Empowering Female IDPs in Nagorno-Karabakh

By Julie Snyder

The current Syrian refugee crisis has caused alarm across the globe, leading to political, economic, and security challenges. While the international community decides how to handle this problem, it is important to consider the next stages of the Syrian crisis, particularly for women. The case of Nagorno-Karabakh presents a grim vision of what could lie ahead if Syria lapses into a frozen conflict- a situation where violence has ceased, ending the “hot” conflict, but there has not been success in reaching a satisfying peace agreement.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a small strip of land internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan though governed as a de facto yet unrecognized state plagued by violence since the 1990s. Due to its geostrategic position and rich natural resources, Nagorno-Karabakh has been home to conflict for hundreds of years; most recently, violence erupted in the late 1980s when Armenia claimed the land from Azerbaijan, leaving over 120,000 casualties and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in its wake. Failed negotiations over the past few decades have left claims on Nagorno-Karabakh hotly contested, leaving hundreds of thousands forbidden from returning to their homes and producing no permanent peace agreements.


Despite intervention from a variety of development agencies and implementers, including USAID, the Armenian government, and NGOs, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh face the obstacles of frozen conflict daily with little possibility of improved livelihoods in their future. Currently, there are over 597,000 IDPs in Nagorno-Karabakh residing in camps only miles from their homes. These IDPs face a number of issues despite significant government and international assistance, and the aid of NGOs. Their primary concerns include “inadequate housing, precarious livelihoods, gender-based violence, segregated education… and IDP’s limited participation in decisions that affect them.” Continue reading

Special Economic Zones: South America Lags Behind

By Moises Rendon

It’s no coincidence that Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Dubai have been beacons of economic progress. These areas have attracted the most important high-technology firms and received vast influxes of foreign direct investment (FDI) in recent years. The three share a successful history of operating as what is known as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a unique regulatory status which has facilitated rapid economic development. While China, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries have reaped the benefits of SEZs, South American countries have yet to realize the potential benefits SEZs might offer their economies.

An SEZ is a demarcated geographic area within a country’s national boundaries where the rules of business are different from those that prevail in the surrounding territory. Compared to the economic regulations of the host countries, these zones typically include more friendly investment conditions, such as tax and customs exemptions. The goal is to create a globally competitive economic area that, through cost reductions and administrative simplification, attracts corporate investments to encourage new economic activity.


Shenzhen was the first SEZ in China, and remains an economic hub.

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