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Saskia Hollander

Saskia Hollander

Saskia Hollander is director of knowledge management at The Broker and programme coordinator and knowledge manager for INCLUDE, the Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies. She holds a PhD in political science from Radboud University Nijmegen. She previously worked at the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) and the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV). Her professional interests include democratic institutions, the quality of democracy, political participation, and political and economic inequality.

Latest updates on the post-2015 process

In October, several events will be hosted concerning the post-2015 process. A selection of key events is presented in the table below. The Broker will update you on some of the most relevant events.

From stocktaking to negotiation

Now that the eighth and final stocktaking session of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has taken place, the more ‘friendly’ phase of the post-2015 process seems to have come to an end. The OWG member states’ overall emphasis on the need for consensus and pragmatism mask an inevitable clash between the North and the South on the scope of the SDGs, their universality and, above all, their means of implementation. Which elements of the development narrative need to be translated into specific goals and targets? To what extent is their applicability differentiated according to national contexts? And who has to pay?

Re-politicizing resource conflicts

The root causes of many resource-related conflicts, hidden or openly violent and armed, are grounded within power constellations around conflicting interests. Within those power dynamics, national and global economic influences often override local environmental interests and human rights. As ‘the politics’ of resource conflicts is often ignored, and solutions are sought in temporary and technical interventions, a vicious circle of conflict prevails in many resource-rich and resource-scarce developing countries.

What to read and where?

This dossier on ‘Power dynamics and natural resources’ contains five case-study articles and a synthesis summary on the power dynamics underlying both ‘open’ and ‘hidden’ conflicts over natural resources. The dossier also comprises a debate with the aim to identify clear policy recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in the field.

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