Our Programmatic Approach

Food security is a key challenge in the world, and a central element in broader debates surrounding environmental and social sustainability. Food security relates to poverty, nutrition, health, education, governance, institutional development, and the environment. Feeding a growing population with increasing demands in terms of diet comes at the cost of land and water resources, changes in the nutrient cycle and greenhouse gas emissions.  Increased production of agricultural products leads to conflicts over scarce natural resources and hampers efforts to protect biodiversity and ecosystems.
(links with VU profiling themes: Science for Sustainability, Governance for Society, Human Health & Life Sciences)

Products / deliverables / events:

• Desk studies
• Needs assessments
• Preparatory doctoral training / PhD training
• Co-supervision of PhD students
• Publications
• Lectures in International Development Honours Programme
• Summer School course

Contact person: Denyse Snelder

Despite major technological advancements the 21st century, 4.5 billion people in the world remain excluded from the Information Society. Amongst these are millions of people in rural areas, who are vulnerable to food insecurity, due to climate change and economic hazards.
The Network Institute, in close collaboration with CIS, has been running a research program on “ICT for Development” since 2009. This is W4RA or Web Alliance for Regreening in Africa http://w4ra.org aimed at improving knowledge sharing amongst rural communities through action-research. The program consists of extensive field research in Africa’s drylands, aimed at co-creation of innovative ICT services, with the close participation of rural communities.
(links with VU profiling themes: The Connected World, Science for Sustainability)

Products / deliverables / events:

• PhD training
• Master course ICT4D;
• Supervision Master theses;
• Website W4RA
• Annual symposium
• Publications and working papers
• Video materials

Contact person: Anna Bon

Conflicts arise over a wide range of issues, on different levels and in different contexts. Conflicts arise over scarce natural resources, like access to land and water, over access to public services and unfair treatment, between as well as within communities, families, organisations and states. Effects can for example include displacement of people, uncertainty about livelihood, trauma, fear, depression and illness.
Our programmatic activities in the area of conflict resolution and mediation address all different kinds of conflict and train people on how they can use conflict to create new realities, be it in their own personal conflicts, within their specific professional environment or as a neutral third party who mediates between people in conflict. Few people learn how to constructively solve conflicts, their natural tendency is to flee, fight or accommodate. Conflict resolution and mediation approaches look at was is truly at stake, what emotions are involved, why and how these are linked to one’s interest and motivation. It is at this level that people are able to share their grievances and to hear, see, meet and connect to each other. This new or renewed sense of connection can lead to regained trust, dignity, social cohesion and civic engagement.
(links with VU profiling themes:Governance for Society & Science for Sustainability)

Products / deliverables / events:

• Development and implementation of tailor-made training programmes on:
  • Mediation
  • Mediation skills in public service delivery
  • Facilitation of multi-party conflicts
  • Community Based Sociotherapy
  • Trauma and religion
• Training of Trainers
• Development of contextualised training materials
• Curriculum review/development

Contact person: Marise van Amersfoort

1. Good Governance & Democratisation
   Issues pertaining to human rights, democracy, migration, surveillance and privacy, corruption, environmental concerns, transnational law, international relations, trade regulations and rule of law are key challenges in the developing world today in terms of Governance. Hence this thematic area is of increasing relevance, impinging upon the lives of people in all parts of the world.  It is concerned with how societies and institutions organise and govern themselves. This focuses on government institutions, international organisations, (higher) education institutes, businesses, and others. The aim of this programme is to advance society in general, and ensure in particular that among others citizens, women, vulnerable groups and voiceless people are served better and more equally. This is indeed a broad area of interest, in which experts and scholars from different disciplines and sectors join forces, such as political science, law and governance, management & organisation, organisation sciences, computer sciences, psychology, anthropology and religion & theology.
   
   Our programmatic activities with regard to Good Governance and Democratisation concern both government institutions and higher education institutions. They also include the media as well as civil society organisations such as grassroots movements and non-governmental organisations. In our view, good governance and democratisation should be supported through a bottom-up strategy in which citizens gain awareness of their rights and are sensitised and encouraged to claim these rights. To this end, we adopt a tailor-made approach to build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels to implement this two-pronged approach.
   
   
2. Security & Rule of Law
   Our programmatic activities with regard to Security & Rule of Law aim specifically to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, and to provide access to justice for all (SDG 16). The focus is on national and regional justice sector systems and institutions, as well as human rights organisations and community-based groups to seek to defend the rights of their citizens.
   (links with VU profiling themes: Governance for Society, Science for Sustainability,The Connected World)

Products / deliverables / events:

• Development and implementation of tailor-made training programmes on:
  • Strategy development
  • Leadership and management
  • Communication skills
  • Organisational learning
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Train the Trainers
• Project management of large-scale (inter)national, multi-stakeholder projects
• Curriculum review/development
• International community service learning for students
• Research capacity development (proposal writing, research skills, academic writing in English, postgraduate supervision skills and mentorship)
  
  Contact person (Good Governance & Democratisation): Esther den Hartog
  Contact person (Security & Rule of Law): Henk van den Heuvel