African Asylum Seekers in Europe: The Interplay between Foreign Aid and Governance in Origin Countries

This paper empirically investigates the effects of governance quality on the number of African asylum seekers in Europe over the period 1996–2018 and evaluates the extent to which official development aid acts as a catalyst. With this purpose in mind, different gravity model specifications and estimation approaches have been employed. The obtained results suggest that the asylum flows are strongly determined by governance quality in the country of origin and that this effect does depend on the amount of foreign aid received from developed countries. Moreover, it is also found that development aid is only effective in reducing asylum applications coming from countries with good governance. Moreover, we find no differences in the estimated elasticity of foreign aid on asylum claims for the beneficiaries of the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa, the main aim of which has been to improve living conditions of potential migrants in their countries of origin.

THE IMPACT OF TETFUND FUNDING ON THE SCHOLASTIC COMMITMENTS OF NIGERIAN LECTURERS

Education represents a vital tool for human and national development in the modern-day world. Perhaps, the tertiary institutions are the drivers of modern knowledge across the globe, hence, the need for continuous improvement of the higher education sector for quality knowledge. The involvement of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund in lifting the faces of tertiary education in Nigeria is yielding significant progress in attaining its purposes. The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of Tetfund grants on the academic commitment of Nigerian lecturers in pedagogical and research development. Eighty-three academic lecturers randomly selected from different tertiary institutions in Kogi State, Nigeria, participated in the study. The data for the study was collected using a self-developed instrument designed to ascertain the role of Tetfunds funding on the lecturers motivation and commitment to teaching and research. The finding of the simple regression analysis conducted revealed that Tetfund funding statistically significantly accounted for the variation in scholastic commitments of the lecturers. The study concludes that Tetfund grants are crucial in the development of quality education in Nigerias academia.

Effectiveness of Sustainable Marine Economy Interventions

Large development intervention programmes termed ‘marine economy’ or ‘blue economy’ are in their early stages and do not yet have results on effectiveness. Reports on the effectiveness of activities which could be considered under the blue economy umbrella were identified although more general reports of success than specific evidence. The World Bank programme, Problue, is a multi-donor trust fund aiming to achieve sustainable economic development in healthy oceans. The latest annual review of the programme lists achievements in terms of number of activities, proposals accepted, and beneficiaries. Effectiveness outcomes were not yet available. Progress has been made in developing frameworks and tools to assist governments to develop roadmaps. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is undertaking a large number of activities in support of sustainable ocean economies which are also in early stages.

Activation of international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity: the ways of improvement in today’s realities

The strategic bases of Ukraine's international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity have been identified. The tasks of international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity are generalized. The international initiatives implemented to strengthen the protection of cyberspace are analyzed. The directions of information security policy modernization at the UN level are detailed. The key priorities of international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity between Ukraine and NATO are outlined. Prospective activities of the NATO Cyber Security Trust Fund in Ukraine are considered. Modern world trends that affect NATO's security policy and require appropriate response measures are substantiated. On the basis of generalization, the directions to improve international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity have been identified.

Gender-Stratified Analysis of Haitian Perceptions Related to Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Perpetrated by UN Peacekeepers during MINUSTAH

Feminist scholarship has analyzed the gendered dynamics of national- and international-level risk factors for peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA); however, the gendered dynamics within the host country have not been adequately considered. Using the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) as a case study, this research analyzes gender differences within community-level perceptions of SEA. Using SenseMaker® as a data collection tool, cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative data were collected by Haitian research assistants over an 8-week period in 2017. Participants first shared a narrative in relation to MINUSTAH and then self-interpreted their narratives by noting their perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs on a variety of questions. The self-coded perceptions were analyzed quantitatively to determine patterns, and this was complemented with a qualitative analysis of the narratives. Women/girls were more likely to perceive the sexual interactions as “relationships” compared to Haitian men/boys. Furthermore, women/girls were more likely to perceive the peacekeeper as “supportive”, whereas men/boys conceptualized the peacekeeper as “authoritative”. SEA-related policies/programs, such as the UN Trust Fund in Support for Victims of SEA, should engage with local Haitian actors and consider such nuanced and gendered perceptions to maximize community trust and program efficacy.