights as preconditions for aid, while many developing states argue that economic and social rights — including the right to development itself — require structural reforms in trade, debt, and intellectual property regimes. The 2030 Agenda's pledge to 'leave no one behind' has not closed this gap, and recent crises in financing, climate adaptation, and post-pandemic recovery have widened disparities. Today, debates center on how to operationalize human rights within development financing, how to hold both states and multinational corporations accountable for rights impacts of development projects, and how to reconcile sovereignty concerns with international monitoring mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review and the OHCHR's work on business and human rights.

Key players

Impact of Violence on Development Goals

Armed conflict, organized crime, and interpersonal violence are among the most significant drivers of underdevelopment. The World Bank's 2011 World Development Report on Conflict, Security, and Development found that no low-income fragile or conflict-affected state had achieved a single Millennium Development Goal. This evidence shaped the inclusion of SDG 16 — on peace, justice, and strong institutions — in the 2030 Agenda, recognizing that violence reverses gains in health, education, gender equality, and poverty reduction. The past decade has reinforced this picture. Conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, and the Sahel have displaced record numbers of people, destroyed infrastructure, and disrupted food systems with global spillovers. Gang violence in parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and cartel violence in Mexico, have similarly undermined governance and investment. UNDP and OECD data show that fragile contexts now host the majority of the world's extreme poor, a reversal of pre-pandemic trends. The core debate concerns how to align humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding action — the so-called 'triple nexus' — and how to finance prevention rather than only response. Tensions persist over the militarization of aid, the role of private security, and whether SDG 16 indicators adequately capture the gendered and structural dimensions of violence.

Key players

Sustainable Development and Rights

The 2015 adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development marked the first time UN member states unanimously endorsed a development framework explicitly grounded in human rights, with roughly 92 percent of SDG targets reflecting obligations under international human rights instruments according to the Danish Institute for Human Rights. The agenda built on Agenda 21 from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, which had begun to integrate environmental sustainability with social equity. Progress has been uneven. The UN's 2024 SDG Report indicated that only about 17 percent of targets are on track, with setbacks driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate shocks, and a widening development financing gap estimated at over four trillion dollars annually. Indigenous peoples, women, and rural communities frequently bear the costs of extractive and green-transition projects, raising concerns about free, prior, and informed consent and a 'just transition.' Current debates focus on how to integrate the right to a healthy environment, recognized in GA Resolution 76/300, into national development strategies; how to ensure that climate finance does not displace human rights protections; and how to embed accountability mechanisms in voluntary national reviews.

Key players

The Role of International Aid in Development

Modern development aid traces its origins to the Marshall Plan and the post-1945 Bretton Woods architecture, later extended to decolonizing states through bilateral programs and UN funds. The OECD Development Assistance Committee, established in 1961, has set norms for what counts as Official Development Assistance, and the 2005 Paris Declaration, 2008 Accra Agenda for Action, and 2011 Busan Partnership sought to improve aid effectiveness through ownership, alignment, and results. The landscape has shifted significantly. South-South cooperation, led by China, India, and Gulf states, now rivals traditional Western aid in volume and visibility, and private philanthropy and remittances dwarf ODA in many countries. At the same time, criticism of aid dependency, conditionality, and the 'donor-driven' agenda has intensified, while donors face domestic political pressure to cut aid budgets and redirect them to refugee hosting or military assistance, as seen in recent cuts by the United Kingdom and others. Key questions before the international community include how to reform the international financial architecture as called for at the 2025 Financing for Development Conference, how to scale concessional finance for climate and health, and how to ensure that aid reinforces rather than undermines local institutions and human rights.

Key players

The Dynamics of Violence in Global Contexts

Violence in the contemporary international system extends well beyond interstate war. The WHO's 2002 World Report on Violence and Health established a public-health typology distinguishing self-directed, interpersonal, and collective violence, while the Uppsala Conflict Data Program documents a sustained rise in state-based armed conflicts since 2011, reaching levels not seen since the end of the Cold War. Non-state armed groups, transnational criminal organizations, and cyber-enabled violence have blurred the boundaries between war, crime, and terrorism. Structural dimensions — including gender-based violence, ethnic and religious persecution, and police violence — have gained renewed international attention through movements such as those addressing femicide in Latin America and protests against state violence in multiple regions. The Global Peace Index and IEP estimates put the economic impact of violence at roughly 13 percent of global GDP, concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. Debates focus on prevention rather than reaction: addressing root causes such as inequality, exclusion, and weak institutions; regulating arms flows under instruments like the Arms Trade Treaty; and adapting international humanitarian law to new domains including cyber operations and autonomous weapons.

