On 5 December 2014, the House of Lords is scheduled to debate the following motion: “that this House takes note of the role of soft power and non-military options in conflict prevention”.
The Role of Soft Power and Non-Military Options in Conflict Prevention (300 KB , PDF)
On 5 December 2014, the House of Lords is scheduled to debate the following motion:
“that this House takes note of the role of soft power and non-military options in conflict prevention”
This Library Note provides background reading for the debate in the House of Lords on 5 December 2014 on the role of soft power and non-military options in conflict prevention. It includes information on the different conflicts taking place across the World in the 21st Century and on some of the trends that have emerged over recent years in the types of conflicts being fought. It also provides information on soft power and non-military action, using the definition of soft power developed by the House of Lords Select Committee on Soft Power and the UK’s Influence. The Note goes on to summarise the policies of the United Nations, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the UK Government that are intended to prevent conflict. This includes information on the Government’s attempts to target aid towards fragile states and its use of the Conflict Pool. It also includes a summary of parliament scrutiny of the effectiveness of the Government’s current policies, and recent policy proposals from the Opposition.
The Role of Soft Power and Non-Military Options in Conflict Prevention (300 KB , PDF)
While international attention has largely been focused on the Middle East and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan continues. The UN has characterised the conflict as the “world’s largest hunger crisis”. As peace negotiations stall, concerns are rising not only for the people of Sudan but also about the conflict spreading to neighbouring states.
This briefing provides a summary of a recent report by the international children’s rights charity Save the Children entitled ‘Stop the war on children: Let them live in peace’, as well as UK government policy in this area. It has been prepared ahead of Baroness Anelay of St Johns’ (Conservative) upcoming debate on 12 September 2024 on the government’s assessment of the impact of international conflict on children and the recommendations proposed in Save the Children’s report.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill seeks to allow the UK government to treat the CPA and the ICRC in a manner comparable to international organisations of which the UK is a member. This status change would allow the government to confer certain privileges and immunities on the two organisations. A previous version of the bill was introduced in the 2023-24 parliamentary session.
![Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 3 of 2024-25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/Foreign-Policy-VIGs-568x426.jpg)