Key players

Human Rights Frameworks in Conflict Resolution

The integration of human rights into conflict resolution evolved gradually after the Cold War. The 1992 Agenda for Peace, the establishment of the ICTY and ICTR, and the 1998 Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court reflected a growing conviction that accountability for atrocity crimes is essential to durable peace. The 2005 World Summit endorsement of the Responsibility to Protect further articulated states' obligations to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. In practice, the relationship between peace and justice remains contested. Negotiated settlements in Colombia, Northern Ireland, and South Africa took different approaches — transitional justice, power-sharing, and truth commissions — with mixed results. Recent conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, and Sudan have tested ICC jurisdiction, universal jurisdiction prosecutions, and the role of UN human rights mechanisms such as commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions. Current debates address the tension between amnesty and accountability, the protection of civilians under international humanitarian law, the inclusion of women and marginalized groups under UNSCR 1325 and successor resolutions, and the legitimacy of international tribunals amid accusations of selectivity.

Key players

Governance and the Protection of Human Rights

The protection of human rights ultimately depends on domestic institutions: independent judiciaries, free media, accountable security forces, and effective parliaments. International instruments from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the two 1966 Covenants have set standards, while regional systems — the European, Inter-American, and African human rights courts and commissions — have created enforcement mechanisms of varying strength. The Universal Periodic Review, launched in 2008, provides a peer-review process for all UN member states. Global indices from Freedom House, V-Dem, and others document a sustained period of 'democratic recession' since the mid-2000s, with declines in civil liberties, electoral integrity, and judicial independence in both established and emerging democracies. The rise of digital authoritarianism — including surveillance, internet shutdowns, and targeted spyware such as Pegasus — has added new dimensions to governance challenges, as has the shrinking civic space documented by CIVICUS. Debates focus on how international actors can support rights-respecting governance without violating sovereignty, how to combat corruption as a human rights issue, how to regulate technology companies whose platforms shape political life, and how to defend human rights defenders facing rising threats.

Key players

Peacebuilding Initiatives: Strategies and Challenges

Modern peacebuilding emerged from Boutros Boutros-Ghali's 1992 Agenda for Peace and was institutionalized through the 2005 creation of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, Peacebuilding Fund, and Peacebuilding Support Office. The 2015 twin reviews of peace operations and the peacebuilding architecture, alongside the 2016 'Sustaining Peace' resolutions, broadened the concept from post-conflict reconstruction to a continuum encompassing prevention, mediation, and long-term institution-building. Results have been uneven. Successes in places like Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Timor-Leste contrast with relapses in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Mali, where UN missions have drawn down amid host-state opposition and regional realignments. Chronic underfunding of the Peacebuilding Fund, geopolitical paralysis in the Security Council, and the rise of private military actors such as the Wagner Group and its successors have complicated international engagement. Key debates include how to finance peacebuilding through assessed contributions, how to ensure inclusive processes that integrate women, youth, and civil society, how to coordinate with regional organizations such as the African Union, and how to adapt strategies to hybrid conflicts involving climate stress, organized crime, and disinformation.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Violence, Human Rights, and Global Development.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Actor Vijay's Political Move

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Supreme Court VRA Ruling Empowers GOP 2026

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Engagement Strategies

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Hidden Stakeholders

Dynamic Analysis

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Nigeria November 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

International Conference on Violence, Human Rights, and Global Development

Nov 17, 2026Abuja, NigeriaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Global Development and Human Rights · Impact of Violence on Development Goals · Sustainable Development and Rights · The Role of International Aid in Development · The Dynamics of Violence in Global Contexts · Human Rights Frameworks in Conflict Resolution · Governance and the Protection of Human Rights · Peacebuilding Initiatives: Strategies and Challenges

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Nigeria

Role in topic

United States

The USA generally advocates for human rights and democratic governance as foundational to global development and stability, often providing aid and diplomatic pressure.

Role in topic

China

CHN emphasizes state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, often prioritizing economic development as the primary driver of stability and human well-being.

Role in topic

Norway

NOR is a strong proponent of human rights, peacebuilding, and humanitarian assistance, often playing a mediating role in conflicts and advocating for international law.

Role in topic

South Africa

ZAF has a strong constitutional commitment to human rights and often champions African-led solutions to continental challenges, including violence and underdevelopment.

Role in topic

ZAF can offer valuable insights into post-conflict reconciliation, constitutionalism, and regional efforts to address violence and promote human rights within the context of African development.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Global Development and Human Rights

Key players

Impact of Violence on Development Goals

Key players

Sustainable Development and Rights

Key players

The Role of International Aid in Development

Key players

The Dynamics of Violence in Global Contexts

Key players

Human Rights Frameworks in Conflict Resolution

Key players

Governance and the Protection of Human Rights

Key players

Peacebuilding Initiatives: Strategies and Challenges

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Violence, Human Rights, and Global Development.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Actor Vijay's Political Move

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Supreme Court VRA Ruling Empowers GOP 2026

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Engagement Strategies

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Hidden Stakeholders

Dynamic Analysis

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Nigeria November 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

International Diplomatic and Security Conference (DICAN)

DICAN Summit 2026

NIIA Foreign Policy Lecture Series – Nuclear Weapons: From Instrumentis Belli to Causas Bellorum

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International Conference on Dialogue, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution (ICDDYCR-2026)

African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) Annual Meeting 2026

Frequently asked questions